Pat Verbeek was hired as the Anaheim Ducks general manager on Feb. 3, 2022. He’s now helmed four trade deadlines, four drafts, four free agency periods, and has hired two head coaches.
The Ducks have missed the playoffs and have selected in the top ten of each of the drafts Verbeek has overseen from 2022 through 2025.
Although the details are unclear, it has been reported that Verbeek’s contract is nearing an end, speculatively in the next two years.
In addition to regular season records and playoff success, NHL general managers are typically evaluated on four key aspects of their job: trades, free agency, drafts, and coaching hires.
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With the 2025-26 season still two months from puck drop and scarce news league-wide, August seems like a good time for evaluation by highlighting some of his most impactful moves in each department.
Trades
As the GM of a rebuilding team for most of his tenure, Verbeek has acted in the role of the “seller” for most of the significant trades he’s made in the last four and a half years. He’s moved on from pieces once considered to be part of the core or future core, receiving fair-market returns in exchange.
In the last year, he’s made two “buyer” moves in an effort to take the next steps in the team’s rebuild, and his defining trade to this point came in the form of pouncing on the quiet availability of Cutter Gauthier.
Notable Trades
2022
Ducks trade Josh Manson to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Drew Helleson and a 2023 second-round pick (Carey Terrance)
Ducks trade Hampus Lindholm and Kodie Curran to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Urho Vaakanainen, John Moore, 2022 first-round pick (Nathan Gaucher), 2023 second-round pick (Damian Clara), and a 2024 second-round pick (traded)
Ducks trade Rickard Rakell to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Calle Clang, Zach Aston-Reese, Dominik Simon, and a 2022 second-round pick (Tristan Luneau)
2023
Ducks trade John Klingberg to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for Nikita Nesterenko, Andrej Sustr, and a 2025 fourth-round pick (traded)
2024
Ducks trade Jamie Drysdale and a 2025 second-round pick (Jack Murtagh) to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Cutter Gauthier
Ducks trade Adam Henrique, Sam Carrick, and a 2024 seventh-round pick to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a 2024 first-round pick (traded) and a 2025 fifth-round pick (Emile Guite)
Ducks trade Urho Vaakanainen and a 2025 fourth-round pick to the New York Rangers in exchange for Jacob Trouba
Ducks trade Cam Fowler and a 2027 fourth-round pick to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Jeremie Biakabutuka and a 2027 second-round pick
2025
Ducks trade Brian Dumoulin to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Herman Traff and a 2025 second-round pick (Lasse Boelius)
Ducks trade Carey Terrance and a 2025 third-round pick (Artyom Gonchar) to the New York Rangers in exchange for Chris Kreider and a 2025 fourth-round pick (Elijah Neuenschwander)
Ducks trade Trevor Zegras to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Ryan Poehling, a 2025 second-round pick (Eric Nilson), and a 2026 fourth-round pick
Ducks trade John Gibson to the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for Petr Mrazek, a 2027 second-round pick, and a 2026 fourth-round pick
Free Agency
UFA
Verbeek has entered every summer with ample cap space and has deployed a similar strategy in all four free agency periods he’s overseen as the Ducks general manager: sign insulating talent to aid in elevating the future core of the roster and build a culture of winning work ethic.
He placed the team in prime situations to take home run swings in each of the last two summers, but either due to rejection or a barren market, he’s been unable to make bona fide needle-moving signings.
Notable Signings
2022
Frank Vatrano: 3 years, $3.65 million AAV (extended 3 years, $4.57 million AAV)
Ryan Strome: 5 years, $5 million AAV
2023
Radko Gudas: 3 years, $4 million AAV
Alex Killorn: 4 years, $6.25 million AAV
2025
Mikael Granlund: 3 years, $7 million AAV
RFA
Verbeek has dealt (or is dealing) with five players who, at one point or another, were perceived to be future core pieces of the franchise at the time of negotiations: Troy Terry, Trevor Zegras, Jamie Drysdale, Lukas Dostal, and Mason McTavish.
He’s operated somewhat consistently in each scenario, where he prefers signing players to bridge deals coming off of their ELCs and is willing to play “hardball” to get AAVs down to numbers he’s comfortable with. He also took Terry down to the wire on the day of his arbitration hearing before signing him to a long-term deal, but inked Dostal weeks before an arbitration date was set.
2023
Troy Terry: 7 years, $7 million AAV
Trevor Zegras: 3 years, $5.75 million AAV
Jamie Drysdale: 3 years, $2.3 million AAV
2024
Jackson LaCombe: 2 years, $925K AAV
2025
Lukas Dostal: 5 years, $6.5 million AAV
Mason McTavish: N/A
Drafts
Verbeek has four drafts under his belt, and some patterns have emerged when it comes to aspects he values in draft-eligible players. He takes high upside swings with his top picks, even if they go against public consensus, and drafts more projectable depth players with his picks late first and beyond, with a smattering of home run swings sprinkled in the later rounds.
Notable Picks
2022
Pavel Mintyukov (10th overall)
Nathan Gaucher (22nd overall)
Tristan Luneau (53rd overall)
2023
Leo Carlsson (2nd overall)
Nico Myatovic (33rd overall)
Yegor Sidorov (85th overall)
2024
Beckett Sennecke (3rd overall)
Stian Solberg (23rd overall)
Lucas Pettersson (35th overall)
Tarin Smith (79th overall)
2025
Roger McQueen (10th overall)
Eric Nilson (45th overall)
Lasse Boelius (60th overall)
Coaching Hires
When Verbeek took over as Ducks GM, Dallas Eakins was in the last year of his contract (2021-22), but had a club option for the 2022-23 season. Verbeek was unfamiliar with Eakins and felt he deserved a full year of evaluation, so he picked up Eakins’ fourth year.
The 2022-23 season was the single worst in franchise history, and Eakins was replaced by Greg Cronin for the following year.
The 2023-24 season was the second-worst season in franchise history, but the club improved in the standings from 59 points to 80 points in 2024-25. Cronin was let go, nonetheless, after his second season behind the bench.
Verbeek hired Joel Quenneville in the 2025 offseason, the second-winningest coach in NHL history, but one who hasn’t coached since early in the 2021-22 season, and comes with some baggage in the form of a controversial past.
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