Training Camp is underway as NHL preseason games kicked off this week. Hockey is back. There’s a certain smell to the air in Southern California, and no, it’s not the smog. We are less than three weeks away from the start of the Anaheim Ducks regular season. A pivotal year lies ahead for first-year head coach Greg Cronin as a young core prepares to take flight under his guidance. There are many questions heading into the season for general manager Pat Verbeek, and how he answers them will be key to the team’s success in 2023-24. After bottoming out with the league’s worst record last season, the organization finds itself starting to see the “light at the end of the tunnel” with one of the top prospect pools in all of hockey. Here’s my five takeaways from this past week at Ducks camp:
1. That’s a Lot of “D”
Anaheim, we have a problem. A big problem. But don’t fret just yet, Ducks fans, it’s actually a good problem. The team has too many talented defensemen in the system. There I said it. Verbeek has plenty of big decisions to make on the blue line before the opener on Oct. 14, as the team gets set to host the Stanley Cup champs, the Vegas Golden Knights. Training camp was just a confirmation of what many in the organization already know, which is not much as far as who makes the team to start the regular season. Does the smooth-skating Owen Zellweger start the season in Anaheim, or in the American Hockey League (AHL), with the San Diego Gulls? What about last year’s first-round pick, the multi-dimensional Pavel Mintyukov? Jackson LaCombe has impressed at camp with his physical play – and while he’s not ready yet – Tristan Luneau looks like another star in the making. So who stays and who goes?
The Ducks’ top defensive pair should be Cam Fowler and Jamie Drysdale (if and when he signs). After that, it’s kind of up in the air. How good would a second pairing of Zellweger and Radko Gudas look? Then you put newly acquired Ilya Lyubushkin and Urho Vaakanainen on the third pair. But this is where things get interesting. Can Mintyukov also earn his way onto the roster with an impressive camp? Lacombe scored two goals in the preseason opener on Sunday, including the game-winner in OT. Is he ready for a spot in the lineup? These boil down to some tough decisions for Anaheim, but you won’t hear management complaining. It’s a good thing.
2. Gibson Looks Healthy and Happy
The 2022-23 season was rough for goaltender John Gibson, and it showed. You could see the frustration build throughout the year as the Ducks gave up close to 39 shots a night – a record high for the salary cap era. The club also allowed a league-high 4.09 goals-against per game, and their penalty-killing percentage ranked second to last at 72.14 percent. It’s hard to blame your goaltender for feeling a little steamed.
Add in the “rumored” trade request fiasco, and it’s safe to say that the 30-year-old goaltender was not having a fun time. But flash forward to this past week. Gibson looked like the “Gibby” of old at camp. Smiling, laughing and having a good time on the ice with his teammates. Then it was back to that dominating play in the crease. The netminder has been a fixture of this organization for 10 years now, and it doesn’t appear he has any past issues moving forward. He looks rejuvenated, and that’s a good sign for the club. Anaheim will need a solid season out of him if they expect to be competitive.
3. Killorn and Gudas
The Ducks’ two biggest off-season additions look like they’re gonna fit in nicely with this young core. From a leadership standpoint, it was quite obvious that rugged forward and two-time Cup winner Alex Killorn was already comfortable in his role as the veteran go-to-guy; as he could be seen all over the ice bonding with his new teammates during drills. Killorn is the “sandpaper” that this team sorely lacked.
Radko Gudas will tend to lead by example. His tough, veteran presence will have a calming effect for the young defensive prospects. The 33-year-old veteran defenseman is the kind of guy you want around on the ice when things get physical. It appears, for now, that Anaheim brought the right kind of “grit” to help mold the next generation of Ducks stars. You can never underestimate those kinds of veterans and the impact they can have. I expect a big year from both of them in terms of play and high-end tutelage.
4. Where’s Zegras and Drysdale?
We all know by now that Trevor Zegras and Anaheim are in contract negotiations, and it doesn’t appear to be going well, according to some insider rumors. The 22-year-old stick-handling wizard appears to be a big part of the core for the future, so I do expect him to sign soon, but I’m also wondering if there’s something more that we are not hearing that’s taking place behind the scenes. His talent is undeniable, but are the Ducks worried about his attitude at times? We should find out the answer to that this week.
Related: Re-signing Zegras Tops Ducks’ List of Offseason Priorities
Drysdale is more of a mystery to me, as he missed all but eight games in 2022-23 with a torn labrum. The sixth-overall pick from the 2020 Draft was poised for a breakout campaign this past season, but now – entering his fourth season – the 21-year-old finds himself on the outside looking in during camp. We’ve already mentioned the high quality of defensive prospects in Anaheim’s system. Can one of them take his spot at the start of the season? My guess is no, but Drysdale needs to be in camp sooner rather than later. A player his age missing that many games the season prior is not ideal for the development of a young, up-and-coming defenseman.
5. Leo-Mania is Here
When I say that this kid is good, I mean this kid is THAT good. I tried to think about how I wanted to express my thoughts on Leo Carlsson , but former Ducks player and now Ducks Stream host Emerson Etem put it more eloquently:
Yes, the hype is real. The kid looks like he has all the tools to be a dominant player in the league one day. But is it best for his development to start the season in Anaheim? The majority of fans I spoke to at camp were convinced that he would be on the opening night roster. It’s hard to say when you are projecting the future of an 18-year-old, but I think this kid has a special skill set that will get Anaheim fans out of their seats. He is a genius with the puck, and his skating is top-notch. He’s not afraid to use the body and looks to be the prototype NHL pivot. Carlsson has a compete level that will someday make him a captain in this league, and after observing him on the ice for the last two days, I think we will see him at the Honda Center much sooner than expected.
Every time I leave camp after watching this team, I wonder aloud if the scouting department got a much-deserved raise the year prior. This organization has proven year after year that they know how to draft and develop from within. While I still believe this upcoming season will see some major growing pains, I think that this will be an exciting year for Anaheim fans. The young core is one of the most promising in the league, but fans will have to approach that with some patience as they will need time to grow and mature. There’s a stiff learning curve for these youngsters, and the organization hopes the off-season acquisitions of some grizzled veterans will help lead the way. Anaheim plays home to Disneyland, which is always a good place for a fun ride.
