Anaheim Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek has already had a busy start to one of the more exciting offseasons the Ducks have had. Verbeek finished his head coaching search for the Ducks and their AHL affiliate San Diego Gulls, with Greg Cronin and Matt McIlvane. Next week, Verbeek will have to make nine selections in the draft, including the second overall pick, where there is debate whether it will be Hobey Baker Award winner Adam Fantili or Swedish phenom Leo Carlsson. After that, free agency kicks off on July 1st, and it will be very intriguing to see what Verbeek does.
Last year, the Ducks handed out some bigger contracts than they have done in years past. They signed John Klingberg for 1 year, $7 million, Frank Vatrano for 3 years, $10.95 million, and Ryan Strome for 5 years, $25 million. Not to mention that the Ducks were in talks with RW Nino Niederreiter and C Evan Rodrigues. The final tally last summer came out to $50,625,000 in team spending. Verbeek believed that the Ducks should have been more competitive last season, which is why he handed out the most money in a Ducks offseason since 2016, according to Spotrac.
Cap space will not be an issue for the Ducks as they need to spend $17,248,333 just to get to the cap floor, according to Cap Friendly. Marquee RFAs Trevor Zegras, Jaime Drysdale, and Troy Terry should bring the Ducks to the floor alone. Verbeek has $39,048,333 in cap space to play with this summer, and I would expect him to make similar signings to last summer.
Scoring depth is the Ducks’ biggest need, as it has been for the last decade. There is legit depth down the middle with Zegras, Mason McTavish, Isac Lundestrom, and either Adam Fantili or Leo Carlsson, but help is needed on the wings. The Ducks finished the season with the second-lowest goal total in the league. The last time the Ducks did not finish in the bottom ten in goals scored was their last playoff appearance in 2017-2018, when they finished 18th. The blue line will be interesting to follow because it is expected that Jackson LaCombe and Drew Helleson’s cup of coffee in the NHL this year proved they are just about NHL ready. Elite prospects Olen Zellweger and Pavel Mintyukov will also be competing for roster spots in training camp. If the Ducks do indeed go with the youth route, the Ducks do not need to do much on the defensive market.
Another thing to keep in mind, there have been reports that John Gibson would be open to a trade if the Ducks want to make a move. A Gibson trade would put the Ducks in the market for a backup goaltender to pair with promising prospect Lukas Dostal, who has proved he is starting goalie material. But until there are serious reports that a trade is likely, I will not be paying attention to the goalie market for this article.
With all of that said, let’s look at some UFAs that would make sense for the Ducks. Important note: I do not expect the Ducks the sign all of these players, these are simply just players that I would see Pat Verbeek show interest in and what AFP Analytic’s projections say their deals are going to be.
Michael Bunting 5 x $5.26m
Back-to-back 23-goal campaigns with the Toronto Maple Leafs have Bunting poised for a solid payday this summer. Bunting has 63 and 49 points in those two seasons, respectfully. The underlying numbers for Bunting are promising as well, as he sports a 55.3 CF% and a 59.13 xG%, according to Natural Stat Trick.
How successful will Bunting be away from the superstars in Toronto like Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner is a legitimate question, but he still adds depth on the wing that the Ducks have desperately missed the last five seasons. If he were to sign in Anaheim, Bunting automatically becomes maybe the best winger on the Ducks, not named Troy Terry.
Ivan Barbashev 4 x $4.2m
Barbashev has adjusted well to life as a left winger. The point production explosion a year ago was not as much of a fluke as some may think. It may not be another 60-point season for Barbashev, but 16G-29A-45P is still better than any other year in his career. Moneypuck.com has Barbashev at 49 Corsi% and 50.8 On-Ice Expected Goals% this year.
A trade to the Vegas Golden Knights at the deadline this year improved Barbashev’s value significantly, as he put up 6G-10A-16P in 23 games played with the Knights. Barbashev continued his hot streak into the playoffs and was a key contributor to Vegas’ first Stanley Cup in its young history as he scored 7G-11A-18P in 22 games. Barbashev would fit in nicely with the Ducks middle six, and even though he is not known for his defensive play, it did improve this season which would be a good addition to the worst defensive team in the league.
Pierre Engvall 4 x $4.11m
Engvall will not light up the scoresheet but provides depth as a quality everyday player, something that all teams need. The 17G-13A-30P stat line will not turn any heads, but 55 Corsi% and 58.2 On-Ice Expected Goal% (moneypuck.com) are encouraging. Engvall is another player who improved once he got to his new team. The point production and the underlying numbers all improved once he was traded from the Maple Leafs to the New York Islanders. Engvall is another one of those guys who would fit in with the Ducks middle six and can be a steady everyday player.
Kevin Shattenkirk 2 x $3.02m
Look, as fun as it sounds, the Ducks will not just let the kids run free on the blue line next year. I believe that the Ducks will make one signing on the blue line, and why not bring Shattenkirk back? It has been reported that Shattenkirk was loved in the Ducks locker room and provides veteran leadership for the young guns. Shattenkrik’s production and underlying numbers have been declining since he came to Anaheim (not to mention all of the costly turnovers). Still, the Ducks are not expected to compete next year. I do not believe Shattenkirk will be a multi-year deal. Given his poor play the last three seasons and age, I would predict a Shattenkirk contract to look more like 1 x $2m.
Ryan Graves 5 x $5.07m
Another route the Ducks could go in terms of the blue line is to sign an established defenseman with good years ahead of him, anticipating that they will compete in a couple of years. A 6 foot 5, 220 stay-at-home defenseman who lacks offensive skill may not be worth the projected 5 x $5.07m, but with the right deal, Graves can be a great addition to the Ducks. Another pushback may be that the Ducks may not want to take away a roster spot for one of their prospects for the next five or so years. As true as that is, a good blue line needs those stay-at-home defensemen to go with defensemen who like to join the rush and can contribute offensively. The Ducks have a deep prospect pool of highly skilled defensemen who will shine offensively. Bringing in Graves will help balance out the skillset on the blue line.
