3 moves Ducks must make in 2024 NHL offseason

The rebuild continued in earnest for the 2023-24 Anaheim Ducks, although it didn't seem that way in the early going. At the beginning of November, the Ducks were 9-6 and occupied a playoff berth in the Western Conference. There was some thought around the hockey world that this squad could be ahead of schedule as it looked to return to the dance for the first time since 2018. That was short-lived, though, as Anaheim would immediately go on to lose 13-of-14 games to fall to 10-19. The rest of the campaign was much of the same, with the Ducks falling further and further into irrelevance as the year progressed.

By the end, it was a staggering 50-loss season, and another overall disappointment for a team that hasn't won a postseason game since marching all the way to the Western Conference Final in 2017. This is still a roster that leaves a ton to be desired, and even with the additions of rookie Pavel Mintyukov on the back end and veterans Radko Gudas and Alex Killorn, this didn't look anything close to a club that can compete for a top-eight berth in the West.

But that won't be the case forever. The Ducks have an excellent prospect pool made up of a couple great young forwards, a few experienced veterans who still have game, and of course, a strong starting goaltender in John Gibson. The onus on general manager Pat Verbeek this summer is to improve on a ghastly 27-50-5 record, which saw the Ducks finish third-last in league standings.

And here are three moves the front office must make to help get one of the better teams of the 2010s back to Stanley Cup contention.

Scoop up Artyom Levshunov at No. 3 overall in the draft

The first and most important piece of business this offseason begins on June 28 at the NHL Draft in Las Vegas' Sphere. The Ducks will select No. 3 overall, and also have the Edmonton Oilers' first-round pick as part of the deal that sent forwards Adam Henrique and Sam Carrick to one of the Stanley Cup finalists back in March. And that decision will not be difficult: select top defenseman and Michigan State standout Artyom Levshunov, who will replace Jamie Drysdale as the team's best defensive prospect.

The only problem here is the Chicago Blackhawks, who own the No. 2 pick, could snag Levshunov as they also look to improve the defensive side of their roster in the future. But fellow Russian Ivan Demidov is the consensus No. 2 player available, and he could also be the name that GM Kyle Davidson and the Hawks' front office select at the end of June.

For this exercise, let's assume that the Hawks select Demidov. The decision becomes easy for Verbeek to scoop Levshunov, who is fresh off an excellent campaign with the Spartans, where the D-man put up 35 points in 38 games in Big Ten play.

With a strong group of young forwards — Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Mason McTavish and Trevor Zegras (if he isn't traded) — the Ducks would be wise to improve the defensive side of their prospect pool. Mintyukov and Olen Zellweger lead a young defensive group that would benefit greatly from another top prospect, and another Russian D-man should be headed to California unless the Hawks surprise and take Levshunov second overall.

Find a Jakob Silfverberg replacement in free agency

Jakob Silfverberg has been a heart and soul player for the Ducks since being traded from the Ottawa Senators over a decade ago. The Swedish forward played 817 games and nearly 12 full NHL seasons, but announced his retirement from the league back in April. He's not hanging up the skates for good, though, instead heading home to play for Brynas IF in the Swedish Elite League.

Although Silfverberg was much better earlier in his career, the 33-year-old was an impact player throughout his decade playing for the Ducks, and the front office should turn to the free agent market to replace the veteran. Last summer, Verbeek brought in Killorn and Gudas, and the GM has already mentioned in his end-of-season press conference that he hopes to add even more impact players —  with the wish list including a top-six forward and top-four defenseman.

For the second straight summer, expect Verbeek and the Ducks to try to improve the roster in free agent frenzy on July 1.

Make trade decisions on John Gibson, Trevor Zegras 

And the last move is maybe the most difficult. Longtime goaltender Gibson and former first-round pick Zegras have seen their names swirling in trade rumors for what seems like forever. Probably the former more than the latter. But the trade noise has intensified regarding both players, and could one of them be on the move?

Well, teams are still reaching out about both Gibson and Zegras, Verbeek told The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun last week. Gibson has been on the trade block what feels like every summer, while Zegras is looking like he badly needs a change of scenery after his worst professional campaign in 2023-24.

But actually getting a deal done is complicated. Zegras' trade value has never been lower, and neither has Gibson's; the 30-year-old posted career-worst numbers with a .888 save percentage over 46 appearances last year. Would it make more sense for Verbeek to give it another year and see if the value for either player increases? There's no easy answer.

But since both players have their signing rights controlled by Anaheim for at least next year, there's no rush for the GM to get a deal done. Still, teams keep calling, and the right offer might cause Verbeek to part with either the team's longtime starting goaltender, or one of its most exciting forwards.

Boasting an excellent prospect pool and a young roster with a ton of room to grow, it's only a matter of time before the Ducks are competitive again. But by selecting the best player available at the draft, improving the roster through free agency and potentially pulling the trigger on a blockbuster trade, the franchise can accelerate the rebuild in 2024-25 as the city continues to wait patiently for playoff hockey in Anaheim.