Ducks General Manager Pat Verbeek intends to add key pieces to his roster this offseason, a top-six right-shot winger and a top-four right-shot defenseman. Could a pair of Cats be on his radar come July 1?
Anaheim Ducks GM Pat Verbeek has made his intentions for the 2024 offseason crystal clear regarding the areas of the roster he means to improve upon.
A top-four right-shot defenseman and a top-six right-shot winger are at the top of his shopping list.
Perhaps the two biggest names on the unrestricted free agency market are two players who just won the Stanley Cup in South Florida on Monday, forward Sam Reinhart and defenseman Brandon Montour.
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The Ducks have a projected $33.3 million in salary cap space heading into the 2024 offseason.
Sam Reinhart
"I'd like to find another top-six right winger," Pat Verbeek said at the Ducks post-trade deadline "Ducks Migration" event. "You need a variety and we don't have enough right-hand shots in our lineup."
Sam Reinhart (28) chose a spectacular time to have a career year and has emerged as one of the NHL's premier goal scorers.
Reinhart (2nd overall in 2014) was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres and traded to the Florida Panthers before the 2021-22 season in exchange for goaltending prospect Devon Levi and a 2022 first-round pick.
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In seven seasons with the Sabres, Reinhart developed into an extremely reliable, yet not game-breaking winger. He scored 134 goals and 295 points in 454 games for Buffalo over seven seasons with the Sabres.
Once he got to Florida, things clicked. In his first season with the Panthers, they won the Presidents' Trophy. In his second year there, Florida qualified for the Stanley Cup Final. This year, the Panthers were able to finish the job and hoist the Cup.
Reinhart has become a point-per-game player with the Panthers as he's tallied 243 points in 242 games and added 33 points in 55 playoff games.
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Primarily a center beforehand, Reinhart shifted to the wing during his first season in Florida. His ability to jump on opponent's mistakes, forecheck effectively, and find soft ice was amplified and weaponized playing next to the NHL's best two-way center, Aleksander Barkov.
When Leo Carlsson was drafted (2nd overall in 2023), one of the players he was most compared to was Barkov. While Carlsson thrives on the rush more and Barkov operates in tight spaces at a higher aptitude, the similarities in their games are present.
Playing next to Carlsson could extend the effectiveness of Reinhart's game as he approaches the latter half of his prime. Carlsson would also benefit from having a proven elite goal scorer on his wing who can finish the opportunities he creates, potentially assisting in him realizing his full potential. The fit would be undeniable.
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Reinhart has expressed his interest in remaining a Panther and extending his contract.
“I don’t want to leave, I want to be here," Reinhart emotionally told Florida Hockey Now after winning the Stanley Cup on Monday. "This is unbelievable, this is the best place in the league to play in my opinion."
The Panthers have $19.5 million in projected cap space this offseason with only 14 players signed to NHL contracts. Reinhart is projected to make over $10 million in AAV with his next contract. The question remains if Florida can afford to spend half of their cap space on one player this offseason.
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The risk with Anaheim signing Reinhart will lie in the projected term of his contract and if he can replicate his production outside of Florida. The Ducks can certainly afford to pay his projected AAV, but if he signs a max-term (seven years) contract, it won't expire until he's 35 years old.
The Ducks aren't expected to make Stanley Cup runs in the next couple of seasons, so by the time they are likely ready to, Reinhart will be in his 30s.
On the positive side, Reinhart has one of the NHL's most reliable bills of health. He's only missed 25 games in his ten-year NHL career.
Reinhart has won almost every team trophy in hockey. He's won a U18 World Championship gold medal, a U20 World Junior Championship gold medal, a WHL championship, a Men's World Championship gold medal, and now a Stanley Cup.
Brandon Montour
"I'm looking for a top-four defenseman," Pat Verbeek added during his exit interview at the end of the 2023-24 season. "If you look at our lineup, we have a lot of left shots, so I'm looking for a right-shot defenseman."
One-time Duck, Brandon Montour (30) took a bit of time to find a team and role in which he could flourish but became an integral piece to the Florida Panthers Stanley Cup victory.
Montour was drafted by the Anaheim Ducks (55th overall in 2014) and traded to the Buffalo Sabres on Feb. 24, 2019, in exchange for defensive prospect Brendan Guhle and a 2019 first-round pick.
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He scored 63 points in 169 games throughout three seasons to start his career with the Ducks.
He wasn't able to thrive and his development stalled during his time in Buffalo. He managed 42 points in 112 games before he was traded to the Panthers during the 2020-21 season in exchange for a 2021 third-round pick.
Montour has evolved into a well above-average middle-pair puck-moving defenseman and has developed a bite to his game as well.
He thrives with puck-retrievals where he can fend off forechecks, make clean outlet passes, and join the rush moving up the ice. He is diligent in defensive zone coverage and times his pinches perfectly in the offensive zone, where he operates freely and fluidly.
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Montour is expected to receive a long-term (six or seven years) contract with an AAV in the $7.5-8 million range. As with Reinhart's potential fit with the Ducks, the timelines may not align. Montour will be well into his 30's by the time the Ducks are expected to make deep playoff runs.
There's also a question of stylistic fit for Montour in Anaheim. He plays a similar game to current Ducks defensemen and future core pieces, Pavel Mintyukov and Olen Zellweger. There isn't a natural fit alongside one of them and as a result, one of the three would likely assume third-pair minutes. In that situation, the team wouldn't be getting the most they could out of that player.
The last two seasons have been far-and-away Montour's best in his career. In those seasons, he's played alongside reliable defensive-minded defensemen, Marc Staal and Niko Mikkola.
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While it would be a heartwarming story to see Montour return to where his career started, there seem to be too many reasons for the Ducks not to offer him the contract he's projected to receive.
The Anaheim Ducks hired Greg Cronin as head coach before the 2023-24 season. He implemented a system and style not dissimilar to the one Florida just won a Stanley Cup with. All indications point toward Verbeek and Cronin's desire to build a high-energy team that pressures the puck in every zone and capitalizes on opponent's mistakes.
Though there are slight differences between the two systems, dropping Sam Reinhart or Brandon Montour into the Ducks roster would be a seamless transition for them and they would hit the ground running.
NHL Free Agency opens at 9 am PST on July 1. Several intriguing names on the market fit Verbeek's shopping list. Will he take a swing on a player like Reinhart or Montour?
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