The Ducks were on the ice for a Monday morning practice before jetting off to Edmonton, where they will face the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday followed by a matchup with the Vancouver Canucks in Vancouver on Wednesday.

Trevor Zegras, who has finished serving his three-game suspension for his hit on the Detroit Red Wings' Michael Rasmusen, skated with Leo Carlsson and Alex Killorn during Monday's practice. With that line resuming, Mason McTavish––who lined up at wing alongside Carlsson and Killorn in their Mar. 1 game against the Chicago Blackhawks––centered Cutter Gauthier and Sam Colangelo. It's the first look at a bonafide "kid line," with the 22-year-old McTavish centering 23-year-old Colangelo and 21-year-old Gauthier.

"I like playing with (Killorn) because he's very smart," Zegras said. "He's very good at playing in between guys and knows when to give you the puck, give you space, where to go, where to help and support. Leo can kind of do it all. Great skating through the neutral zone, great hands. He's got a great shot, sees the ice very well. It's a good mix."

The Ducks are currently six points back of the Canucks for the second wild card spot. Better results last week against the Buffalo Sabres and the Blackhawks could have had them within striking distance heading into Wednesday's matchup against the Canucks, but Zegras was encouraged that the Ducks are even in a position to compete for a playoff spot.

"In terms of where we are in the standings, if you would have told me in September that in March we'd be six points out of a playoff spot, probably would have shook your head and said absolutely (not). So, I think in that aspect, it's very exciting."

With the trade deadline this upcoming Friday, the next set of games is crucial for proving whether the team is capable of being playoff material. One player whose future could hinge on these results is defenseman Brian Dumoulin, who is a pending UFA. Acquired by the Ducks last summer, he has become a dependable option on the blue line for head coach Greg Cronin.

"It's huge," Dumoulin said. "(The) playoff race is tight right now, and we're playing Vancouver (pretty soon). Can't look forward to them (yet because) we have Edmonton, which is a big game in front of us. All these teams are in our division, teams that we're chasing. This road trip's big for us. We've got to (respond) to how we played against Chicago and tighten up a little bit because Edmonton's a similar team, but with even more dangerous players. We know what we can do in this room, and we know the stretch of games that we put together. We don't wanna throw those away."

"(These games) are all critical for us," Zegras said. "We're gonna have to win a ton of games down the stretch here to get into the playoffs. It's exciting. As long as I've been here, we've never been this close this late in the season, so it's definitely fun. I think we're all up for the challenge."

Dropping the next two games––or even the next three games with the St. Louis Blues coming into town on Friday––could result in general manager Pat Verbeek shifting into sell mode. Dumoulin remains the Ducks' most attractive trade chip out of their expiring assets.

Decision Time for the Ducks: The Brian Dumoulin Conundrum at the Trade Deadline After striking out on the first day of free agency in the 2024 offseason in which Anaheim Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek stated his desire to add a top-six right-shot forward and a top-four right-shot defenseman, he pivoted on July 2, when he acquired veteran two-time Stanley Cup winning defenseman Brian Dumoulin from the Seattle Kraken in exchange for a fourth-round pick.

While Dumoulin did initially have reservations about how far away from home it was with a young family and how competitive the Ducks could be this season, he has expressed interest in remaining with the team beyond 2024-25.

"The group is awesome and the group wants to win. I can see that and we feel that, especially this last month. When we play good hockey, we show what this group is capable of. That should be the expectation every night. We've laid a blueprint of how we have to play if we want to win and win consecutively."