The Anaheim Ducks have had a busy 2025 NHL offseason. They started the 2025 NHL offseason with a bang by trading for Chris Kreider. Once the free agency period started, the team whiffed on several big signings. But the Ducks signed Mikael Granlund to a three-year contract, adding some scoring to their team. Despite these Ducks' offseason moves, there is one move they should have made.
Anaheim still has a good salary cap and has the ability to make some more moves. However, Mason McTavish has still not re-signed with the organization. That makes things even worse for an organization that traded Trevor Zegras away to the Philadelphia Flyers. Overall, the number one issue in Anaheim last season was scoring.
The Ducks were last in goals. Sadly, they just could not score. Much of their offensive possessions resulted in turnovers or shots that went wide of the net. The offense struggled to find open space or even generate good scoring chances. The one move the Ducks should have made in the 2025 NHL offseason was to trade for Jason Robertson.
The Ducks should have traded for Jason Robertson
The Ducks were linked to Robertson for a while, but nothing came of it. It's no secret that the team needs scoring. Because of the rumors, there were many fans – and even some hockey writers – who believed the team might pull off the trade. There were so many possibilities. Initially, some of those possibilities included trading Zegras or even a first or second-round pick. Yet, none of that came to pass.
The Dallas Stars are struggling to keep the salary cap under the limit. Because of that, it makes Robertson available. Despite that, the Ducks did not swoop in and present them with a deal that could have netted them a proven scorer. With McTavish not on contract yet, there is a serious danger that Anaheim will enter the season with Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier as the only dangerous scoring threats.
Pat Verbeek is not rushing to get a deal done. However, teams that have let players go unsigned this long in the past have usually regretted it. With training camp just a month away, the Ducks need to have a plan, but trading for Robertson would have cushioned that issue.
The Ducks' offseason move that would have netted Robertson
The irony here is that the team could have used McTavish as a trade piece to get Robertson. Before trading him to the Flyers, the team could have sent Zegras, Pavel Mintyukov, and a 2025 first-round pick to the Stars for Robertson. Now, they don't have much to send to Dallas unless they are willing to part with either another first or a second-round pick.
The Ducks' offseason moves contradict the team's stance that they want to be in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs because they have not added a proven scorer. So far, this team is not proven. The consensus is that they will be better, but not a playoff team. For that to change, the Ducks have to make a move. While there may still be time for the Ducks to make a trade for Robertson, it seems like the ship has sailed.
Where do they go from here after the 2025 NHL offseason?
Assuming the Ducks do not surprise everyone and trade for Robertson, then the next move is to extend McTavish. Currently, Verbeek is trying to get a deal done. It is August, and there has been no news. But one thing that could be holding back the extension could be the future contracts Verbeek still has to sign.
Carlsson and Gauthier are both set to be restricted free agents in the 2026 NHL offseason. Therefore, Verbeek may be holding back on giving McTavish a deal that could prevent him from giving long-term contracts to Carlsson or Gauthier. That also must be a major reason why the team did not trade for Robertson. Had they done that, it would have possibly limited their opportunity to extend two of their best players.
But the Ducks could have worked out a deal for Robertson. While the Kreider trade was solid, and the Granlund signing was good, it did not have the impact that fans expected. One of those would not have been needed had the team found a way to trade for Robertson. Currently, the Ducks are set to have two solid lines that have the potential to be good. But had they traded for Robertson, they would have had at least one line with a proven scorer with the ability to change the game on a dime.
