This summer looks to be another busy one for Pat Verbeek and the Anaheim Ducks front office. Here are a few dates to circle on your calendar.

The Anaheim Ducks 2023-24 season is in the books. They finished with a 27-50-5 (59 points) record, 7th in the Pacific Division, and 30th of 32 teams in the overall NHL standings. 

In 2023-24, the Ducks transitioned to a new head coach, Greg Cronin, and iced one of the youngest rosters in the NHL, featuring Trevor Zegras (23), Mason McTavish (21), Leo Carlsson (19), Pavel Mintyukov (20), and Lukas Dostal (23) all assuming impactful roles night in and night out. 

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"I feel comfortable with the progress our young players have made," Ducks General Manager Pat Verbeek stated during his exit interview. "I want to start to make a push, a strong push, to where we're competing and we're in the conversation of making the playoffs next year."

With the exciting, young core pieces in place, Verbeek feels his team is two or three pieces away from playing meaningful games late into the 2024-25 season. 

As focus shifts from 2023-24 to 2024-25, they're are a handful of key dates to keep on the radar which the Ducks will use to improve the roster for the team's immediate and long-term futures.

NHL Draft Lottery (May 7)

Finishing 30th in the NHL standings means the Anaheim Ducks have the third-best odds to win the first overall selection in the 2024 NHL Draft. Pick placement at the top of the Draft will be determined by a pair of lotteries, one for the first overall selection and the other for the second. 

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Boston University forward Macklin Celebrini (17) is the consensus top draft-eligible player and the team that wins the draft lottery will all but certainly add him to their 2024-25 opening night roster. 

 NHL Entry Draft (June 28-29)

Regardless of how the Draft Lottery turns out, the Anaheim Ducks will hold a top-five selection at the 2024 Entry Draft.

Along with that top-five selection, the Ducks have another first-round pick, two second-round picks, three third-round picks, one fourth-round pick, and one sixth-round pick.

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The first round of the NHL Draft will take place on the evening of June 28. The remaining six rounds will be held on the 29th.

Qualifying Offers Due (July 1)

Teams must submit qualifying offers to pending RFAs (restricted free agents) the Monday following the NHL Entry Draft. This year, that also falls on the day free agency opens.

Qualifying offers are one year in length and submitting one gives the team the right of first refusal to match any offer sheet submitted and the offered RFA's rights will be held by the offering team regardless if the offer is accepted or declined. 

If a team does not submit a qualifying offer to an RFA by the Monday following the Draft, that player becomes a UFA and will be eligible to sign with any team that offers them a standard player contract. 

The Ducks have 11 players who are pending RFAs and will need qualifying offers before the July 1 deadline or they will join the UFA pool; Isac Lundestrom, Max Jones, Brett Leason, Bo Groulx, Gustav Lindstrom, Jackson LaCombe, Urho Vaakanainen, Nikita Nesterenko, Blake McLaughlin, Brayden Tracey, and Pavol Regenda. Of those players, three (LaCombe, Nesterenko, and Tracey) do not have arbitration rights.

NHL Free Agency (July 1)

NHL Free Agency opens every year on July 1. The NHL salary cap is increasing from 2023-24 by a projected $4 million and will be set at $87.5 million.

As of today, the Anaheim Ducks are projected to have just over $33 million in cap space with only 16 NHL players under contract for the 2024-25 season. 

Pat Verbeek has made two signings on each of the previous two first days of NHL free agency. In his first summer as General Manager, he signed Frank Vatrano (three years, $10.95 million) and Ryan Strome (five years, $25 million) on the day free agency opened in 2022. On the first day of free agency in 2023, he signed Radko Gudas (three years, $12 million) and Alex Killorn (four years, $25 million).

Verbeek has stated his intention to add a top-six, right-shot winger to his forward group, a top-four right-shot defenseman to his blueline, and possibly another bottom-six forward who provides "speed and grit" to the lineup. 

Some top names (sorted by 2023-24 TOI) that could be on Verbeek's shopping list who fit the bill of a "top-six, right-shot winger" are Sam Reinhart (28), Steven Stamkos (34), and Jonathan Marchessault (33). Top names that fit the "top-four, right-shot defenseman" mold are Brandon Montour (30), Dillon DeMelo (31), and Matt Roy (29).

Verbeek didn't rule out the possibility of filling one of (or both of) these needs through trade but stated the easiest way to acquire players was through free agency. 

Development Camp/Rookie Camp/Training Camp (TBD)

Anaheim Ducks typically hold their development camp the week following the NHL draft. This allows the coaching staff the ability to meet and work with the crop of recent draftees before they head home for summer training. In 2023, the Ducks' development camp was five days of off-ice, skating, and skills training that culminated in a 3v3 scrimmage.

In mid-September, the Ducks typically hold a rookie camp; a training camp for rookies within the organization. Following rookie camp, the club's rookies take part in a "Rookie Face-Off" tournament. The tournament is normally a few games against fellow Western Conference opponents. 

The end of September is when teams hold their training camps. Camp typically starts a few days before preseason games are played and runs throughout the entirety of NHL preseason. 

Dates for these camps will be announced as the dates get closer. 

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