When the 2025-26 season started, there was a thought that the Anaheim Ducks would show some improvement and contend for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. The addition of veteran head coach Joel Quenneville would certainly get the attention of the young players on the roster. He led the Chicago Blackhawks to three Stanley Cup championships and he is not the kind of bench boss to allow mistakes to fester.
He is a demanding boss and a look at the Ducks roster reveals that the team has a number of talented young players, and that having a leader like Quenneville has been an excellent addition. Instead of just contending for a playoff spot, the Ducks are in first place in the Pacific Division and it is quite clear that the Ducks will be playing postseason hockey for the first time since the 2017-18 season.
The Ducks have proved to be a dangerous offensive team and they have also gotten timely goaltending as they have risen in the standings. They have a 40-27-4 record through 71 games, and their 84 points has given them a five-point lead over the second-place Edmonton Oilers and a six-point advantage over the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Oilers and Golden Knights were preseason favorites to play for the Stanley Cup this season, but both have been major disappointments. The Pacific Division has been the weakest division in the NHL this season.
That's not the Ducks' problem. They have improved dramatically and they have a number of talented and exciting players who can take over a game.
Young stars have given Ducks an edge
Cutter Gauthier, 22, has emerged as a true star with the Ducks and he has scored a team-leading 36 goals and 62 points. He is joined by 21-year-old center Leo Carlsson, who has scored 24 goals and 60 points. Few players on the Ducks have been as exciting as 20-year-old Beckett Sennecke. He plays with speed and excellent vision and has scored 21 goals and 34 assists.
Those young Ducks have been joined by veteran Chris Kreider, who has been something of a role model for his teammates. He plays with maximum effort and toughness, and has scored 22 goals and 24 assists. Kreider remains a great power play weapon — as he was during his time with the New York Rangers — and he has scored eight goals with the man advantage.
Goalie Lukas Dostal has put together a 29-15-3 record with with a 3.01 goals against average and an .893 save percentage. While those last two numbers are not overwhelming, Dostal has done an excellent job when the game has been on the line.
Ducks will face Western Conference's No. 1 wild-card team
The Ducks have an excellent chance to hold on to first place in the Pacific, and that would give them with a matchup against the No. 1 Wild Card team in the Western Conference. The Utah Mammoth are in possession of that spot with 80 points — just four less than the Ducks.
Utah is three points ahead of the Nashville Predators, with the Los Angeles King just two points behind the Preds. The Mammoth have struggled to a 4-4-2 mark in their last 10 games, while the Preds are 7-2-1 over the same span. Nashville will certainly be motivated to pass the Mammoth, because the No. 2 wild-card team would have to face the Colorado Avalanche.
The Ducks would prefer to play the Mammoth, a team that has shown improvement this season but are playoff neophytes. Technically, this is the Mammoth's second NHL season. The franchise was previously known as the Arizona Coyotes, and that team had not made the playoffs since the 2019-20 season.
Utah is led by Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz, both of whom have shown they can come through when the game is on the line. Keller leads the Mammoth with 68 points while Schmaltz has 65. However, the Ducks have more firepower than the Mammoth.
On the other hand, the Preds feature veteran leadership and scoring threats in Ryan O'Relly, Filip Forsberg and Steven Stamkos. A matchup with the surging Predators would appear to be far more difficult for the Ducks than the Mammoth.
Ducks would be decided underdogs after first round
If the Ducks can use home ice to their advantage in the first round and beat the Mammoth (preferred opponent) or the Predators, they would face the winner of the Pacific's 2-3 series between the Oilers and the Golden Knights. No matter how the regular season has played out, the winner of that series would have far more explosiveness than the Ducks and would be clear favorites.
The Ducks are 3-0 in their head-to-head matchup with the Golden Knights, and they are 1-1 against the Oilers with one game remaining. It is doubtful that Quenneville could find an edge against either team, but the Oilers have Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl should be back in the lineup from his lower-body injury at the start of the playoffs.
Anaheim would most likely prefer to play the VGK, but it would be a difficult assignment despite the regular-season results.
