On Facebook
On Flipboard
On Twitter
August typically isn’t a month for blockbuster moves in the NHL, but that hasn’t quelled speculation surrounding the Anaheim Ducks and some prominent players. The latest edition of Ducks News and Rumors checks in on netminder John Gibson while examining the possibilities of adding Patrik Laine or Mitch Marner. The 2024 World Junior Summer Showcase (WJSS) is well underway and has some Ducks prospects making waves.
Gibson’s Contract Remains an Issue in Trade Discussions
Eric Stephens of The Athletic believes general manager Pat Verbeek should be more amenable to retaining salary to open up more trade possibilities (from ‘Anaheim Ducks mailbag, Part 1: Offseason moves, Mitch Marner, John Gibson and more,’ The Athletic, July 24, 2024). Stephens called Verbeek’s reluctance to retain part of Gibson’s $6.4 million cap hit a major stumbling block in trade talks. The 31-year-old Gibson still has three seasons remaining on his current contract. The team’s unwillingness to retain and his injury history are not new issues.
Stephens also brought up the possibility of hesitancy from interested clubs who might wonder if Gibson can get back on track in a different market. Over the past two seasons, the veteran netminder has a 27-58-10 record with a 3.78 goals-against average, one shutout, and an .894 save percentage (SV%). It has been a struggle for him to play behind a team that has been among the worst in the league at defending and providing offensive support. Still, he performed admirably in 2023-24 before disaster struck down the stretch. He allowed five or more goals in a game on only two occasions while posting a 7-14-0 record and .909 SV% across his first 23 appearances. However, he went 6-13-2 with an .867 SV% in his next 23 outings. Gibson allowed five or more goals nine times during that stretch.
With Lukas Dostal poised for an increased role in 2024-25, Gibson could become an expensive backup goaltender. That could loosen Verbeek’s resolve regarding salary retention.
Would Marner Be a Fit for the Ducks?
Following another disappointing first-round playoff exit for the Toronto Maple Leafs, the future of Mitch Marner has been a popular topic. Stephens also can’t see the Ducks giving Marner a long-term contract that carries an eight-figure average annual value. He has one more season left on his six-year, $65.41 million deal and is seeking a pay increase with unrestricted free agency looming next summer. Verbeek would probably prefer to wait, with plenty of cap flexibility in hand, for when the team’s young core group needs new agreements.
Trade talk has quieted around Marner lately, but theorizing about possible landing spots for the talented playmaker will persist until his situation is resolved. On the surface, the Ducks seem like a good match, just like fellow Leafs forward William Nylander did at one point. Nylander was taken off the table when he signed a monster eight-year, $92 million contract extension with the Maple Leafs on Jan. 8. The Ducks desperately need offense and have been actively searching for right-handed producers.
However, Stephens doesn’t envision a scenery where the Ducks could or should add Marner. He doesn’t believe the 27-year-old forward would be interested in signing or being traded to the Ducks. Anaheim isn’t an attractive destination right now. Due to a full no-move clause, Marner has a great deal of control over whether or not he gets dealt and where he gets traded should he choose to go elsewhere.
Stephens also can’t see the Ducks giving Marner a long-term contract that carries an eight-figure average annual value. He has one more season left on his six-year, $65.41 million deal and is seeking a pay increase with unrestricted free agency coming next summer. Verbeek would probably prefer to wait, with plenty of cap flexibility in hand, for when the team’s young core group needs new agreements.
What About Laine as an Option for the Ducks?
Aaron Portzline of The Athletic mentioned Anaheim as a likely trade destination for Patrik Laine (from ‘Blue Jackets Sunday Gathering: Arbitration avoided after Kirill Marchenko signs,’ The Athletic, July 28, 2024). It isn’t the first time Laine has been linked to the Ducks. The goal-scoring right winger has 204 tallies in 480 career contests.
Similarly to Gibson, Laine has injury problems and an expensive contract to consider. The Columbus Blue Jackets have the 26-year-old forward on the books for another two years with an $8.7 million cap hit. Portzline sees the Ducks as a good fit because of the team’s immense cap space. As previously mentioned, the club would also like to add offensive assistance to the top six, especially from a right-handed skater.
Ducks’ World Junior Hopefuls Skating With National Teams
The Ducks have several prospects taking part in the 2024 WJSS. Beckett Sennecke is skating with Canada. After being taken with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, he told TSN’s Mark Masters that he is highly motivated. “I’ve always had high expectations, but everyone else’s expectations increased a lot, so I have to live up to those and prove to them that Anaheim made the right choice.”
Carey Terrance and Austin Burnevik have been working with the United States. Terrance served as an extra forward for Team USA at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship, but he could earn a roster spot for the 2025 tournament thanks to his speed and physical play. Burnevik, a sixth-round selection (182nd overall) in 2024, is vying for a depth role while showcasing his hockey smarts.
Lucas Pettersson has been competing for Sweden. He was chosen in the second round (35th overall) in 2024. The 18-year-old is a strong two-way center with speed and scoring ability. He could carve out a depth role for himself on the junior team of the Swedes.
The next step for the prospects of the Ducks will be attending a rookie camp before competing in September’s 2024 NHL Rookie Faceoff. That will lead into training camp with the big club before the start of the 2024-25 season.
More must-reads:
- Longtime Penguins superstar Evgeni Malkin receives high praise from GM
- NFL under fire for decision on Chiefs WR Rashee Rice
- The 'MLB franchise home run leaders' quiz
Breaking News
Trending News
Customize Your Newsletter
+
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!
TODAY'S BEST
Did the New York Rangers improve this summer?
The New York Rangers surprised a lot of folks last season, and not in a good way. An Eastern Conference Finalist in the 2023-24 season, the Rangers failed to make the playoffs last year, falling apart in the second half of the season amidst a string of controversial roster moves and underperforming veterans. The poor play and negativity surrounding the team led to a string of roster moves that saw New York move on from several long-serving veterans and pivot to younger players and new veterans, as well as a new voice behind the bench in head coach Mike Sullivan. All of the moves point to the Rangers trying to compete for the playoffs this season and get back to the top of the Eastern Conference standings, but have they done enough to get there? The Rangers are effectively hoping to redeem themselves this upcoming season after letting last year get away from them due to a litany of factors, and it’s always difficult to bet against a group seeking redemption, especially when a two-time Stanley Cup Champion is leading them. The Rangers swung for the fences in their coaching search and landed one of the best in the business in Sullivan. The former Pittsburgh Penguins bench boss is a proven winner and has always garnered the respect of his players, especially his stars. Sullivan effectively navigated some prominent personalities during his time with the Penguins, but was able to get the best out of almost all of his players. The Penguins were a dumpster fire when Sullivan took over in 2015, and it appeared as though Pittsburgh was well on its way to squandering the primes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Phil Kessel. However, once Sullivan took over, the Penguins went on an unprecedented run of dominance that saw them win two Stanley Cups in his first 19 months on the job. Sullivan can hardly be blamed for the ending of his time in Pittsburgh, as the Ron Hextall years took the Penguins from legitimate Stanley Cup contenders to a team that has missed the playoffs for three straight seasons. Those final three seasons saw Sullivan nearly guide some bad Penguins rosters to the playoffs, only to fall just short of the postseason. However, in New York, the Rangers are built to win now, even if they have spent the last nine months moving on from many veterans. Sullivan will be tasked with getting the most out of Mika Zibanejad and several other Rangers who had a down year last season. The coaching change was hardly the only move New York made this summer, as the Rangers shipped out longtime veteran forward Chris Kreider and a 2025 fourth-round pick for Carey Terrance and a 2025 third-round pick. Kreider was an effective forward for a lot of years in New York, but the writing was on the wall for the past year that he would be shown the door. He could flourish again in Anaheim alongside some of their young stars, but the Rangers did well to get back two future assets in exchange for the aging veteran. The move didn’t do much to improve this season’s roster; however, it opened up valuable cap space that allowed the Rangers to make other moves. Aside from Kreider, the Rangers also moved on from defenseman K’Andre Miller in a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes. Miller figured to be a top-four fixture in New York, but the Rangers opted to cash in on the two-way defender and did okay to get back defensive prospect Scott Morrow in the trade, along with a conditional first-round pick and a second-round pick. While the trade weakened the Rangers for the next season, they did immediately turn around and sign Vladislav Gavrikov to a seven-year deal, which should improve their shutdown defense and help on the penalty kill. Now, the move to essentially replace Miller with Gavrikov will improve team defense. It does come at an offensive cost as Miller is the far superior offensive contributor; however, his defensive game leaves a lot to be desired. Overall, it’s hard to call the Rangers’ defense improved, given that they are currently constructed to deploy Carson Soucy and William Borgen as their second pairing behind Gavrikov and Adam Fox. Now, no disrespect to either man, but that pairing isn’t likely to scare too many opponents, and it could allow teams to matchup favorably against that second pairing, exposing what can best be described as an average defensive core. Upfront in the forward group, the Rangers didn’t do anything other than re-sign Matt Rempe, Adam Edstrom and Juuso Parssinen. The Rangers do have Gabriel Perreault in the fold now, but it’s hard to say whether or not he is ready to make an impact at the NHL level. The Rangers do still have a solid top line with Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafreniere. Still, outside of that, it’s hard to say what they will get from J.T. Miller, Zibanejad and the second line. If Miller and Zibanejad play the way they have in the years leading up to last year, the Rangers should see improvement as a team. However, if Zibanejad and Miller can’t reach previous levels, it will handcuff the Rangers and put a ton of pressure on their top line. In the end, Igor Shesterkin’s play will likely decide the fate of the Rangers as it did last year. If Shesterkin can get back to his Vezina Trophy-winning level of play, the Rangers will probably be good enough to come out of the Metropolitan Division. But if he plays the way he did last season, the Rangers could fall to the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings in a hurry. New York is not built to win with average goaltending and will likely require a Vezina-caliber season from Shesterkin to get a sniff at the playoffs. Ultimately, the Rangers are banking on significant internal improvement as well as the rub from Sullivan’s coaching and a bit of youth being injected into the lineup. It’s not what you would call a foolproof plan, but there is a remote possibility that the Rangers are better thanks to the minor tweaks and Sullivan’s coaching. That being said, there is also a possibility of a learning curve for Sullivan in New York, and perhaps the pressure of the Big Apple brings a more challenging environment for Sullivan to pad his resume. In any event, the Rangers roster is worse than the one that left the ice at the end of last season, and Sullivan is going to have to find a way to light a fire under the holdovers who performed poorly last season. He’s done it in the past and gotten career years out of many players, so it remains to be seen just how much Sullivan can extract from this poorly constructed roster.
NFL Draft intel: Big Ten QB's elite arm turning heads among scouts
Each week, Yardbarker monitors the 2026 NFL Draft, scheduled for April 23-25 in Pittsburgh. From an Indiana quarterback to a Louisville wide receiver, here are five players we're tracking: Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. and Field Yates listed Mendoza (6-foot-5, 225 pounds) as their No. 5 QB on "First Draft" on Wednesday. Yates gushed over his arm. "This kid is legit," Yates said. "He makes a lot of cool throws. He makes a lot of very confident throws that I'm not sure other quarterbacks would even see." That's one reason the California Golden Bears transfer produced in 2024 without stellar weapons. The program had no offensive players selected in the 2025 draft, but he completed 68.7 percent of his passes for 3,004 yards and 16 touchdowns in 11 games. Imagine what he could do at Indiana, which made the College Football Playoff last season. Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti has said Mendoza's arm is stronger than former starting QB Kurtis Rourke's (now with the San Francisco 49ers). He tied for the FBS's 10th-most passing TDs (29 in 12 games) last season. LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier On Aug. 8, LSU HC Brian Kelly confirmed Nussmeier has chronic patellar tendinitis in his left knee. The coach downplayed the injury. While not season-ending, Yates believes it will concern teams. "Get ready for a long medical conversation surrounding Garrett Nussmeier from late February into March prior to the predraft process," he said on "First Draft." The injury hasn't affected Nussmeier's odds of being the top pick in the draft. As of Thursday, FanDuel Sportsbook lists him as the favorite (+340) to go No. 1 overall in 2026. The 6-foot-1, 205-pounder may dispel the medical questions if he excels again in 2025. Last season, he ranked fifth in the FBS in passing yards (4,052 in 13 games). Clemson QB Cade Klubnik In his latest mock draft, The Ringer's Todd McShay has the Cleveland Browns taking Klubnik (6-foot-2, 210 pounds) with pick No. 1. "If the Browns are picking No. 1 in 2026, it means none of their quarterbacks did enough to claim the job long term, including Shedeur Sanders, despite his impressive preseason debut," wrote McShay. "Enter Klubnik, who's calm in chaos and has enough mobility and arm strength to succeed at the next level." Jacksonville Jaguars fifth-year QB Trevor Lawrence is the only Clemson player to be taken No. 1 overall in the draft. Klubnik could lead the No. 4 Tigers to a national championship, like Lawrence did during the 2018 season. The senior finished with the nation's third-most passing TDs (36 in 14 games) in 2024. With star wide receivers Antonio Williams and Bryant Wesco Jr. returning, Klubnik could have another big year. The wideouts combined for 16 TD catches last season. Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq Sadiq (6-foot-3, 245 pounds) should assume a bigger role after the Los Angeles Rams took former Ducks TE Terrance Ferguson (pick No. 46) in the 2025 draft. CBS Sports' Mike Renner ranked Sadiq as his No. 1 TE and believes he could go higher in the draft than Ferguson. "Even if he's on the smallish side by NFL standards, it did not show up much as a run-blocker," wrote Renner in a story published Wednesday. "Sadiq's play strength was unique for a true sophomore and should only improve as his career progresses. A potential top-20 talent with development." Sadiq — who had just two touchdown catches in 14 games last season — isn't considered a first-rounder yet. Tankathon's latest mock draft has the Carolina Panthers selecting him with pick No. 70 in the third round. His stock could skyrocket if he produces better numbers. Louisville WR Chris Bell Bell (6-foot-2, 220 pounds) may check the boxes for NFL teams when evaluating WRs before the draft. The Athletic's Dane Brugler rates him as his No. 2 WR. "With his strong, muscular frame, Bell passes the eye test walking off the bus," wrote Brugler in a story published Thursday. "He uses his physicality to be a possession target who can make tough grabs over defenders. And with his 4.4 speed, Bell can separate vertically or create explosive plays after the catch." Per Brugler, Bell must expand his route tree to improve his draft stock. He must also prove that he can succeed without QB Tyler Shough (now with the New Orleans Saints). Bell could still be productive after recording a career-high 737 receiving yards in 13 games last season. He has been named to the Biletnikoff Award watch list. The award recognizes college football's top WR.
Milwaukee Brewers outfield will be without two key contributors against Cincinnati Reds
The Milwaukee Brewers are set to head into a pivotal 19-game-in-18-day stretch short-handed as they open their series against the Cincinnati Reds. While no official announcement has been made, it was previously reported that outfielder Isaac Collins would miss the series for the birth of his child. Now, it appears Blake Perkins may also be unavailable. Outfielder Blake Perkins may be unavailable against the Cincinnati Reds Per Blake Perkin’s MLB transaction page, he was placed on the bereavement list on Aug. 14. The bereavement list is a temporary roster designation that allows a player to take time off due to a death or serious illness in their immediate family. The organization hasn't commented on the situation. Tyler Black and Steward Berroa have been called up by the Milwaukee Brewers With Collins and Perkins unavailable against the Reds, veteran reporter Francys Romero indicated that Tyler Black and Steward Berroa were called up to the big leagues. Black is primarily an infielder, whereas Berroa is a speedy outfielder who could make an impact over the weekend series, especially with Jackson Chourio still sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Green Bay Packers: Tucker Kraft Highlights Glaring Issue Amid Jordan Love’s Absence
The Green Bay Packers got to practice with the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday, with many players missing on Matt LaFleur’s side due to injuries. As such, several younger players got to see more action on the field, and while Green Bay had success here and there, the first-team offense, without Jordan Love, reportedly struggled finding its rhythm. For tight end Tucker Kraft, the issues can be attributed to “youth” and lack of experience as a whole. “Some of our youth showed a lot,” Kraft said, per Matt Schneidman of The Athletic. “When we’re out there, the importance is knowing what to do and doing it at a really fast speed at a very consistent level, so our youth showed a little bit in some instances with the injuries that we have on our depth chart.” Still, Kraft is looking forward to the “young guys” making better things happen in the next session with the Colts, whom they will also be facing in a preseason game on Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium. “You get these young guys in a situation where they might not be as confident in themselves as far as the textbook goes,” Kraft added (h/t Mike Spofford of Packers.com). “So they might not be surging off the rock, working edges, angles in the route game to the best of their ability. They got another shot with these guys, so we’ll just have to see how they do in Part 2.” Injuries have piled up for the Green Bay Packers amid NFL preseason Apart from Love, who went under the knife to repair what appears to be a minor finger issue, the Packers are also dealing with injuries to Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, Xavier McKinney, Christian Watson and Dontayvion Wicks. The hope is that at least most of them will be ready to give it a go when the Packers kick off their 2025 NFL regular season against the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field on September 7.
PRIVACY POLICY EDITORIAL POLICY CONTACT US
ABOUT YARDBARKER TERMS OF SERVICE
Use of this website (including any and all parts and
components) constitutes your acceptance of these
Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
This site is for entertainment purposes only.
There is no gambling offered on this site.
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
