After a chaotic offseason, Anaheim must now replace its entire veteran right side with unproven youth and depth signings.
The 2026 offseason for the Anaheim Ducks hasn’t gone according to plan for general manager Pat Verbeek and the front office.
They entered the offseason with seemingly enough cap space to re-sign their three high-profile RFAs (Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Pavel Mintyukov) and add a star-level missing piece or two to bolster either the forward group or blueline, or both.
Verbeek recouped good value for two young roster players at the Draft by trading, in aggregate, Mason McTavish and Olen Zellweger in exchange for two 2026 first-round picks (Nikita Klepov and Marcus Nordmark), a 2026 second-round pick (Jayden Kurtz), and Anton Wahlberg (39th in 2023).
When free agency opened, the Ducks signed depth pieces AJ Greer, Nick Jensen, Jeff Malott, and Laurent Brossoit. On July 3, the Philadelphia Flyers signed Ducks franchise center Leo Carlsson to a historic offer sheet to the tune of five years and $90 million ($18 million AAV). Two days later, seemingly in an effort to avoid another OS, the Ducks signed young defenseman Pavel Mintyukov to a five-year contract at a $7.2 million AAV. On July 9, the Ducks matched Carlsson’s offer sheet.
Anaheim’s cap sheet will require some gymnastics moving forward to fit remaining RFA and leading goalscorer, Cutter Gauthier, and his extension under the cap ceiling. However, barring a surprise move or two, the roster, as it stands, is essentially the one that will skate on opening night of the 2026-27 season on Oct. 2.
The roster, as currently constructed, isn’t as talented, deep, or experienced as the one that traveled to Edmonton for Game 1 of the 2026 playoffs against the Edmonton Oilers. On paper, the glaring weak spot is the right side of the blueline, where the Ducks saw all three Game 1 starters (Jacob Trouba, John Carlson, Radko Gudas) sign with opposing teams on July 1.
Trouba became a top-pair defenseman for the Ducks, playing mostly alongside star Jackson LaCombe. Carlson required considerable assets to acquire from the Washington Capitals at the trade deadline (2026 first-round pick and 2027 third-round pick), and the Ducks were hopeful he’d choose to remain in Anaheim. Radko Gudas was the Ducks' captain for two of his three seasons in Anaheim and was instrumental in the team turning the corner out of their elongated rebuild.
As of today, Trouba, Carlson, and Gudas are projected to be replaced on the Ducks’ blueline by a combination of Drew Helleson (25), Ian Moore (24), Nick Jensen (35), and rookie Tristan Luneau (22). Some or most will see this shift in personnel at a key position on the ice as a monumental downgrade, but is it, in actuality?
What was Lost
Trouba (32) logged the second-most TOI in 2025-26 for the Ducks, including the most TOI/G on the penalty kill. He and LaCombe were given the toughest minutes during the Ducks’ playoff run to the second round, and he was an influential presence both on and off the ice. When he was on the ice at 5v5 in 2025-26, the Ducks accounted for 50.5% of the expected goals in the regular season and 60.2% in the playoffs.
Carlson (36) was an immediate offensive success on the Ducks’ blueline, and scored 14 points (4-10=14) in 16 regular season games, adding six points (0-6=6) in 12 playoff games. He ran point on one of the Ducks’ two evenly distributed power play units and featured on the second penalty kill unit. His biggest strength for the Ducks may have been his breakout acumen, as chipped pucks rarely led to extended zone time when he was on the ice. When he was on the ice at 5v5, the Ducks registered 58.2% of the expected goals in the regular season and 51.6% in the playoffs.
As captain, Gudas (36) was Anaheim’s emotional leader, exuding 100% effort and physicality with every stride. He’d been a reliable partner to several young Ducks blueliners over the previous three seasons and logged some difficult minutes along the way, including consistent minutes on the penalty kill. Injury and a decreased role kept his minutes down in this third year with the Ducks, but when he was on the ice at 5v5, the Ducks generated 51.7% of the expected goals in the regular season.
Though boasting some impressive numbers and providing impactful leadership to a young team, all three players are well into their thirties, would have required big-money or long-term contracts this summer, and aren’t quite an on-ice fit with the Ducks roster and coaching style moving forward.
The Ducks have evolved into a high-octane, dynamic, offensive NHL club, generating the majority of their scoring chances off rush sequences. The three right-shot veterans they lost lack the pace to join and positively influence that area of their attack on a regular basis.
On the defensive end of the ice, the Ducks have struggled to protect the inner slot for the better part of a decade. While all three veterans logged heavy defensive minutes and provided a physical presence in the tight areas, they were all susceptible to coverage lapses and missed assignments below the dots in their zone.
Due to their lack of foot speed, they afforded attackers much too large a gap when defending the rush and relied solely on active sticks to disrupt transitions. Contrary to their reputations, they didn’t provide the defensive prowess in the critical areas, and at the critical times, Anaheim needed to thrive in their half of the ice.
Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn ImagesWhat is Gained
From the forwards to the defensemen to the goaltending, the Ducks will rely on their young core and youthful support players to continue taking steps and making greater impacts if they’re to keep their build on an upward trajectory in 2026-27.
On paper, the blueline looks bleak. LaCombe is the only proven impact player of the bunch. Mintyukov has yet to find his offensive footing and was a healthy scratch for multiple 2025-26 regular season games. Tyson Hinds (23) played the majority of the season in the AHL with the San Diego Gulls before logging six regular season NHL games and nine in the playoffs. Helleson accounted for some of the worst metrics among NHL-regular defensemen last season (46.2% xGF). Jensen will be coming off a knee surgery in March to repair a torn meniscus, is a year removed from a hip resurfacing surgery in May 2025, and his advanced metrics were unspectacular (-6.7% rel. xGF). Luneau has the talent to become a top-four defenseman in short order, but will still require all-important reps at the NHL level to achieve that potential.
LaCombe will lead the blueline as the team’s true No.1, but Mintyukov will now be relied on with a heavier role, as he’s now paid as their No. 2. He will be entering his fourth year in the NHL, having only shown flashes of the offensive impact he can ultimately provide. He’s tactical with his activations and can discombobulate opposing defensive structures, but will need to execute with more consistency. His 200-foot defensive game has progressed immensely and is arguably more impactful than his offensive one.
Hinds has more NHL playoff experience than regular season experience, but had nearly three full AHL seasons (204 games) under his belt before making his NHL debut. At the end of his AHL tenure, he’d become the San Diego Gulls most reliable defender, logging heavy minutes and matchups. He moves well, defends with his stick and body, angles, and provides a physicality that was left vacant by Trouba and Gudas’s exits.
Helleson’s first full regular season in the NHL was a roller coaster at best and unspectacular at worst. Much of where he struggled could, theoretically, be easily ironed out, as he struggled with first efficient first passes and losing sight of pucks funneled to the goal mouth, which often took poor bounces on their way to the back of the net. He possesses textbook defensive fundamentals, and with some puck skill refinement, he can become a reliable NHL defenseman.
Moore had one of the more bizarre rookie seasons imaginable, as he was en route to becoming an exciting modern defensive defenseman when circumstances drove him to finish his campaign as a fourth-line winger. As a defenseman, where he projects long-term, he has clear top-four upside with refined defensive habits and rare four-way mobility. He will be expected to take a significant jump in his development in the upcoming season.
Jensen will likely hold a role buoying younger counterparts as they inevitably brush up against obstacles and growing pains. He’s in the “reliable veteran” mold, but even after his hip surgery, he was more mobile than the likes of Trouba, Carlson, and Gudas. The hope is that his recent knee surgery won’t hinder that aspect of his game too much.
Luneau is the true wild card on the Ducks’ blueline. After some past injury issues, he’s been fully healthy over the past two seasons with the Gulls in the AHL, becoming one of the league’s top defensemen. He’s the epitome of “two-way”: offensively productive and defensively impactful. He’s active, tenacious, physical, smart, mobile, and possesses any other tool necessary to become a top-pair NHL defender. The Ducks will simply require him to reach that potential sooner rather than later to remain on track.
Should they be called upon, Stian Solberg (23rd in ’24) and Noah Warren (42nd in ’22) now each have several years of professional experience, can be relied upon in their end, and are as ready as they’ll ever be to make their NHL debuts.
Ultimately, the Ducks lost a lot of name-brand talent on their backend from 2025-26, heading into 2026-27. However, that name-brand talent greatly contributed to the Ducks finishing as the NHL’s 28th-ranked defensive team in terms of xGA/60 (2.91) and the 29th-ranked team in terms of GA/G (3.51). On top of poor defensive results, they weren’t stylistic fits with where the Ducks are heading and what makes them a successful on-ice team.
Though the projected 2026-27 blueline will undoubtedly have to work their way through adjustments and struggles, they can’t be much worse than their predecessor, and with their more cohesive stylistic fit, their ceiling is far greater, both in the immediate and future outlooks.
