Pierre Lebrun of the Athletic caught up with a handful of NHL GMs at the Draft Combine in Buffalo, including Ducks GM Pat Verbeek. Verbeek wasn't interested in entertaining or fueling "rumors" circulating about goaltender John Gibson or forward Trevor Zegras.
The NHL Draft Combine is underway in Buffalo, New York. The event started on June 3 and is scheduled to conclude on June 8. This is seen as an opportunity for NHL general managers to meet with and see top prospects eligible for the upcoming NHL Draft participate in various workouts as well as get accurate and up-to-date measurements.
Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic took the opportunity to interview a handful of NHL GMs on the current statuses and future outlooks of their teams heading into the 2024 offseason. Ducks' GM Pat Verbeek was among those interviewed. Verbeek verified his summer shopping list and expectations for the 2024-25 season, but declined to offer much of an update when it came to circulating rumors about two of his players; Trevor Zegras and John Gibson.
“I’d like to find a top-six winger, and I’d like to find a top-four defenseman," Verbeek said when asked about upgrading the Ducks' roster this summer. "I’m trying to make our lineup deeper while having the younger kids gain more experience, learn from veteran players, and not have to bear the burden of producing offensively."
He also added "I'm exploring all of it," when asked if those upgrades would come via free agency in July or the trade market.
LeBrun asked about the future of long-tenured Anaheim goaltender John Gibson.
“John’s still a really good goalie,” Verbeek said. “Obviously there’s a market for goalies out there.”
Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald spoke with NHL.com recently about his desire to upgrade in net. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Los Angeles Kings are also among the teams reported to be interested in upgrading the goaltending position as well.
John Gibson (31) has three years remaining on his eight-year contract that carries an AAV of $6.4 million. Gibson is coming off his second consecutive season with a sub .900 SV% in 2023-24 (.888) and finished with -9.6 goals saved above expected (GSAx)in all situations.
Those numbers can be slightly misleading as Gibson was much better at 5v5 (-0.6 GSAx). He gave his team a chance to win on a nightly basis but struggled on the penalty kill and the Ducks were the most penalized team in the NHL in 2023-24.
The Ducks Goaltending Outlook for 2024-25
LeBrun added that he believes the Ducks "still value John Gibson and would be fine keeping him but will continue to take calls."
When asked about the future of the goaltending position during his exit interview, Verbeek said, "We have two goaltenders who can play equally well. I think it's a really good thing in a sense to where there's competition within the lineup and that's going to bring out the best in everyone and our team."
The indication is Verbeek and the Ducks are prepared to enter the 2024-25 season with an even tandem in goal between Lukas Dostal and John Gibson.
Verbeek declined to comment on "chatter" around Trevor Zegras. Zegras' name has been circulating in trade rumors since the Ducks traded Jamie Drysdale and a second-round pick to the Philadelphia Flyers for Cutter Gauthier in January.
The Ducks felt they had enough talent on the blueline within their prospect pool and leveraged that to address an area of need; offensive firepower. Theoretically, moving on from Zegras would reopen that hole in the lineup unless a significant piece and clear upgrade were to come back Anaheim's way in exchange.
“The Ducks have listened on Trevor Zegras. My understanding is they haven’t phoned a single team and brought up his name,” LeBrun told TSN’s Jay Onrait in February. “This is other teams because it’s been out there, picking up the phone and saying ‘What’s going on here?’ and the Ducks haven’t hung up.”
“I don’t get the sense right now that the Ducks are committed to moving him or they really want to move him,” LeBrun went on to say. “I think this is more that somehow his name came up and teams started calling.”
There hasn't been any indication of any change on the Ducks' side of things since those comments were made as the 2024 trade deadline approached.
Cold Water on Zegras Trade Chatter
Zegras was sidelined for 51 games in the 2023-24 season. He missed 20 games in November and December with a lower-body injury later revealed as osteitis pubis, inflammation of the joint between the left and right pubic bones which can cause groin or lower abdominal pain. He returned from injury Dec. 23 only to break his ankle on Jan. 9 and miss another ten weeks.
Zegras finished the season with 15 points in 31 games, eight of those points coming in the final eight games of the season.
When Zegras was healthy, he was as electric as ever on the offensive side of the puck and displayed an unseen before attention to detail on the defensive side. He was diagnosing breakouts and regroups while anticipating how to best be disruptive on the forecheck.
"He has a whole hockey IQ and he's very easy to lead," Ducks head coach Greg Cronin told La Presse when in Montreal (translated from French). "When you tell him to do A, B, and C, he does it. He needs instructions and he will follow them. He's an incredible teammate."
"Listening to trade offers and deciding to pull the trigger are two different things," Pierre LeBrun added to the end of the Ducks portion of his article.
Later in the Canadiens' portion of his article pertaining to his discussion with Habs' GM Kent Hughes, LeBrun stated he believes "Anaheim and Montreal have re-connected on Zegras, however, I’m not convinced that’s a path the Habs will ultimately pursue aggressively.",
Verbeek seems willing to continue taking calls on Trevor Zegras and John Gibson (as he likely is for most of his roster) but doesn't seem inclined to trade either unless the return is worthwhile.
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