How Could the Anaheim Ducks Reconfigure the Team This Offseason?

As evidenced by the recent firing of head coach Greg Cronin, the Anaheim Ducks are looking to make significant moves this offseason to better their team as they enter yet another season in their long-standing rebuild. While there was a time this past season when the Ducks were in the conversation for a playoff wild card spot, they just do not quite have the firepower needed to advance from a bottom-standing team to a playoff shoo-in, yet. The Ducks have the foundations of a successful young team, especially on offense. However, there are a handful of players that do not perform at the level needed by the team, and it would be beneficial to look to move them elsewhere before the start of the 2025-26 season.

Ross Johnston

31-year-old Ross Johnston found himself a staple of the fourth line in the first half of most of the season, before being healthy scratched a majority of the time thereafter. He played 43 games with the Ducks, notching just four points. His size slowed him down significantly – a 6-foot-5, 232-pound player would be better suited as a defenseman. While Johnston was physical, he was unable to make any significant contributions to shutting down opposing plays, moving the puck offensively, or creating chances and rushes toward the net.

In his first season with the Ducks in 2023-24, he once again tallied four points across 68 games. He has not contributed near enough to justify his $1.1 million average annual value (AAV) contract, which will expire at the end of the 2025-26 season. His spot on the roster would be better filled by a fast, young forward in the Ducks’ pipeline who could contribute to the high-powered and explosive offense the team began to show toward the end of the season.

Brett Leason

Brett Leason is another forward who has not contributed consistently or significantly in his three seasons with the Ducks. In his 62 games with the team last season, he contributed just 17 points (five goals, 12 assists), and in his time on the team overall, he created a mere 48 points across 184 games. Like Johnston, he is a big guy – 6-foot-5, 220 pounds – and his size slows him down. He is not a highly valued member of the team, as evidenced by his time on ice. He spent an average of 12:59 on ice in 2024-25, whereas other high-performing forwards, like Mason McTavish, spent nearly 17 minutes playing each game. Leason is a restricted free agent (RFA) this offseason, so his movement elsewhere is likely.

Brock McGinn

Forward Brock McGinn has had any potential to grow and improve his game stifled by injury time and time again. This season, he registered eight points across 26 games before his season was sidelined by a torn ACL in January. In 2023, he suffered an upper-body injury toward the end of the season and an injury during training camp, leading him to start the 2023-24 season on injured reserve. While there may be potential for him to be a solid player, he has not had enough ice time to develop into the speedy and powerful forward that the Ducks need to contribute to their success. Perhaps some time in the American Hockey League (AHL) could help him play more regularly and develop his skills before he joins the NHL level once again. McGinn has not shown enough promise when he has played to justify taking a chance on him for yet another season. He is an unrestricted free agent this offseason and could be picked up by any team in the league.

Radko Gudas

While Radko Gudas is well-respected across the Ducks organization – enough to be named captain – his on-ice performance has been less than ideal. He has fallen short in both defensive and offensive performance and finds himself in the penalty box more often than he should. Offensively, he contributed just 16 points in 81 games this season. While contributing to the scoresheet is not the primary job of a defenseman, it is highly valued and plays an important role in the team’s success, as evidenced by a player like Jackson LaCombe. Gudas struggles defensively as well. He tallied 104 giveaways this season, yet only 15 takeaways. He struggles to get and maintain possession of the puck and is responsible for the opposition’s scoring chances far too often. He spent a whopping 19:52 on ice per game – too much for a player who is not contributing in meaningful ways.

It is well known that the Ducks have a defensive logjam of sorts, with a handful of promising young defensemen on both the Ducks and their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls. Moving Gudas elsewhere would make room for someone like Olen Zellweger, Pavel Mintyukov, or Stian Solberg to get more regular ice time, develop their game, and contribute to overall team success. He has one year left on his contract, where he is making $4 million per season – money better spent elsewhere.

John Gibson

While goaltender John Gibson was once the key to success for the Ducks, the aging player has found his skills declining and his success dwindling lately. He played just 29 games this season and ended with an 11-11-2 record, being outshone by his counterpart, Lukas Dostal. Gibson left six games with injuries this season and missed a handful of chunks of the season with various ailments. At 31 years old, Gibson is past his prime, easily injured, and not a major contributor to the team’s success anymore. Allowing Ville Husso to take his spot full-time as the team’s backup goalie or picking up a more spry, successful player would be a better move for both the Ducks and Gibson.