The Anaheim Ducks saw their season end two weeks ago, on May 14, after losing their second-round series to the now Western Conference Champion Vegas Golden Knights in six games.

The Ducks saw their first success in a very long time, making the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2018 and winning a series for the first time since 2017. 

On their roster, they have an interesting blend of youth and veterans up and down the lineup, and general manager Pat Verbeek will have a handful of key decisions to make between now and when the 2026-27 season begins in the fall. 

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With the Stanley Cup Final matchup nearly decided, the 2026 NHL Draft one month away, and free agency to shortly follow, rumors, ruminations, and rumblings regarding offseason transactions are dominating an increasing percentage of the NHL news cycle. 

With a pivotal offseason now underway and after announcing themselves as a young, contending team, the Ducks are no exception to the rumor mill at this moment. 

Here’s what’s being said about the Ducks by various NHL insiders:

The Ducks acquired veteran defenseman John Carlson (36) from the Washington Capitals on the eve of the 2026 NHL trade deadline in exchange for a conditional 2026 first-round pick and a 2027 third-round pick. 

Verbeek stated that the intention was to give his club the best chance of making a playoff run in 2026 and to potentially re-sign Carlson when the season concluded. Carlson will see his current contract, which carries an AAV of $8 million, expire on July 1 if an extension is not agreed upon.

The day following their exit from the playoffs, SportsNet’s Elliotte Friedman took to his “32 Thoughts” podcast to state, “If Carlson wants to come back, and he seemed like a really good fit, it’s going to have to be on Anaheim’s terms.”

When asked if he’d have interest in returning to the Ducks on a new contract during his exit interview, Carlson said he’s “open, for sure. There’s no bones about that.”

The St. Louis Blues are coming off of one of a dissapointing season, tallying 86 points and finishing 22nd in the overall NHL standings. They were active at the 2026 trade deadline and parted with veteran defenseman Justin Faulk, but reportedly had several more irons in the fire throughout the first half of the 2025-26 season as they look to infuse more youth into their organization. 

Now that the offseason is upon us, the Blues are expected to resume talks involving some of their veteran players, and the Ducks are a name that continues to be attached to St. Louis. 

“Maybe the Blues will revisit some of the conversations that they had with Buffalo around the trade deadline,” TSN’s Darren Dreger said on the “Hockey Sense” podcast. “There was something big brewing with the Anaheim Ducks and the St. Louis Blues around that same time. There was something big brewing, and the pieces just didn’t fall into place.”

The names from the Blues roster that continue to surface are center Robert Thomas (26), forward Jordan Kyrou (28), and right-shot defenseman Colton Parayko (33). 

With three veteran right-shot defensemen about to see their contracts expire (Jacob Trouba, John Carlson, Radko Gudas), the Ducks are in dire need of help on their blueline, specifically a need for a long-term partner for star Jackson LaCombe. 

They have needs, or potentially wants, to add in regards to their forward group as well, so Thomas and Kyrou could be options. However, focus seems to be on Parayko early in the offseason. 

“Parayko is interesting because I know they’re going to revisit that in this offseason out there in St Louis, and he wants to stay out West,” The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta said on “Leafs Morning Take." “There was a playoff team that had interested him. I think Anaheim was one of the teams that had interest in Colton Parayko, and I think those discussions are going to be revisited in the summer.”

ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reported that, after he rejected a trade to the Buffalo Sabres at the trade deadline, Parayko was willing to waive his no-trade clause to join the Ducks or the Los Angeles Kings. 

Parayko has four years remaining on his deal that carries an AAV of $6.5 million.

McTavish (23) signed a six-year contract extension roughly halfway through the Ducks’ 2025 training camp, seemingly solidifying his role as the team’s second-line center of the present and future. However, a disappointing season, a move to the wing, a couple of healthy scratches down the stretch of the regular season, and a couple more in the playoffs have caused some to question his future in the Ducks’ organization and have caused opposing GMs to call Verbeek, inquiring about the former third overall pick.

Pierre LeBrun from The Athletic mentioned McTavish, the Ducks, and the potential of a superstar on the move in his latest “Rumblings” column, stating the NHL landscape is ripe for massive trades over the summer.

“One player who fits that criteria is 23-year-old forward Mason McTavish, which is a little obvious after he was scratched for two playoff games,” LeBrun wrote. “I have zero evidence to suggest the Anaheim Ducks are the ones picking up the phone and calling teams about him. But I know for a fact that several teams have inquired about him.”

He went on to speculate on the Ducks’ potential to add a seismic piece over the offseason.

“If Auston Matthews watches the Toronto Maple Leafs’ offseason play out over the next five or six weeks and decides he’s not sure they are still a contender and says he’s open to a move, I would venture to guess Anaheim would be on his list of seven or eight potential desired landing spots,” LeBrun continued. “And the Ducks would have the pieces to make it work in a larger package.

“All things being equal, I think it’s more likely No. 34 stays in Toronto for at least another season, but it’s just an example for the kind of scenario that the Ducks could potentially see come their way.”

McTavish was also featured on Chris Johnston’s NHL offseason trade board for The Athletic on Thursday, coming in at #4 on his list of 25 names that could be on the move this summer.

“While there is no real sense of urgency here from the Ducks’ end of things, that hasn’t stopped other teams from trying,” Johnston stated.

The Anaheim Ducks hired Jay Woodcroft to run their forward group and power play during the NHL’s free agency period before the 2025-26 season. The former Edmonton Oilers head coach was one of the more popular names during the 2025 head coach hiring carousel, and his name has popped up again this year. 

There are head coaching vacancies with the Edmonton Oilers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Vancouver Canucks, with the Los Angeles Kings and Vegas Golden Knights situations still very much up in the air. 

Victory+’s Frank Seravalli confirmed via Twitter on Wednesday that Woodcroft interviewed with the Kings last week and has an interview scheduled with the Maple Leafs for this week. 

“Handicapped as ‘one of the front runners’ for the Toronto job. Either spot, solid bet to be an NHL HC again next season,” Seravalli stated on Woodcroft’s future. 

ESPN’s Emily Kaplan suggested in her most recent article that the first two selections of the 2023 NHL Draft, Connor Bedard and Leo Carlsson, project to set the market for a slew of young players who will soon see the expiration of their ELCs. 

“Whichever side (Bedard or Carlsson) moves first could help define the next tier of superstar contracts,” Kaplan wrote. “If one signs first, that deal immediately becomes a benchmark, not only on AAV, but structure, term, bonuses, and how aggressively teams are willing to pay elite young centers entering their prime. Many around the league are expecting Bedard to go first; there seems to be no rush on Carlsson and the Ducks' side when I checked in this week.”

Carlsson has established himself as the Ducks’ franchise player and found his first taste of sustained success in the NHL in 2025-26, scoring 67 points (29-38=67) in 70 regular season games and adding 11 (4-7=11) in 12 playoff games. 

In his previous “Rumblings” column from Tuesday, LeBrun ran through a list of NHL head coaches with one year remaining on their current contracts.

Among those names was Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville, who was hired on May 8, 2025, and led the team to their most successful season in nearly a decade. Though an extension may seem a foregone conclusion, LeBrun wrote, “Quenneville had a very successful first season and was a good fit in Anaheim. But he turns 68 in September, so I’m not sure what the rush would be to extend.”

Last, but not least, it’s been all but confirmed that the NHL and Fanatics will launch a league-wide alternate jersey program, similar to the NHL’s formerly successful “Reverse Retro” campaigns.

Rumors and leaks have enticed interested fanbases, as it’s being reported as comparable to MLB’s “City Connect” and the NBA’s “City Edition” programs.

Some information, like each team’s base jersey color, has seemingly leaked, along with various tidbits and even potential leaks for the New York Islanders and Florida Panthers.

As far as the Ducks are concerned, it appears their “Hometown Remix” base jersey color will be green like the original “District 5” jerseys from Disney’s first “Mighty Ducks” motion picture.

DJ Bean from the “What Chaos” podcast claims to have seen the Ducks jersey and has stated that it will feature the Ducks’ current branding, logo, lettering, etc., in the green, yellow, and purple “District 5” colors.

It sounds as if Fanatics will simply take the Ducks current home jersey template and swap out the coloring accordingly.

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