In case you haven’t heard, the Anaheim Ducks have a new captain. His name? Radko Gudas. The rough, rugged, hard-nosed defenseman will debut the ‘C’ in the Ducks’ new fits when the regular season opens on Oct. 12 against Macklin Celebrini and the San Jose Sharks.
A new captain means a new beginning in Anaheim, who went two full seasons without one after the retirement of former captain and franchise legend Ryan Getzlaf. Let’s look at Gudas’ credentials for the role and set some expectations for him for the upcoming season.
Gudas Impressed in Season One for Ducks
Gudas signed with the Ducks off an impressive run as a depth defenseman for the Florida Panthers in their march to the 2023 Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights. At the time, the Ducks were coming off one of the worst seasons in franchise history, a season that accentuated the chaotic and dreadful state of their defensive unit. It needed to undergo changes, the most significant of which was a need to be tougher and make life more difficult for opposing offenses, who simply had their way with the Ducks’ team defense and goaltenders in 2022-23.
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Enter Gudas, whose sandpaper type of play immediately made the Ducks a harder team to play against defensively. He was part of a new-look blue line that only carried over Cam Fowler from the previous season (Jamie Drysdale notwithstanding), and primarily featured Jackson LaCombe, Pavel Mintyukov, Tristan Luneau, Olen Zellweger, Ilya Lyubushkin, and Urho Vakaanainen throughout the 2023-24 campaign. Gudas, by the eye test and a number of metrics, was one of the Ducks’ best defensemen last season. He was not without his drawbacks, but he led the Ducks in total plus/minus and it wasn’t close (plus-14, next closest was plus-1). He also led the entire team in hits (232) and blocked shots (154) and finished with six goals, which was tops amongst defensemen, and also tied his career-high, which he set in 2016-17 as a Philadelphia Flyer.
Gudas brought a refreshing style of play that has been missing from the Ducks’ blue line for a long time. With the influx of young talent on defense, it became immediately clear what first-year head coach Greg Cronin, general manager Pat Verbeek, and his Ducks teammates needed from him, which was to play his game. Be a physical force that’s miserable to play against, a protector, and a dependable source of defense when the puck is below the defensive faceoff circles. He checked those boxes in season one.
He is a Good Choice for Captain
Many of us at The Hockey Writers made predictions on who the next Ducks captain would be. The consensus prediction was Troy Terry. He’s not quite a young guy like the Carlssons and McTavishs of the roster, but he’s certainly not a veteran on his way out of the organization any time soon. Given that, he made sense. But we were wrong. He remains a clear choice to wear one of the ‘A’s’, though. Verbeek and Cronin clearly felt like the Ducks’ captain of the future, i.e. McTavish, Carlsson, or someone else, could benefit from an ‘interim’ captain if you will, who for the next few seasons will show through his work ethic, style of play, and leadership style on and off the ice how to lead an organization. He is a longtime veteran of this league who is lauded by teammates and coaches alike. Cronin mentioned in a training camp interview that he wants his players to develop a relentless style of play, and that no player on the roster showed that more than Gudas.
All things considered, he’s a good choice. He will lead by example. He plays hard but plays clean. He’ll get greasy, block shots, muck it up if needed, and he’ll protect the front of the net like his team’s life depended on it. When was the last time the Ducks had someone who would do all that? Plus, when asked about the nomination, he still committed to leading by committee, praising the leadership that exists in the room. The point is, he has those captain-like qualities.
He’ll Play a Valuable Role in 2024-25
The 2024-25 campaign is going to give us a spectacular view of what the Ducks’ blue line of the future looks like, given Zellweger, Mintyukov, and Luneau will likely serve in primary, all-situations roles. They all need great training camps, but assuming they win those roles, someone needs to complement their style of play. Enter Gudas (again), who will serve as an invaluable defense partner and mentor to this young group, which also includes LaCombe. The Ducks are thin on proven right-handed defensemen. In fact, they only have one, and it’s him. This means he’ll have an important role in one of the top two pairings. That role will have a pretty simple directive, which is to do as he did last season: play physically and responsibly, protect the front of the net, fire the puck from the blue line when you have looks, and be a workhorse. Be a guy that the future of this organization can learn from. He did exactly that in season one, so there’s no reason he can’t do the same while wearing the “C” in season two.
Gudas’ Experience and Leadership Will Pay Dividends Now and In Future
When training camp began a few days ago, Gudas commented on the honor of serving as the franchise’s captain. It’s easy to see why he believes that, given the pantheon of Ducks (and hockey) legends that served the role before him – Getzlaf, Chris Pronger, Scott Niedermayer, and Paul Kariya, primarily. This really is a great opportunity that the player and organization have in front of them. To forge a new path forward, led by a guy who will lead by example, fill the role with an honest and dedicated work ethic, and serve as a positive example for the many coming behind him can learn from.
He may draw himself out of position from time to time by chasing a big hit, but he won’t sell his teammates short. And it should be fun to watch him and his teammates commence battle when a brand-new season begins on Oct. 12.
