Stars visit Anaheim tonight as Zellweger is likely scratched, while Helleson looks to return, shaking up the blueline.
After a five-game road trip, the Anaheim Ducks will return home to Orange County to host the Dallas Stars on Friday evening. The Ducks went 2-2-1 on the trip and did not play their best hockey; lucky to come away from some of their games with points in the standings. However, as the trip wore on and in their last two games, they were able to tighten up their end, protect the high-danger areas of the ice, and keep opposing chances to a minimum.
To date, and though they’ve shown great improvement over previous seasons (especially from an offensive perspective), the Ducks remain one of the worst defensive teams in the NHL. They are surrendering 3.29 goals against per game (24th in the NHL), 29.2 shots against per game (25th in the NHL), and at 5v5, they’re allowing 2.95 expected goals against per 60 minutes (31st in the NHL).
Somewhat similar to the early stages of 2024-25, a young defenseman has unexpectedly impressed spectators along with the Ducks' coaching staff, playing his way into more consistent ice time. A year ago, it was Jackson LaCombe, who is now the team’s top blueliner and one of the NHL’s top minute-eaters on the backend (25:15 TOI/G).
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This season, after starting the year with the San Diego Gulls and being inserted in the lineup when captain Radko Gudas sustained a lower-body injury that caused him to miss 11 games, rookie Ian Moore has played 20 games for the Ducks, averaging 14:00 TOI/G, scoring five points (2-3=5), and playing a dynamic yet fundamentally sound brand of defense for Anaheim in his career’s infancy.
Moore’s emergence, along with the Ducks' questionable defensive efforts night-to-night, has caused a bit of a logjam on the team’s blueline for the second straight season. Of late, Pavel Mintyukov served as a healthy scratch, followed by Moore, followed most recently by Drew Helleson.
“Everybody wants to play in the worst way, and everybody expects to play. At the same time, we’re in a fortunate situation where we have to make hard decisions, and we let them know that this is part of the position we’re in right now," Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville said after morning skate on Friday. "And hey, you’re not out for a long time, just be ready when you’re not playing. Keep yourself prepared for when you come back in, and play like it’s not going to happen again. We’re in a fortunate position to be able to do that, but nobody wants to be that guy. Right now, there are four of them that are in that position, so it’s not punishment either.”
The next talented young Ducks blueliner seemingly in line for a healthy scratch in tonight’s game against the Stars is Olen Zellweger, who will be in the press box for the first time this season.
Quenneville didn't fully commit to the decision when talking to media, but strongly hinted that was where this situation was likely trending.
“He could be, yeah. We’ve been moving around with our defense," Quenneville said. "Part of the decision is performance, but at the same time, we want to make sure that everybody gets a turn.”
This comes as a surprise, as Zellweger has arguably been the Ducks' best defenseman in 2025-26. He’s tallied 14 points (5-9=14) in 34 games, averaged 18:11 TOI/G, and when he’s on the ice at 5v5, the Ducks hold 53.53% of the shot attempt share (leads Ducks defensemen), 50.19% of the shots on goal share, and 50.48% of the expected goals share.
His modest point total is disappointing, and Zellweger was recently taken off the Ducks’ second power play unit, replaced by Jacob Trouba. He has a game-breaking offensive skillset, with unmatched puck skills and flawless skating technique, which he’s flashed on occasion in his young NHL career, but has been unable to consistently translate it to the NHL level and become a true threat that opponents have to gameplan for.
The Ducks have struggled mightily to defend the net front this season, and judging by his (listed) 5-foot-10 and 193-pound frame, one would guess Zellweger had been a significant culprit of poor defense in that area of the ice. One would have guessed wrong, however.
Zellweger has worked tirelessly to improve the defensive habits in his game, maximizing his frame, and simply doesn’t get beat often on the defensive side of the puck. His size does limit him to a degree, and he’s been walked on rare occasions this year, but when it comes to engagement, he’s been one of the Ducks' most diligent net-front defenders.
Unless an injury to a roster player is sustained, Quenneville doesn’t elect to alter a winning lineup for the following game. It will be curious to monitor this logjam situation on the Ducks' blueline and compare it to a year ago, where it seemed detrimental to the development of Zellweger and Mintyukov.
When Mintyukov served three consecutive healthy scratches earlier this season, reports were leaked suggesting that if his ice time didn’t increase, he’d prefer a trade. Though he’s been a healthy scratch on one other occasion, his on-ice response and play has been spectacular. Moore didn’t miss a beat either when he returned to the lineup most recently. Helleson will return to the lineup against the Stars, so his response will be scrutinized and evaluated as well.
“I think at that moment, they probably all have the same bitterness or whatever you want to call it," Quenneville said when asked about how the conversations go with players and their responses to scratches. "But at the same time, I think as a team, we look at that as part of what it’s all about. Make sure you contribute in a meaningful way when you get back in and have a positive outlook on what the process is all about.”
Though not entirely ideal, on the surface, having too many quality, young, NHL-caliber defenseman on the Ducks blueline is a good problem to have. The key will be messaging and communication so as not to limit their potential impact down the road for the organization.
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