Speculation: 2024-25 Roster thread

[Hey234]

One of the things that some malign PV about is rushing young players to the NHL especially when he discussed the opposite when first hired. A lot of the young players played well. Gaucher, in particular, was strong. But there is no danger in more experience at the AHL level.

The Ducks finally have enough depth at the NHL level that they can let players overripe. It is a good sign for where the team is at. It sucks when it seems like someone has earned more time, but depth is a great thing for this team.

 

[JohnLennon]

Have Minty, Lacombe and Luneau outplayed Zellweger that much that he will get sent down to the AHL? I'm not even sure how much more he can learn down there after absolutely dominating the league last season.

Also - is Lacombe actually PP1 QB? That's kind of awesome no? (I'm not a Ducks fan but enjoying watching the roster building so correct me if I'm wrong)

 

[Hockey Duckie]

Agreed, no point in sitting a kid in the press box every night. I wouldn't mind rotating them through San Diego. If one of the kids struggles for a 4 or 5 game stretch, send them to San Diego and bring up the one that's down there. Make it a point to tell them it's not punishment, it's to work on their game more and tell them what they should focus on down there. If Zellweger gets sent down and starts putting up numbers and Luneau struggles, swap them.

I dunno about 4 or 5 games. More like 20 games. We do have Vaak to rotate in at the NHL level.

 

[Hockey Duckie]

Have Minty, Lacombe and Luneau outplayed Zellweger that much that he will get sent down to the AHL? I'm not even sure how much more he can learn down there after absolutely dominating the league last season.

Also - is Lacombe actually PP1 QB? That's kind of awesome no? (I'm not a Ducks fan but enjoying watching the roster building so correct me if I'm wrong)

I think it was 6'1 RD Luneau who outplayed 5'9 LD/RD Zell. LD Minty was safe and LaCombe is our best defensive youth. Zell's spot on the NHL club would have to be on the right side b/c the team has Fowler, Minty, and Dumo kinda set at LD. LaCombe plays LD/RD as a left shot, but has been playing LD due to Fowler and Minty (due to injury) not playing in earlier pre-season games.

Here's how Minty, LaCombe, and Zell finished their season in the NHL for their last 22 or 23 games. All three played mostly in top-4 situations.

Ducks	Youth D	2023-24
Youth D-man	Game set	Games	G	A	Pts	PPG		+/-	Hits	Blocks	Comments
LaCombe	49 to 71	23	1	7	8	0.35		1	12	44	From Feb 19 to Apr 18
Minty	41 to 63	23	2	7	9	0.39		-9	29	22	from Feb 13 to Mar 30 (got injured)
Zell	5 to 26	22	2	6	8	0.36		-8	10	33	From Mar 1 to Apr 18 (called up at TDL)

Zell's offense is great, but it's his defense that needs much work. His +/- is actually worse because for some reason, there are a few times LaCombe comes off the ice early and Zell jumps in just as the team scores.

As for LaCombe staying at the PP1 QB, that might only be a pre-season thing. Fowler and Minty (due to recovering from injury) haven't played much of the early pre-season games.

 

[Static]

The fourth line isnt nearly as fun as I was hoping.

 

[All Mighty]

Also - is Lacombe actually PP1 QB? That's kind of awesome no? (I'm not a Ducks fan but enjoying watching the roster building so correct me if I'm wrong)

We are just as surprised as you are, but LaCombe has been hyped up quite a bit this preseason by our coaches and veteran players. You could argue that he’s been the best dman on the team in the preseason (not that he’s been dominant, but nobody really has been).

Contenders dont generally have cap space to play with.... so 6.5 for 2 years is kinda a lot for a contender to try and take on.

Add that to his NTC, and LHD not exactly being the hardest position to fill.... i imagine the value we get on fowler wont be very great.

Personally im hoping for a 1st + 2nd value, but i doubt he gets that much.

The cap hit doesn’t really seem like too much of an issue because we are so close to the cap floor that we have to take back a similar cap hit anyway. There might be an issue for a couple of teams sending us that much cap, but for the most part contending teams will be excited to dump a player or two on us, and that would only boost the return.

 

[Zegs2sendhelp]

Have Minty, Lacombe and Luneau outplayed Zellweger that much that he will get sent down to the AHL? I'm not even sure how much more he can learn down there after absolutely dominating the league last season.

Also - is Lacombe actually PP1 QB? That's kind of awesome no? (I'm not a Ducks fan but enjoying watching the roster building so correct me if I'm wrong)

I dont think any of them are getting sent down.... not sure exactly what the plan is with the young guys.

In terms of outplaying each other.... I think Lacombe is def furthest along in terms of development(as he should be)... kinda like the jack of all trades guy on the back end, can play LHD or RHD, can play PK or PP, and seems like the player that can get pretty comfortable playing next to anyone on the d group. He tends to get slept on league wide (and prob on these boards too)... but no reason he cant become a top 4dmen.

Org seems to really love Luneau, and we dont have any natural RHD outside of Gudas in the line up right now. Im personally pretty high on Luneau, and think he can become a top pair RHD. He added a lot of muscle/weight in the offseason.... and i think his spot is comfortably in the NHL now... he looked comfortable last year in his 7 games prior to his injury... now he looks bigger and stronger, and i expect him to look pretty damn good in the NHL.

Mintyukov would have 0 benefit not being in the NHL , hes big, has a little nastiness in his game... and most of what he needs to improve upon is things he can do at NHL lvl..... i think he has the best shot of being a #1 dmen out of the young guys.

Zellweger is prob the odd man out right now, but i imagine the team will find ways to get him game time.... he was pretty solid last year in the NHL, were just kinda packed on the back end at NHL lvl right now... i agree there isnt much for him to do in the AHL tho(but i think you can say that about all 4 young guys on our backend)

As far as PPQB goes.... lacombe has looked solid in his limited time as QB (i think he had a little time last season because of injuries).... but long term i just think Mintyukov/Zellweger/Luneau have more tools in their offensive tool box than Lacombe.

 

[Zegs2sendhelp]

The fourth line isnt nearly as fun as I was hoping.

What did you have in mind? (i agree, but i kinda understand going with who they went with)

Nester - Gaucher - Colangelo?
I felt like Gaucher out played Lundy, lundy has been arguably most dispapointing player over the last couple seasons.

Nester prob out played Mcginn, but i get keeping Mcginn at that 4th LW... plays a lil chippy... and prob less likely to make mistakes.

Leason... ive always kinda liked in the line up, thought his effort was always there last season.... and i felt like of all of the guys on the roster, colangelo prob has the most to gain with time in the AHL.

 

[JohnLennon]

I think it was 6'1 RD Luneau who outplayed 5'9 LD/RD Zell. LD Minty was safe and LaCombe is our best defensive youth. Zell's spot on the NHL club would have to be on the right side b/c the team has Fowler, Minty, and Dumo kinda set at LD. LaCombe plays LD/RD as a left shot, but has been playing LD due to Fowler and Minty (due to injury) not playing in earlier pre-season games.

Here's how Minty, LaCombe, and Zell finished their season in the NHL for their last 22 or 23 games. All three played mostly in top-4 situations.

Ducks	Youth D	2023-24
Youth D-man	Game set	Games	G	A	Pts	PPG		+/-	Hits	Blocks	Comments
LaCombe	49 to 71	23	1	7	8	0.35		1	12	44	From Feb 19 to Apr 18
Minty	41 to 63	23	2	7	9	0.39		-9	29	22	from Feb 13 to Mar 30 (got injured)
Zell	5 to 26	22	2	6	8	0.36		-8	10	33	From Mar 1 to Apr 18 (called up at TDL)

Zell's offense is great, but it's his defense that needs much work. His +/- is actually worse because for some reason, there are a few times LaCombe comes off the ice early and Zell jumps in just as the team scores.

As for LaCombe staying at the PP1 QB, that might only be a pre-season thing. Fowler and Minty (due to recovering from injury) haven't played much of the early pre-season games.

Thank you very much for your interesting and detailed response! It really seems like Lacombe can carry heavy defensive minutes but still able to chip in offensively. Feels like he is on a trajectory similar to a poor-man's Brock Faber, what an exciting young player!

As for him playing powerplay, tonight it seems they have all of Fowler/Minty/Lacombe and they are still rolling out Lacombe at PP1, do you think it is still maybe just precautionary and warming them back up without too many minutes?

I dont think any of them are getting sent down.... not sure exactly what the plan is with the young guys.

In terms of outplaying each other.... I think Lacombe is def furthest along in terms of development(as he should be)... kinda like the jack of all trades guy on the back end, can play LHD or RHD, can play PK or PP, and seems like the player that can get pretty comfortable playing next to anyone on the d group. He tends to get slept on league wide (and prob on these boards too)... but no reason he cant become a top 4dmen.

Org seems to really love Luneau, and we dont have any natural RHD outside of Gudas in the line up right now. Im personally pretty high on Luneau, and think he can become a top pair RHD. He added a lot of muscle/weight in the offseason.... and i think his spot is comfortably in the NHL now... he looked comfortable last year in his 7 games prior to his injury... now he looks bigger and stronger, and i expect him to look pretty damn good in the NHL.

Mintyukov would have 0 benefit not being in the NHL , hes big, has a little nastiness in his game... and most of what he needs to improve upon is things he can do at NHL lvl..... i think he has the best shot of being a #1 dmen out of the young guys.

Zellweger is prob the odd man out right now, but i imagine the team will find ways to get him game time.... he was pretty solid last year in the NHL, were just kinda packed on the back end at NHL lvl right now... i agree there isnt much for him to do in the AHL tho(but i think you can say that about all 4 young guys on our backend)

As far as PPQB goes.... lacombe has looked solid in his limited time as QB (i think he had a little time last season because of injuries).... but long term i just think Mintyukov/Zellweger/Luneau have more tools in their offensive tool box than Lacombe.

Fair enough, makes a lot of sense. I'm really coming along a lot on Lacombe, this guy seems like a real gem. I said in the other post he really feels like he could be on a Brock Faber trajectory if all goes right. Am I wrong in thinking Zellweger has the highest offensive upside of the bunch? Really exciting squad regardless, in a year or two that top 4 on defense can be very versatile and strong.

 

[Zegs2sendhelp]

Thank you very much for your interesting and detailed response! It really seems like Lacombe can carry heavy defensive minutes but still able to chip in offensively. Feels like he is on a trajectory similar to a poor-man's Brock Faber, what an exciting young player!

As for him playing powerplay, tonight it seems they have all of Fowler/Minty/Lacombe and they are still rolling out Lacombe at PP1, do you think it is still maybe just precautionary and warming them back up without too many minutes?


Fair enough, makes a lot of sense. I'm really coming along a lot on Lacombe, this guy seems like a real gem. I said in the other post he really feels like he could be on a Brock Faber trajectory if all goes right. Am I wrong in thinking Zellweger has the highest offensive upside of the bunch? Really exciting squad regardless, in a year or two that top 4 on defense can be very versatile and strong.

Tough to say about who the most offensive guy is, because i think they all bring different things offensively. ill say is Zellweger is the most beautiful player (in terms of hockey skills) ive seen live since Kariya. Id prob give a slight edge to Zellweger, but thats because of those 3 guys, i think his shot(shot selection) is the best. Luneau/Mintyukov havnt really shown to be legit shot threats from the point at this point. Zellweger might have the most booming shot from the point out of the young guys, but i imagine well def get a much clearer idea this season.

 

[Ducks DVM]

That wasnt "knocking" cam.

That was looking at the lineup and thinking we have guys there that can be Cam... and that a 6/7 dmen that plays a simple game would be more ideal.

Look at the line up(as a non biased cam fan) and show me where he exactly fits... if anything he makes the defense pairings awkward.

Zellweger was bad this preseason, he earned his way out of consideration.

LaCombe earmed the respect of Gudas and management, that’s the shutdown pairing.

Dumoulin has been designated the mentor for Mintyukov, who has yet to prove he can play well with higher minutes. His possession numbers last year weren’t great.

Vaakanainen looked good next to Gudas, certainly not good enough to anchor a pairing on his own.

You are wishlisting on where these players will hopefully be in 1-2 seasons. Several MAY be able to do what Fowler does, and a couple MAY surpass him. None of them has actually proven they can do what he can do now, however.

Zero reason to not just develop them properly.

 

[91Fedorov]

Wow, Pysyk and Lindstrom were released. I thought Pysyk was going to make it as a depth guy.

 

[Ducks DVM]

I think it was 6'1 RD Luneau who outplayed 5'9 LD/RD Zell. LD Minty was safe and LaCombe is our best defensive youth. Zell's spot on the NHL club would have to be on the right side b/c the team has Fowler, Minty, and Dumo kinda set at LD. LaCombe plays LD/RD as a left shot, but has been playing LD due to Fowler and Minty (due to injury) not playing in earlier pre-season games.

Here's how Minty, LaCombe, and Zell finished their season in the NHL for their last 22 or 23 games. All three played mostly in top-4 situations.

Ducks	Youth D	2023-24
Youth D-man	Game set	Games	G	A	Pts	PPG		+/-	Hits	Blocks	Comments
LaCombe	49 to 71	23	1	7	8	0.35		1	12	44	From Feb 19 to Apr 18
Minty	41 to 63	23	2	7	9	0.39		-9	29	22	from Feb 13 to Mar 30 (got injured)
Zell	5 to 26	22	2	6	8	0.36		-8	10	33	From Mar 1 to Apr 18 (called up at TDL)

Zell's offense is great, but it's his defense that needs much work. His +/- is actually worse because for some reason, there are a few times LaCombe comes off the ice early and Zell jumps in just as the team scores.

As for LaCombe staying at the PP1 QB, that might only be a pre-season thing. Fowler and Minty (due to recovering from injury) haven't played much of the early pre-season games.

Fowler didn’t play with the kids (the skill)PP last year. He got the slightly higher time because it was the PP of misfit toys that actually produced.

 

[ADHB]

Hopefully we see a little more dynamic play out of Mintyukov this season. He showed a little of it at the beginning last year, but it seemed to fade away. Whether it was fatigue or he was being told to play safe, who knows... but after what he showed in juniors, we need him to be more like that guy.

 

[Deuce22]

LaCombe was miscast last year and wasn’t able to show his offensive skill. Mintyukov has the highest ceiling as he pairs elite skill with size and snarl. Luneau is an offensive D with size. His skating has improved. Zellweger is dynamic, if they can find the right partner for him it could be beautiful. Since LaCombe is 3 years older, his game is calmer. In my dreams, Solberg and Moore bring it all together. Something to look forward to.

 

[Rybread86]

Hopefully we see a little more dynamic play out of Mintyukov this season. He showed a little of it at the beginning last year, but it seemed to fade away. Whether it was fatigue or he was being told to play safe, who knows... but after what he showed in juniors, we need him to be more like that guy.

I think it was fatigue and mental. He wasn't the same after coming back from injury

 

[Rybread86]

LaCombe was miscast last year and wasn’t able to show his offensive skill. Mintyukov has the highest ceiling as he pairs elite skill with size and snarl. Luneau is an offensive D with size. His skating has improved. Zellweger is dynamic, if they can find the right partner for him it could be beautiful. Since LaCombe is 3 years older, his game is calmer. In my dreams, Solberg and Moore bring it all together. Something to look forward to.

For me, Luneaus skating looked excellent last game. There were a few times where his movement just looked top notch.

I'm interested to see what Lacombe can turn into. Right now out of the young guys I'd say he's ranked 4th in offensive ability, but if he was forced to play a different game then who knows.

 

[gunnergunther]

Am I missing something? Didn’t Gaucher only play 1 game.

 

[ScarTroy]

Am I missing something? Didn’t Gaucher only play 1 game.

Yeah he was injured for most of camp, and I believe Gulls start their preseason tomorrow so he’s gotta go back down to get going with them.

 

[duckpuck]

Contenders dont generally have cap space to play with.... so 6.5 for 2 years is kinda a lot for a contender to try and take on.

Add that to his NTC, and LHD not exactly being the hardest position to fill.... i imagine the value we get on fowler wont be very great.

Personally im hoping for a 1st + 2nd value, but i doubt he gets that much.

$6.5M at the deadline is not a lot, particularly if the ducks take salary back. And under the right circumstances, the ducks could retain since there's so little term left.

There will be injuries - hopefully not to Fowler, There will be a contending team that needs him at some point this year and is willing to pay.

Honestly, the NTC is a non-issue if, as reported, Cam wants to play for a contending team. If so, then he's either going to waive or not get moved.

I think time is on the side of the ducks. They have no need to trade him and I don't see Fowler's value going down (barring a serious injury). The guys Fowler is blocking will benefit from more seasoning.

 

[tomd]

$6.5M at the deadline is not a lot, particularly if the ducks take salary back. And under the right circumstances, the ducks could retain since there's so little term left.

There will be injuries - hopefully not to Fowler, There will be a contending team that needs him at some point this year and is willing to pay.

Honestly, the NTC is a non-issue if, as reported, Cam wants to play for a contending team. If so, then he's either going to waive or not get moved.

I think time is on the side of the ducks. They have no need to trade him and I don't see Fowler's value going down (barring a serious injury). The guys Fowler is blocking will benefit from more seasoning.

His contract runs through 25-26.

 

[JAHV]

Agreed, no point in sitting a kid in the press box every night. I wouldn't mind rotating them through San Diego. If one of the kids struggles for a 4 or 5 game stretch, send them to San Diego and bring up the one that's down there. Make it a point to tell them it's not punishment, it's to work on their game more and tell them what they should focus on down there. If Zellweger gets sent down and starts putting up numbers and Luneau struggles, swap them.

I hear what you're saying as far as accountability, but that would be really rough on a kid to be on a shuttle back and forth from the AHL. Consistent linemates and coaching and environment are good for development; constant change and disruption are not.

Unless there's an injury that forces their hand, I would want to see a player get at least 15 games in one place or the other before being moved.

 

[duckpuck]

His contract runs through 25-26.

Yes - I posted that exact fact in my preceding post.

The issue today is that contending teams are capped. So you need to wait for the deadline or a LTIR injury to make a trade. That is for 2024-25.

Once the current season 2024-25 ends, the cap goes up, so cap constraints are generally not an issue. And the hypothetical team that traded for him at the 2024-25 deadline would then have a one year contract in 2025-26 at $6.5M. That's a great contract for a top 4 d man.

 

[caliamad]

If Zelwegger's play doesn't earn him a starting top 6 spot, then I hope we send him down. I'd rather him play 25 minutes / night in all situations in the AHL than 10 minutes in a sheltered role in NHL.

I'm also suprised we didn't keep one of Lindstrom and Pysyk, they would have been good insurance. We were decimated by injuries last year, sign them, explain they will bounce between AHL/NHL/etc.

I hope we can move McGinn to get someone up but I understand, he is probably a hard contract to move, but maybe it's for the best and let the young forwards get good playtime in AHL make them hungry for a top 9 role in case of injury rather getting under 10 minutes a game on 4th line.

I personally am high on Lacombe. I think he could a Josh Manson type defenseman. Pairing him with Gudas should give us a strong defensive pairing. I don't get PP1 QB, but i haven't watched enough preseason. I could see PP2 QB, but was hoping Minty/Carlson/Zegras would be commanding those roles.

I'm also really high on Luneau. I think pairing him with Fowler is beautiful. He has some size, unlike zelwegger, will play his natural side. He will see massive growing pains, but I think Fowler is the perfect partner for him.

Minty and Dumo is also very strong too. I wish Dumo was a RHD, but he will do all the things that Minty doesn't so that Minty can do the things we want him to do.

The one area I'm deeply deeply concerned about is centers and faceoffs. we are gonna destroyed there this year and chase the puck every shift. Our possession numbers will be terrible until the kids get better and we get legitimate Ace. As far as I can tell, we don't have anyone above 50% and a couple way below it.

 

[TheStuntman]

Roster isn't strong enough to compete, unless the kids take a massive leap forward this year which is highly unlikely. The potential is there, especially in the forward group. Really concerned about Zegras, seems like he's afraid to try anything anymore creatively/risky for fear of getting benched, but his vision and stick handling are still there.

Would like to see improvement versus last season, which would mean that the kids are improving. Ducks had 59 points last season, would like to see pushing 70.