Let’s take a look at Anaheim Ducks 2023-2024 Season Recap/Review. For the 2023-2024 season, the Ducks had a yet another awful year with a record of 27 wins - 50 losses - 5 OT losses, resulting in just 59 points, finishing the season in 7th place in the Pacific division (3rd worst in the NHL). They went 12-26-3 at home and 15-24-2 on the road. This gave them the 3rd worst record in the whole NHL (32 teams) this season, causing them to miss the Playoffs for the 6th season in a row. On March 17, 2024, the Ducks were eliminated from playoff contention. They scored 204 goals, and allowed 295 goals. They had 1,911 hits and 1,343 blocks ranking them both 12th in the league. The Anaheim Ducks had the most penalty minutes by a team this season, with 1,108 minutes in the box. You can’t win games when you’re down a guy the most out of all teams. A team with a bunch of young talent, no stars, and a lot to learn. Let's take a 2023-2024 season review on the Anaheim Ducks.
Head Coach: Greg Cronin (1st year)
General Manager: Pat Verbeek (3rd year)
Captain: None
Alternate Captain: Cam Fowler
Radko Gudas (Mar–Apr)
Adam Henrique (Oct–Mar)
Alex Killorn (Apr)
Jakob Silfverberg (Nov–Apr)
Troy Terry (Oct–Nov)
Anaheim Ducks roster review:
The Ducks rolled with 27 different players playing this season for them.
GOALIES -
The Goaltending was not the best but mostly because the team as a whole wasn’t good. The Ducks played only 2 goalies this season. So who were the Goalies?
Lukas Dostal was one of the 2 goalies for the Ducks this season starting 38 games and playing a total of 44 games. Dostal completed his 3rd year in the NHL for the Ducks and started making a lot of his starts toward the 2nd half of the season. For the season, he won 14, lost 23, had 3 overtime losses, allowed 3.33 GAA, .902 SV%, saved 1181 of 1310, and had just 1 shutout (the only Ducks shutout this season). Although his GAA wasn’t the best, he had a solid save percentage and saved a lot of goals. Had he played for a good team he may have had much better stats. Dostal is a great goalie and it seems that he may be the future go-to goalie for the Ducks.
John Gibson was the other goalie for the Ducks completing his 11th season as a Duck. Gibson had one of his worst years as a Duck but also accounts to the Ducks being bad as a whole. He started 44 games and played 46 total. For the season, he won 13, lost 27, had 2 overtime losses, allowed 3.54 GAA, .888 SV%, saved 1192 of 1343, and had no shutouts. Dostal had the better stats and better year but again the Ducks as a whole were just not good.
DEFENCEMEN -
The defense was obviously not good. But they have some young guys who can be some great defencemen soon. With the right leadership and development and maybe some veteran signings this off-season, the team will look nice. Who were the defencemen?
First off, Cam Fowler, the Ducks longest tenured player completing his 14th season. Fowler was the teams alternate captain. I would say he had a poor year. He had his worst +/- with -36. Fowler scored 5 goals, had 34 assists, 39 points, and 24 penalty minutes in 81 games. Without the stats, he didn’t look his best. Nonetheless, he led the Defense with 39 points.
Radko Gudas was the Ducks oldest defenceman, 33, but completed his first year as a Duck. Gudas was pretty nice for the Ducks. In 66 games, he scored 6 goals, had 12 assists, 18 points, 232 hits, a +14 +/- rating, and had 128 penalty minutes (most on Ducks and 5th most in NHL). Gudas had nice energy for the Ducks and was entertaining to watch.
Jackson LaCombe played his first long season with the Ducks this year. His previous and first season he only played 2 games. This year he played 71 games, scored 2 goals, had 15 assists, 17 points, -24 +/- rating, and had 24 penalty minutes. He’s still very young and can be a great player in future.
William Lagesson was claimed off waivers by Anaheim from Toronto on March 8, 2024. For the Ducks he played 10 games, had a -2 +/- rating, and had 13 penalty minutes. Lagesson will be a free agent and I don’t see Ducks bringing him back.
Gustav Lindström was claimed off waivers by Anaheim from Montreal on January 10, 2024. Lindström was pretty solid for the Ducks during his short time. In 32 games with the Ducks, he had 6 assists, +12 +/- rating, and had 18 penalty minutes.
Ilya Lyubushkin started the year with the Ducks before being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ducks acquired Toronto's third-round draft pick in the 2025 draft. Lyubushkin will be a free agent so not a bad return for losing him. In 55 games with the Ducks this season, he had 4 assists, 51 penalty minutes, and a -13 +/- rating.
Tristan Luneau is a young defencemen for the Ducks that can be the main guy at some point in the future for the Ducks. Unfortunately, he got a season-ending knee injury in February. But we got a nice taste of him. He played 7 games for the Ducks, had 1 goal, 2 assists, and a +1 +/- rating.
Jamie Drysdale started the year with the Anaheim Ducks but then was traded to Philadelphia Flyers for Cutter Gauthier. He spent 4 seasons with the Ducks prior to being traded. This was a nice trade for the Ducks. Drysdale was not as he was expected to be and they hae a lot of great potential defencemen already. Plus Cutter Gauthier is expected to be a much better player when he gets there. In 10 games with the Ducks this season, he scored 1 goal, had 4 assists, 4 penalty minutes, and a -2 +/- rating.
Pavel Mintyukov is another future main defencemen for the Ducks. He was drafted 1oth overall by the Ducks in 2022. Before his season-ending injury late in the season, Mintyukov played 63 games with the Ducks, scoring 4 goals, had 24 assists, 24 penalty minutes, and a -20 +/- rating. Not too bad for a 20 year old.
Urho Vaakanainen completed his 3rd year with the Ducks. He played 68 games this season, scoring 1 goal, had 13 assists, 26 penalty minutes, and a 0 +/- rating. Not too bad.
Olen Zellweger is another top prospect that is part of the Ducks future. He played 26 NHL games for the Ducks, scoring 2 goals, had 7 assists, 4 penalty minutes, and a -6 +/- rating. The future is bright for the Ducks!
Lastly, Robert Hägg. Hägg played just 5 games for the Ducks with a -4 +/- rating
FORWARDS -
The Ducks forwards were solid this season but not the best. They don't really have a star or 2 to lead them but they definitely have a lot of potential. So who were the Ducks Forwards?
Frank Vatrano was arguably the Ducks best forward this season. He played in this years NHL All-Star Game and played all 82 games for the Ducks. Vatrano also had 3 hat tricks for the Ducks! This season, he scored a career high and most on team 37 goals, 13 power play goals (most on team), 2 overtime goals (most on team), 3 shorthanded goals (most on team), had 23 assists, 85 penalty minutes (top 25 in league), 7 game-winning goals, and a -20 +/- rating. Vatrano was very nice for the Ducks but I wouldn't categorize him as a star. He led the Ducks with 60 points. Still a wonderful year for him!
Troy Terry was one of the Ducks best forwards this season as well but had a worse season compared to his previous 2. In 76 games, Terry scored 20 goals, had 34 assists, 24 penalty minutes, 5 game-winning goals, and a -10 +/- rating. Although he wasn't his best, Terry was still a key Forward for the Ducks. He had the 2nd most points with 54.
Mason McTavish is another future key forward for the Ducks. He's is only 21 years old. McTavish dealt with some injuries but in 64 games, he scored 19 goals, had 23 assists, 86 penalty minutes (top 25 in league), 3 game-winning goals, and a -23 +/- rating. He had the third most points for the Ducks with 42. I can't wait to see McTavish in the future.
Ryan Strome completed his 2nd year with the Ducks having the 4th most points for them this season. Strome was a reliable player for the Ducks playing 79 games, scoring 11 goals, had 30 assists, 86 penalty minutes (top 25 in league), and a -2o +/- rating
Alex Killorn spent his first year with the Ducks this year and he's the Ducks oldest player at 34 years old. Even at this age, he still had a solid year. In 63 games, Killorn scored 18 goals, 5 power play goals (2nd most on team), had 18 assists, 54 penalty minutes, 5 game-winning goals, and a -15 +/- rating. Not bad.
Adam Henrique started the year with the Anaheim Ducks but then was traded during the Trade Deadline to Edmonton. Henrique is a free agent this offseason so trading him for something was a good move.He spent 7 seasons with the Ducks prior to being traded. In 60 games with the Ducks, he scored 18 goals, had 24 assists, 33 penalty minutes, and a +3 +/- rating. Since he is a free agent this offseason, maybe he could be back.
Leo Carlsson, the 2023 #2 overall pick, completed his first year with the Ducks. I would say he had a solid rookie year. Carlsson only played 55 games due to injuries and days off throughout the season. In those games, he scored 12 goals, 4 power-play goals, had 17 assists, 16 penalty minutes, and a -11 +/- rating. Carlsson had 29 points which ranked him 12th among rookies. Had he played more games I am sure he would have had more points and would have been one of the top rookies. I can't wait to see him next season.
Brett Leason completed his 2nd year with the Ducks. In 68 games, he scored 11 goals, 2 short-handed goals (2nd most on team), had 11 assists, 14 penalty minutes, 3 game-winning goals, and a -7 +/- rating.
Jakob Silfverberg completed his 11th season with the Ducks and last ever. He announced retirement earlier in the year. In his last 81 games, he scored 7 goals, had 12 assists, 24 penalty minutes, and a +4 +/- rating. In 829 games with the Ducks, scored 174 goals, had 221 assists. Nice career for Silfverberg.
Sam Carrick started the year with the Anaheim Ducks but then was traded during the Trade Deadline to Edmonton with Henrique. Like Carrick, he is a free agent this offseason so it was good to get something in return. He spent 6 seasons with the Ducks prior to being traded. In 61 games with the Ducks this season, he scored 8 goals, had 3 assists, 90 penalty minutes, and a -11 +/- rating.
Max Jones completed his 6th year with the Ducks. In 52 games, he scored 5 goals, had 10 assists, 33 penalty minutes, and a -6 +/- rating.
Trevor Zegras, who was once one of our top forwards, had a off-year this year. Injuries was the primary culprit. He missed 20 games early in the season with a lower-body injury and then missed over 2 months with a broken ankle. Tough, but next year he should be bigger and better than ever. This season, he played 21 games, scoring 6 goals, had 9 assists, 30 penalty minutes, and a -1 +/- rating.
Isac Lundeström completed his 6th year with the Ducks. Lundeström also dealt with injury this season with primarily a torn Achilles. In 46 games, he scored 5 goals, had 6 assists, 2 penalty minutes, and a -1 +/- rating.
Ross Johnston completed his first year as a Duck. In 14 games, he scored 1 goal, had 3 assists, 117 penalty minutes (7th in NHL), and a -12 +/- rating.
Ben Meyers was acquired on the NHL Trade Deadline Day. In 68 games with the Ducks, he scored no goals, had 2 assists, 6 penalty minutes, and a -2 +/- rating.
Brock McGinn completed his 2nd year with the Ducks. In 24 games with the Ducks, he scored 1 goal, had 2 assists, 4 penalty minutes, and a -5 +/- rating.
Benoit-Olivier Groulx completed his 3rd year with the Ducks. In 45 games with the Ducks, he scored no goals, had 2 assists, 22 penalty minutes, and a -9 +/- rating.
Sam Colangelo got a taste of the NHL toward the end of the season. He is a nice prospect for the Ducks who spent most of the season in NCAA. In 3 games with the Ducks, he scored 1 goal, 2 penalty minutes, and a 0 +/- rating.
Glenn Gawdin played 1 game for the Ducks this year. In that game, he had 2 penalty minutes, and a -1 +/- rating.
Nikita Nesterenko played 3 games with the Ducks after spending most of the year in the AHL. In 3 games with the Ducks, he scored 1 goal and a 0 +/- rating.
Pavol Regenda played 5 games with the Ducks after spending most of the year in the AHL. In 5 games with the Ducks, he 2 penalty minutes and a -1 +/- rating.
Last but not least, Cutter Gauthier. Gauthier is a top prospect for the Ducks who got a taste of the last game of the season. He spent most of the season in NCAA and went off scoring 38 goals, had 27 assists in 41 NCAA games. Nice! In his only NHL game, Gauthier had 1 assist and a +1 +/- rating. Can't wait to see him next year!
So, that's everybody who played at least 1 game for the Ducks this season. Notice how a lot of these players were young and a lot of players had a lot of penalty minutes. If they can minimize the penalty minutes and the young guys develop well, this team will look nice. NHL Free Agency starts July 1 so it will be interesting to see what they do. NHL Draft Lottery was May 7 and they got the 3rd overall pick, not bad. NHL Entry Draft is June 28-29 so thats another date to look forward to.
The Ducks have 11 players who are pending RFAs and will need qualifying offers before the July 1 deadline or they will join the UFA pool; Isac Lundestrom, Max Jones, Brett Leason, Bo Groulx, Gustav Lindstrom, Jackson LaCombe, Urho Vaakanainen, Nikita Nesterenko, Blake McLaughlin, Brayden Tracey, and Pavol Regenda. Of those players, three (LaCombe, Nesterenko, and Tracey) do not have arbitration rights. They have 8 UFA's: Alex Stalock, Andrew Agozzino, William Lagesson, Trevor Carrick, Robert Hagg, Glenn Gawdin, Chase De Leo, and Colton White. So the nice thing is no big names are really set to leave the Ducks.
Ducks GM, Pat Verbeek, mentioned his intention to add a top-six, right-shot winger to his forward group, a top-four right-shot defenseman to his blueline, and possibly another bottom-six forward who provides "speed and grit" to the lineup. As of today, the Anaheim Ducks are projected to have around over $33 million in cap space with only 16 NHL players under contract for the 2024-25 season. Nice. It seems that the Ducks are finally done rebuilding and can finally be a playoff team. They got the 3rd overall pick so this can be a huge addition to the roster. They have a really nice young core and I can see the Ducks making the playoffs as soon as next season!
Ducks Team Awards:
Most Valuable Player: It has to be Frank Vatrano. He had a pretty nice year with some career highs and led the Ducks in pretty much everything offensively as mentioned earlier. Not to mention he was an All-Star.
Best Newcomer: Leo Carlsson. Had he played more games he would have been one of the top rookies in the league this year. He was the #2 overall pick for a reason. Exciting to see how he is next season.
Outstanding Defenseman: Pavel Mintyukov. Ducks had quite a few nice defensemen this season and some who can be very nice soon. Mintyukov was really nice his first year and kept the penalty minutes down. He will be nice for the Ducks.
So there you have it. That's a quick recap of the Anaheim Ducks for the 2023-2024 season. See you next season!
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