Anaheim Ducks 2024 Draft Target: Cayden Lindstrom
The Anaheim Ducks will be selecting third overall in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. There are several directions the Ducks can take with making that pick and one of them is the gifted Medicine Hat Tigers forward, Cayden Lindstrom.
The 2024 NHL Draft Lottery was held on Tuesday, May 7, and was won by the San Jose Sharks who will be selecting first overall. The Anaheim Ducks will select third.
The undisputed top prospect the Sharks will almost certainly select is the standout Freshman center from Boston University, Macklin Celebrini. After Celebrini, there is an extremely murky tier of 5-10 players who could each make a case as the second-best prospect in the 2024 NHL Draft. Each of those players has one or two significant question marks, however.
This series will spotlight five of the most common names atop the rankings of expert NHL Draft outlets.
Cayden Lindstrom
Cayden Lindstrom may be the most physically gifted player in the 2024 NHL Draft. Watching 30 seconds of Lindstrom on skates might be enough for one to conclude he's a mad scientist's creation of the perfect hockey player.
After a decent rookie season in the WHL playing for the Medicine Hat Tigers when he scored 19 goals and 42 points in 61 games and an underwhelming Hlinka Gretzky Cup performance when he scored three points in five games, Lindstrom was shot out of a cannon for the 2023-24 regular season.
Lindstrom scored 27 goals and 46 points in 32 games for Medicine Hat to start the season and skyrocketed up draft boards in the process. He missed the final three months of the season after suffering a broken hand which required surgery and dealt with a coinciding back injury.
Lindstrom returned to the Tigers' lineup for the WHL playoffs when he played four of the team's five first-round games and tallied two points. He was scratched for game three and Medicine Hat lost their series against the Red Deer Rebels 4-1.
The Potential Upside
Cayden Lindstrom has every physical tool one could ask for of a dominant hockey player. He pairs his 6-foot-4, 216-pound frame with a spectacular skating stride and well above-average puck skills.
He played center for Medicine Hat in 2023-24, but it's unclear what position he will ultimately play in the NHL. Lindstrom's skill is only matched by his motor and tenacity. He is quick to engage physically as to separate puck carrier from puck and doesn't allow opponents an inch to breathe or beat him to space easily.
His stride is quick, powerful, and he is one of the toughest players in this draft class to knock off a puck. He blends his skating ability with puck skills to protect pucks and singlehandedly extend offensive zone time.
He operates extremely well in tight spaces of the ice. He acted as the net-front and goal line release player on the Tigers' power play this season, displaying quality hands in tight and the ability to find teammates with dangerous slip passes from a standstill.
Whether by overwhelming physical force or by utilizing a clever pass, Lindstrom has a fantastic habit of getting pucks to the slot for high-danger opportunities.
The Potential Downside
There aren't a lot of flaws in Lindstrom's game so any critiques may be considered nitpicks.
While showing good hands in tight spaces and using them to win battles along the wall, Lindstrom has a habit of attempting to dangle opponents off the rush when he can opt for a power move instead. He sometimes lacks the spacial awareness to read where pressure is coming from and the elite vision scouts may be looking for in a puck-dominant forward at the top of a draft.
Lindstrom spent 66 minutes in the penalty box in his 32 regular season games. Extrapolated to a 68-game season, he was on pace for over 140 penalty minutes in 2023-24.
The biggest two questions when evaluating Lindstrom will be the status of his injuries and if his masterful two and a half month start to the season can be sustained.
Lindstrom returned to the ice in time for the WHL playoffs, but admittedly wasn't 100%. His stride lacked the explosion it once had and he appeared a bit stiff. While he didn't shy away from contact or adjust what makes him so effective, his timing was clearly off, which was to be expected after missing such a significant amount of time.
From Sept. 22 until Dec. 16, Cayden Lindstrom was brilliant. On most draft boards, he was considered a top-ten bubble player to start the season, but quickly changed hearts and minds. Is two months of fantastic hockey in his career enough to quell any doubts of sustainable production?
The Potential Fit (with the Ducks)
Everything about Cayden Lindstrom screams "Pat Verbeek-style" player.
He's big and he utilizes it. He is tough and tenacious in battles. He's relentless on the forecheck and backcheck, making life difficult on opponents. He gets to areas that are hard to get to, creates, and produces.
In a Ducks forward core that deploys a wealth of young, high-end talented players like Trevor Zegras (23), Mason McTavish (21), Cutter Gauthier (20), and Leo Carlsson (19), a player who is elite in tight areas and can finish around the net could be the one aspect missing when trying to round out a truly lethal group.
Lindstrom can draw defenders toward him and fend them off with his blend of power and skill. He can win pucks and move them to one of the several elite playmakers he'd be playing with and finish the chances they create.
The idea of Lindstrom winning pucks while opening up time and space for a player like Trevor Zegras to amplify his creativity could cause opponents countless sleepless nights for years to come.
There likely isn't a forward in the 2024 NHL Draft who fits what Ducks General Manager Pat Verbeek and Head Coach Greg Cronin are trying to accomplish on the ice more than Cayden Lindstrom.