The Anaheim Ducks’ 2023 calendar year has played out very similar to the years before it. A 25-44-8 record across two seasons is only a marginal improvement from their 24-51-10 mark in 2022. With four games left on the schedule before the New Year, it’s time to look at some resolutions the Ducks can make heading into 2024.
Anaheim is deep into a long-term rebuild. I would expect the on-ice results to continue to be painful in the short term, especially if the trade deadline sees the departure of several veterans. With most of the franchise’s highly touted prospects finally playing at the professional level, we could see a sharp turnaround depending on how quickly they develop. While “making the playoffs” seems like an unrealistic resolution for 2024, here are some resolutions that can help make the playoffs a possibility in 2025.
A Commitment to Health
The latter part of the year for the Ducks has been defined by injuries. Anaheim’s injured reserve has been populated with the likes of Jamie Drysdale (29 games missed), Trevor Zegras (20), Alex Killorn (10), and Mason McTavish (seven), as well as Isac Lundestrom, who has missed every game this year recovering from an offseason Achilles’ injury.
Drysdale, Killorn, and McTavish have since returned to the lineup, and Zegras is also nearing a return. But even as the Ducks approach a clean bill of health, a scary-looking leg injury to Leo Carlsson against the Calgary Flames on Dec. 21 is potentially an awful setback (from, “Ducks brace for Leo Carlsson injury news as Kraken comes to town,” The Orange County Register, Dec. 22, 2023). While we wait to hear the severity, all we can do is hope that 2024 is a healthier year for the Ducks.
Use the Trade Deadline to Look Younger
This is a continued resolution from a year ago, but the Ducks have expiring assets and should strongly consider selling at the trade deadline. Last year, general manager Pat Verbeek was able to leverage Dmitry Kulikov and John Klingberg into Brock McGinn, Nikita Nesterenko, and a pair of 2024 picks. This year’s crop of trade candidates favors the forward group, as Adam Henrique, Jakob Silfverberg, and Sam Carrick join blueliner Ilya Lyubushkin as pending unrestricted free agents.
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Beyond the picks and prospects these traded players would net, their spots on the roster can be filled with younger players within the organization. Unfortunately, there have been few standouts on their American Hockey League affiliate San Diego Gulls. Olen Zellweger is the Ducks’ most notable prospect not actively on Anaheim’s roster and is co-leading the Gulls with 19 points in 23 games played. I would anticipate he gets the chance to make his NHL debut if Lyubushkin is dealt. Some names to look for on the forward side include Nesterenko (12 points in 24 games played – GP), Pavol Regenda (13 in 17 GP), and Jacob Perreault (17 in 21 GP).
Stay Out of the Sin Bin
A common theme for the Ducks this season has been the parade to the penalty box. After spending over 11 minutes in the box last season, Anaheim has somehow become even less disciplined under first-year head coach Greg Cronin. Their penalty minutes per game has ballooned to 14.8, a whole minute over the next-closest Ottawa Senators. Radko Gudas is third in the league with 65 penalty minutes (PIM), with Ross Johnston (48 PIM) joining him in the top 10. Ryan Strome, Sam Carrick, and Frank Vatrano make it five Anaheim players that have exceeded 40 penalty minutes thus far this season.
Cronin has been looking for answers regarding the lopsided officiating, but missed calls the other way don’t excuse the Ducks’ lack of discipline. Being kind is a good resolution to make in general, and the Ducks could stand to be nicer to their peers by not hooking, slashing, roughing, and cross-checking them to the tune of nearly five power plays per game.
Signs of a Brighter 2024
As the calendar turns to 2024, I wouldn’t expect much to look different in Anaheim. The early part of the year should play out similarly to years past, though a clean bill of health should make the current iteration of the roster more exciting than the version that went winless in their final 13 games of the 2022-23 regular season. The trade deadline should see the departure of some well-respected veterans and the arrival of some young talent to go with what looks like another high-end pick at the 2024 Draft.
This young roster needs time to develop, and I would expect that as 2024 continues, the team will improve. With enough improvement, we can look at a 2025 resolution to buck the six-year-long playoff drought in Anaheim.
NHL data courtesy of Hockey-Reference. AHL stats courtesy of Elite Prospects.
