Take a glance at the Ducks' roster and you might think you're looking at an old New York Rangers roster. Well, that's partially true. Four former Blueshirts are now part of the Ducks organization after Chris Kreider was acquired by Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek on June 12.

Ryan Strome and Frank Vatrano joined the Ducks via free agency in 2022 while former Rangers captain Jacob Trouba was traded to Anaheim this past December. Kreider is the latest acquisition from The Big Apple. The four veterans carry a multitude of playoff experience, with each of them having skated in at least 30 playoff games. Kreider played in well over 100 playoff games with the Rangers.

The expectation for both Verbeek and owner Henry Samueli is that Anaheim will make the playoffs in 2025-26. That carries over to the players as well, with Vatrano saying on the Morning Cuppa Hockey Podcast that "if we don't make the playoffs next year, it's a failed season."

“It’s awesome and a privilege to play in SoCal for the Ducks, but I’d be lying to say the last few years haven’t been tough at times,” Strome said in an NHLPA interview. “So, with bright days ahead, there’s endless optimism.”

"There's a lot of pressure to put on a coach and a GM," Samueli said. "But, you've got to do it."

"My expectation of this team is to make the playoffs next season," Verbeek said. "I expect our group to take a step, and so I'm going to be active and aggressive in making our team better."

"You look at the teams that are in the playoffs, we need 10 more wins, and that's what we need to figure out to get done for next season."

Installing Joel Quenneville, the second-winningest head coach in NHL history, as the new bench boss and revamping the majority of the coaching staff around him is one way Verbeek has attempted to improve the team. Bringing in Mikael Granlund and Kreider and essentially swapping Trevor Zegras for Ryan Poehling are other moves Verbeek has made that he believes can help Anaheim become a playoff team this season.

The Rangers quartet will be at the forefront of the playoff push after Strome and Vatrano logged heavy minutes as part of the Ducks' de facto top line and Trouba became an indispensable piece of their blue line following his arrival in December.

While young players like Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier are expected to take the next step in their development this season, Strome, Vatrano and Kreider will be relied on to provide valuable depth contributions. Trouba will likely retain his role as one of Anaheim's top-4 defensemen and top penalty killers.

Kreider, with the help of new assistant coaches Jay Woodcroft and Ryan McGill, should help breathe new life into the Ducks' special teams units. He's scored at least five power play goals in every season since his rookie season in 2012-13 and has scored at least two shorthanded goals in the past four seasons. The Ducks had the worst power play in the league (11.76%) and the fourth-worst penalty kill in the league (74.19%) last season, which led to the unsurprising dismissals of Rich Clune and Brent Thompson.

Just one season removed from a 39-goal campaign, Kreider labored through multiple injuries (back spasms, vertigo, hand) during 2024-25, posting his lowest points total in a full season in 2017-18. He's admitted since then that he probably shouldn't have tried to play through those injuries, namely the hand injury. That same injury required surgery that put metal in his hand to hold it together, requiring a 6-8 week recovery period. With two years left on his contract at a $6.5 million cap hit, which version of Kreider will the Ducks be getting?

"I've been doing a ton of stuff in here (in the gym), just doing what I can to be in good shape," Kreider said in an interview with The Athletic's Peter Baugh.

Granlund and Kreider's arrivals will likely push Strome and Vatrano down the pecking order, perhaps into the bottom tier of a projected top-9 forward group. The versatility that the forward group provides is a major bonus that Verbeek has pointed to previously and gives Quenneville plenty of options to work with once training camp in September rolls around.

Trouba is one half of the rugged right-handers who occupy the Ducks' back-end. Along with captain Radko Gudas, the pair form one of the most violent defensive duos in the league. However, their lack of foot speed can be detrimental at times, so it will be integral for Quenneville to pair both of these bruising veterans with a mobile, more offensively-minded partner. Luckily, the Ducks have several options who fit that category in Jackson LaCombe, Pavel Mintyukov and Olen Zellweger.

Making the playoffs is the goal for the Ducks this season. There's a good chance that 'Rangers West' will play a big part in whether they make it there in the end.

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Featured image caption: Nov 3, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba (8) and left wing Chris Kreider (20) celebrate a win against the New York Islanders at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images