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A couple of weeks ago, it looked like the Anaheim Ducks were dead in the water in their quest for a postseason berth in 2024-25. But after winning five of their last six games dating back to January 23, Greg Cronin's team now sits just nine points back of the final wildcard slot in the Western Conference — with a game in hand.
While there is an avenue to the Ducks continuing the surge and breaking a long playoff drought that stretches back to 2018-19, the most likely scenario is that it will be another long offseason in California. At 23-24-6, it would take a herculean post-4-Nations effort to sneak into the dance come mid-April.
Because of that, general manager Pat Verbeek and the front office are once again expected to be sellers ahead of the March 7 NHL Trade Deadline. And the franchise has already been quite busy this year, acquiring Jacob Trouba from the New York Rangers in a mid-season blockbuster before bringing Justin Bailey to town from the San Jose Sharks' organization.
Ducks will be sellers at trade deadline, but they're hanging around
Anaheim's brass can't really take a chance that the team will continue to have success over the last 29 games of the season. Before their current heater, the Ducks had lost four games in a row and seven of eight, dropping to seventh place in the Pacific Division. While the surge has helped them leapfrog the Seattle Kraken in the division, there's still a long way to go.
The most likely road is that the Ducks will look to sell a couple of pieces as they continue to rebuild to reach Stanley Cup contention in the near future. This roster is in a very similar situation to the one it has been over the last few years, and expect the front office to stay the course and stick to the plan once again.
Anaheim has a couple of key trade chips
Of course, the main trade chip for the Ducks — as it has been for half a decade — is veteran goaltender John Gibson. The 31-year-old has a hefty $6.4 million cap hit, which has made it impossible up until this point to find a suitor for him. Since signing the deal, Gibson has put together a 82-138-35 record and .901 save percentage for a mostly rebuilding Ducks team.
With Gibson now settled into more of a backup role behind youngster Lukas Dostal, could this be the year the franchise finally parts way with the netminder? That's up in the air, as is the case with embattled forward Trevor Zegras, who has struggled mightily over the last few seasons and just doesn't look like the same player he was when he broke into the league.
Often mentioned in trade rumors himself, Zegras managed just 15 points in 31 games last year, and has the exact same amount through 31 games in 2024-25. It's just not the kind of production the organization hoped to see from him after the way he started his NHL career. The former first-round pick should still be attractive as a top-six scorer, and a change of scenery could be just what he needs.
Of course, teams that sell at the deadline are not usually looking to bring roster players back to town, unless they fit the long-term vision of the organization. And one player who could do just that is Boston Bruins forward Trent Frederic, who would bring a rough and tumble attitude that is badly needed in Anaheim's forward group.
Bruins' Trent Frederic would be a great addition to Ducks lineup
Selected No. 29 overall by the Bruins in the 2016 NHL Draft, Frederic has spent his entire career in Massachusetts. His best showing came last season, when he managed career-highs across the board with 18 goals and 40 points over a full 82-game slate. The 26-year-old has fallen out of favor in Beantown and his name has been mentioned in trade discussions throughout the campaign.
With a ton of skilled forwards on the roster — and not a ton of grit — the Ducks should be looking to get harder to play against. And Frederic could be a perfect addition in that quest. Although he's only managed 14 points in 48 games this season, mainly in a bottom-six role, he is still an effective player. Pro Hockey Rumors' Gabriel Foley believes Frederic could be a good fit in California:
“His heft down the lineup has proved helpful for a Bruins team in need of a star-protector. Frederic has four fighting majors this season, and was voted as the clear winner in all of them by fans on HockeyFights.com,” wrote Foley earlier this week. “He could be a low-cost acquisition as the Ducks look for a physical spark in their bottom-six.”
Frederic is set to be an unrestricted free agent on July 1, and with the Bruins battling for a playoff spot, it's hard to gauge whether Boston general manager Don Sweeney would pull the trigger and ship him out of town. If Anaheim were able to acquire him, they would likely be able to re-sign him for something similar to his current $2.3 million cap hit.
With nothing but cap space to work with — Puck Pedia projects the Ducks with over $17 million as of February 7 — getting Frederic re-signed wouldn't be a problem at all. He's still relatively young at 26 years old, as well, and would bring an element to Anaheim's bottom-six that is still sorely lacking in 2024-25.
With the season not yet lost but hanging by a thread, the Ducks can afford to be patient. While they may ship out a player like Gibson or Zegras and look toward the future, it wouldn't be a bad bet to bring a player of Frederic's profile to town. It could be beneficial to both parties, especially if it's part of a larger package that sends Zegras to Boston.
