The Anaheim Ducks ended the Trevor Zegras saga by sending the beleaguered forward to the Philadelphia Flyers for Ryan Poehling and two draft picks.
The early impressions on the deal are that the Ducks sold low on Zegras. That may be fair on the surface. But the fact is that both Zegras and the Ducks needed to push the reset button. The trade was more a question of healing than getting significant pieces back.
Of course, there’s always a chance the Ducks strike paydirt with one of the picks from Philadelphia, but the truth is that the Ducks needed to turn the page on the Zegras drama and focus on taking the next step this upcoming season.
Ducks GM Pat Verbeek has been vocal about turning a corner this upcoming season. The team appears to have the pieces to get back into the Western Conference playoff conversation, particularly after adding strong leadership and scoring talent with Chris Kreider.
Even after the moves, the Ducks still have $36 million in cap space. That situation gives the team plenty of flexibility moving forward. The feeling is that the Ducks are not done adding.
Sure, there is pending business. For instance, the team must decide what to do about John Gibson. If the team chooses to trade Gibson, the return could drastically reshape the club. If the Ducks hold on to Gibson, there may be questions about how well Gibson could play moving forward.
One thing is certain. The Ducks could be major players heading into the 2025 NHL Draft. Fans should keep an eye on what the Ducks do in the coming days.
Anaheim Ducks have several pending RFAs to sign this offseason
The Anaheim Ducks have five key RFAs to sign this offseason. The biggest one, goaltender Lukas Dostal, is arguably the team’s highest priority.
Dostal was lights out at times, filling in for John Gibson this past season. Dostal’s emergence has made Gibson expendable to some extent. The Ducks tried to move Gibson at the deadline this season, but couldn’t find a deal that worked for them.
Then, the Ducks have forwards Isac Lundestrom, Brett Leason, and Mason McTavish to re-sign. McTavish has drawn plenty of interest on the trade market. However, it remains unclear if the Ducks are willing to move McTavish. He’s a 22-year-old with top-six potential. So, moving him this season could be a mistake.
That situation leaves blue liner Drew Helleson as the club’s only RFA on defense. He’s a right-shot D-man the Ducks will also be looking to keep in the fold.
It’s worth pointing out that the Ducks will be looking to secure their blue line this offseason and next. Only Tristan Luneau is currently signed past this upcoming season. That’s why the Ducks could be allocating the bulk of the cap space to re-signing as many as four RFA blue liners in the coming months.