Ducks GM Pushing Organization Forward

The Anaheim Ducks are the winners of the first few weeks of the NHL offseason. The 2025 NHL Draft hasn't happened yet, but the Ducks have already made two massive trades that should progress the organization. After getting off to a rocky start to the summer by hiring the maligned Joel Quenneville, Ducks' General Manager Pat Verbeek is moving this team forward with his roster overhaul.

The latest move came when the Ducks and now frequent trade partner, the Philadelphia Flyers, linked up to send 24-year-old Trevor Zegras to the City of Brotherly Love for a package of draft picks and bottom-six pivot Ryan Poehling.

The Ducks made another move just weeks ago. They swung a deal to bring in veteran winger Chris Kreider. Taking advantage of a retooling New York Rangers' roster, Anaheim brought in a 10-time 20-goal scorer with 326 career tallies.

On the surface, it's easy to criticize. The trade appears to be a big win for the Flyers, who come away with the best player in the deal. But what the Ducks have done is improve their forward depth while simultaneously shipping out a player who had reached the end of his rope in Anaheim. A player who wants to play center, but couldn't force his way into a top-two center role, and never excelled on the wing. They replace him with Kreider, a skilled winger who has played the entirety of his NHL career on the left side and as a net-front pest on the power play. Zegras is immensely talented and skilled, but Kreider brings a totally different skillset, one that a playoff-starved organization like Anaheim needs to reach its goal.

Add in Ryan Poehling, a speedy penalty-killer who just scored 12 goals and 31 points with the Flyers last season, and you have a new mix to the middle-six. A mix of speed, tenacity, and a poised presence. The intention and direction is clear from Verbeek. He wants the core of Troy Terry, Mason MacTavish, Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Pavel Mintyukov, and Olen Zellweger to be surrounded by capable veterans who can fill in the gaps. That's a recipe for a team trying to snag a playoff spot, not a team on the rise, steadily improving.

The Ducks now need one more move to get them into contention and put Verbeek's offseason over the top. Long-time goalie John Gibson has been an anchor in net since they selected him in the second round of the 2011 NHL Draft. The 31-year-old has two more seasons with a $6.4 million salary cap hit on his current contract, but gave way in net to Lukas Dostal.

Dostal is a restricted free agent and seven years younger. The Ducks need to secure Dostal as their top puck-stopper, and that means Gibson has to go. If Verbeek can find a way to shed Gibson's salary and find a running mate for Dostal, he will check off everything on the Ducks' offseason to-do list.