Top 3 takeaways from the Anaheim Ducks' opening weekend games

Anaheim Ducks' hockey is finally back and it didn't come without an extra bit of patience from Ducks fans. The Ducks had to wait the longest out of any NHL to get their regular season underway with their first games occurring this past Saturday and Sunday.

Dawning their new rebranded uniforms, the Anaheim Ducks split their first two games of the 2024-25 season. The Saturday night matchup saw the Ducks defeating the Sharks by a score of 2-0, and the Sunday game ended with the Golden Knights besting Anaheim by a score of 3-1. Both games from the Ducks showcased good team efforts, but there are holes to improve going forward.

Here are three observations from the set of games this past weekend.

Zegras Has Come to Play

Many questions swirled around Zegras through the off-season. Trade rumours filled reports and many questioned Trevor's future with the Ducks due to his underwhelming 2023-24 campaign. However, since puck-drop on Saturday, Zegras has been the best Anaheim Ducks forward on the ice.

The typical slick passes and puck-carrying ability were there from seasons past, but the more notable change to Zegras' game is his two-way play. This area of his game has improved tremendously from season's past and head coach Greg Cronin has shown he trusts the kid from Bedford, New York. In the final minutes of the Ducks' matchup against the Sharks, Zegras was on the ice helping defend the one-goal lead.

His defensive efforts paid off as he was able to collect the puck and fire it from his own zone into the vacant net at the other end. His insurance marker helped solidify the victory and it started with good defensive play.

In the two games this weekend, Zegras displayed an excellent effort on the defensive side of the puck. He is no Selke-level defensive forward, but his work ethic off the puck will be a huge benefit to Greg Cronin this year. Zegras will be able to start in the defensive zone more often and then transition to offence for more scoring chances.

Not So Special Teams

There are two sides to special teams, power-plays and penalty-kills. This weekend displayed the Ducks' need to work hard at improving these areas.

The powerplay went 0 for 7 over the two games, and while it is only a couple of games into the season, the Ducks powerplay has looked very powerless. The first powerplay unit will need time to gel and figure things out, but leaving Zegras off this unit is a mistake. Zegras has shown to be one of the best Ducks players at zone entries and passing.

With elite shooters like McTavish, Gauthier, and Terry on the first unit, Zegras is left to dish the puck to Strome, Vatrano, and Killorn. Yes, Vatrano is an excellent goal scorer, but the first unit is heavy on shooters and they need a better puck distributor with them. We are only two games in so no need to panic, but Anaheim has had a bad powerplay the last handful of years and that is something that needs to change.

The penalty kill surrendered one goal over the weekend on seven attempts. My problem with the Ducks' PK is not its structure but the fact that it had to be played so much over the weekend. The best penalty kill is not taking penalties at all. Referees may misjudge on some of the offences, but most of the calls this weekend were lazy penalties with hooking, interference, and holding because players were not in the right defensive positioning.

There needs to be more accountability on the team for taking bad penalties. That culture needs to start immediately otherwise the Ducks will rack up the PIMs and the goals against them.

A Fight For the Last Defenceman Spot

The Anaheim Ducks are stacked with young defensive talent on their back end. Because of this surplus, every night will be a fight for the young defencemen to try to prove their spot to stay in the lineup. The three main defencemen fighting for a spot are Trinsten Luneau, Olen Zellweger, and Urho Vaakanainen. The other young defencemen, Pavel Mintyukov and Jackson LaCombe, have more secure spots, but they need to be on their game. Otherwise, they could lose their spot.

Many fans would have assumed Olen Zellweger was a lock to make the team out of camp. However, because the Ducks added veteran defenceman Brian Dumoulin, the back end had less room to insert young talent. Jackson Lacombe looked excellent during the preseason and with Luneau having a coveted right shot, they were the players chosen to make the opening night roster. An illness for Lacombe kept him out the first two games which allowed Zellweger and Vaakanainen to each play a game.

This competition will be interesting to watch going forward. Although Luneau fills the need the Ducks have for a right-shot defenceman, his inexperience showed up in the first couple of outings. He was on the ice for two of the goals against in the Vegas match-up. One of which came directly off his turnover in the defensive zone. Luneau will need time to learn the NHL, but with Zellweger and Vaakaninen waiting for their chance, he will need to improve his play or he might be the one watching from the press box.

Conclusion

It is great to have Ducks' hockey back and to see what they have in store this year. If Zegras can continue his excellent play and if the Ducks can stay out of the box, they are bound to earn some more points. Additionally, the within-team competition to hold onto roster spots is a great problem to have. It will raise the stakes for the young defencemen to play the best they can so that they are not scratched from the roster.