After being acquired this past summer for a fan favorite, Ryan Poehling is proving he can do all the little things.
There was an outcry from a large portion of the Ducks fanbase this past June when general manager Pat Verbeek dealt Trevor Zegras to the Philadelphia Flyers for Ryan Poehling and two draft picks.
How could Verbeek trade Zegras at arguably his lowest valuation without giving him a chance under new head coach Joel Quenneville?
“As we gather with our group, I think the big thing is we're trying to retool the roster in a way that all the pieces fit cohesively, where you have different players on different lines that complement each other,” Verbeek said following the trade. “So, I think from that aspect, that's ultimately the decision that we came to, just kind of reshaping and retooling our roster.”
Mar 25, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Philadelphia Flyers forward Ryan Poehling (25) celebrates with teammates at the bench after scoring a goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first period at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn ImagesVerbeek pointed to Poehling’s speed and penalty killing ability as two reasons for why they decided to acquire him. Poehling currently has the second-most shorthanded time on ice among Ducks forwards. Alex Killorn, who typically duos with Poehling as a penalty killing pair, is first. Poehling also has three shorthanded points.
“I think it's important that when you're down a guy, you’ve kind of got to read off one another,” Poehling said. “Being with Killer all year, it’s been easy for us to do that. We've just kind of gelled together pretty nicely in that category.”
Just after the trade, Verbeek also mentioned that Zegras had been wanting to play center, something he rarely did towards the end of his Ducks tenure. He was often on the wing while Leo Carlsson and Mason McTavish manned the top-6 center spots. With fellow offseason addition Mikael Granlund in and out of the lineup due to injury, Poehling has found himself in a regular role as the third line center lately. When fully healthy, the Ducks could run potentially their strongest center corps in years with Carlsson, McTavish, Granlund and Poehling.
Known more for his defensive acumen than his offensive abilities, Poehling is close to surpassing his career-high in points (31), which he set just last season. A terrific solo goal against the 2026 Winter Olympics’ best goalkeeper Connor Hellebuyck in last Friday’s overtime win was one of the game’s major highlights.
“Just being more direct towards the net,” Poehling said on what he and his linemates have been doing to create more offensive opportunities. “You watch so many games in the NHL today, a lot of pucks are just going at the net and whether that's getting rebounds or even after that, then you're creating chances, second chances after that, third chances after that. And then being hard on the forecheck is the biggest thing, being able to come up with pucks creates even more offensive time and that's going to create more goals, too.”
“I think it's just keeping it simple. That’s the biggest thing when you're (in the bottom-6). You want to know that the coach knows what he's going to get out of you, and I think we've done a good job of that, of just being solid defensively. And then on top of that, just creating momentum. Even if it's not getting points, just creating off momentum for guys coming out there to do their job next. So for us, I think that's the biggest thing.”
Feb 27, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Poehling (25) shoots and scores a goal against Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (37) during the third period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn ImagesAt 27, Poehling is at his athletic peak. He’s become much more of a regular NHLer in the past three seasons with the Flyers and now with the Ducks. Earlier this season, he eclipsed 300 NHL games. He is also an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season.
“I'm letting my agent take care of that,” Poehling said. “I think right now, just playing the best brand of hockey that I can and helping this team I think is kind of the biggest thing I can do. So that's where I'm focused on right now, and it's been a ton of fun. But, I mean, at the same time, too, personally, I'd love to be here (long-term), you know? So for me to have that opportunity, I hope it comes. We’ll see what happens.”
The Ducks are just one point back of the Vegas Golden Knights for first place in the Pacific Division, with a game in hand. Poehling is one of the many players on the Ducks roster who has never played in the playoffs, and he’s chomping at the bit to get that chance.
“It's everything, you know? I think everyone you talk to that's been there, done that, they just say that you’ve just got to get there first. And so for me, personally, never been there, but I enjoy watching it and it looks like a ton of fun. The way our team’s made up too, I think we're so deep and we can roll four lines. I think we're kind of made for that type of hockey. For us to just continue to do what we can do and get there at all costs I think would be a ton of fun.”
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