Confirmed with Link: [ANA/BUF] Ilya Lyubushkin for 2025 4th round pick

[goonsaredumb]

It's crazy that after all the players Verbeek has added this offseason who are the definition of physical HOCKEY players and prospects like Jaxsen Wiebe who are just straight-up goons, certain people are still going on about him wanting the team to be soft etc. etc. it's almost like it was all bad faith bullshit from the start.

Lyubushkin is another soft Verbeek gentle giant just ignore the clip of him going toe to toe with one of the league's supposed "tough guys" Zach MacEwen and looking just fine, just because he hasn't had to fight often doesn't mean he can't or won't fight if needed to.

The obsession with a player's ability to fight has to be some sort of brain worm

 

[robbieboy3686]

It's crazy that after all the players Verbeek has added this offseason who are the definition of physical HOCKEY players and prospects like Jaxsen Wiebe who are just straight-up goons, certain people are still going on about him wanting the team to be soft etc. etc. it's almost like it was all bad faith bullshit from the start.

Lyubushkin is another soft Verbeek gentle giant just ignore the clip of him going toe to toe with one of the league's supposed "tough guys" Zach MacEwen and looking just fine, just because he hasn't had to fight often doesn't mean he can't or won't fight if needed to.

The obsession with a player's ability to fight has to be some sort of brain worm

Well said

 

[Lord Flashheart]

We're targeting playoffs. According to the coach.

When was this said?

 

[ohcomeonref]

It's crazy that after all the players Verbeek has added this offseason who are the definition of physical HOCKEY players and prospects like Jaxsen Wiebe who are just straight-up goons, certain people are still going on about him wanting the team to be soft etc. etc. it's almost like it was all bad faith bullshit from the start.

Lyubushkin is another soft Verbeek gentle giant just ignore the clip of him going toe to toe with one of the league's supposed "tough guys" Zach MacEwen and looking just fine, just because he hasn't had to fight often doesn't mean he can't or won't fight if needed to.

The obsession with a player's ability to fight has to be some sort of brain worm

That's the thing: there are more ways to be physical than just fighting. That being said, our team definitely has more guys on it that won't let somebody get "Terry'd" while they're on the ice even if we don't have a dedicated face puncher.

When was this said?

I saw this too in an interview I believe it was on the NHL website. I'd have to dig to find it.

 

[Dirk316]

That's the thing: there are more ways to be physical than just fighting. That being said, our team definitely has more guys on it that won't let somebody get "Terry'd" while they're on the ice even if we don't have a dedicated face puncher.



I saw this too in an interview I believe it was on the NHL website. I'd have to dig to find it.

Thats the point who other than Carrick who's a small middleweight is even capable of defending a teammate? Somehow the team has downgraded in that already low department this season.

 

[Lord Flashheart]

I saw this too in an interview I believe it was on the NHL website. I'd have to dig to find it.

Well Verbeek did say they want to make a bigger step, however I believe it's only a PR talk.

 

[Dirk316]

He will have 1 or 2 fights this season for the ducks. I’m calling it now.

The only times he's fought he was forced by an opposing player. Definitely not a Manson, Dillon etc

 

[MMC]

And the captain of anti fighting. You've been yearning for this for years. Obsessing over Torontos garbage roster. Guess what now they are one of the toughest teams in hockey. But unlike Anaheim they actually made the playoffs. It's unreal how many "fans" love this garbage

Haha, no, this is definitely not me.

 

[ohcomeonref]

Well Verbeek did say they want to make a bigger step, however I believe it's only a PR talk.

I'm borderline positive I saw a Cronin interview where he mentioned making the playoffs as the goal but I can't seem to find it now :/

 

[MMC]

I'm borderline positive I saw a Cronin interview where he mentioned making the playoffs as the goal but I can't seem to find it now :/

Just standard GM/coach speak, they would never get away with saying to the fanbase before a season that the goal was anything else

Inside look at Anaheim Ducks | NHL.com

New coach Cronin tasked with leading young Ducks back into playoff picture

www.nhl.com

"We're trying to make the playoffs," Cronin said. "We're not playing for consolation prizes. We're playing this year to make the playoffs. That's our goal. ... As we saw last season, Florida gets in the playoffs [on] the last day, and they go to the Final. So, our job is to make the playoffs."

 

[DavidBL]

Just standard GM/coach speak, they would never get away with saying to the fanbase before a season that the goal was anything else

Inside look at Anaheim Ducks | NHL.com

New coach Cronin tasked with leading young Ducks back into playoff picture

www.nhl.com

"We're trying to make the playoffs," Cronin said. "We're not playing for consolation prizes. We're playing this year to make the playoffs. That's our goal. ... As we saw last season, Florida gets in the playoffs [on] the last day, and they go to the Final. So, our job is to make the playoffs."

I disagree. I'm pretty sure they didn't day anything like that last year.

 

[MMC]

I disagree. I'm pretty sure they didn't day anything like that last year.

Can't remember Eakins doing interviews last offseason, if he was and they asked him about the goal for the season, there's no way he'd say it was anything other than playoffs

 

[70sSanO]

Last year they brought in Jim Mora to make a statement about the Ducks and the playoffs.

John

 

[Hockey Duckie]

So the D went from having a bunch of 6, 7, and 8’s , to now having a bunch of 4, 5 and 6’s. Baby steps.

What’s up with this Gummy Bear nickname? Saw it on here and Twitte….er um X.

I want to be optimistic, but I think we went from a bunch of 7, 8, and 9's to 5 and 7's. Gudas and Lyubushkin are bottom pairing D's on good teams. Still, they are a better balance for this team that was lacking PK'ing and physicality. That's more than baby steps with these vets. The fact they're both RD's will prevent Helleson or Hinds from prematurely playing up with the NHL club.

The baby steps are seeing what we have in Drysdale and LaCombe, while also paying close attn to San Diego. We're hoping Drysdale and LaCombe are middle 4's or better, but we truly don't know what we have in both. San Diego is going to be fun to watch with four defensive prospects down there in Helleson, Zellweger, Hinds, and Minty!

 

[Static]

2 career fights and described by Verbeek as a big physical tough to play against etc
He described Nesterenko and Mcginn the same way. He is an exact Verbeek type player like Leason

 

[ohcomeonref]

View attachment 737369

Man I love Farley.

 

[WhatTheDuck]

I want to be optimistic, but I think we went from a bunch of 7, 8, and 9's to 5 and 7's. Gudas and Lyubushkin are bottom pairing D's on good teams. Still, they are a better balance for this team that was lacking PK'ing and physicality. That's more than baby steps with these vets. The fact they're both RD's will prevent Helleson or Hinds from prematurely playing up with the NHL club.

The baby steps are seeing what we have in Drysdale and LaCombe, while also paying close attn to San Diego. We're hoping Drysdale and LaCombe are middle 4's or better, but we truly don't know what we have in both. San Diego is going to be fun to watch with four defensive prospects down there in Helleson, Zellweger, Hinds, and Minty!

It's definitely still a building/transitional year, and probably best to temper expectations. But I think the moves being made, are the right kind of stop gaps we needed to get a bit closer to respectability. We can be a rebuilding team but still surround the kids with some quality vets.

And who knows, we do in theory have the right formula for a surprise season (goaltending+youthful talent+ battle tested veteran grit). It shouldn't be expected but it's not as silly of an idea with this roster compared to last year's.

 

[Hockey Duckie]

It's definitely still a building/transitional year, and probably best to temper expectations. But I think the moves being made, are the right kind of stop gaps we needed to get a bit closer to respectability. We can be a rebuilding team but still surround the kids with some quality vets.

And who knows, we do in theory have the right formula for a surprise season (goaltending+youthful talent+ battle tested veteran grit). It shouldn't be expected but it's not as silly of an idea with this roster compared to last year's.

I worried about the layering between vets, youths, and rookies, but I think PV's has the vets in place so our youths and prospects won't be flailing by the wayside.

• Forwards
  • Vets:
    • LW/RW Killorn (signed through 2026-27)
    • C/RW Strome (signed through 2026-27)
    • LW Vatrano (signed through 2024-25)
  • Youths:
    • RW Terry (signed through 2029-30)
    • C Zegras (waiting to be signed: bridge/long term)
    • C McTavish (ELC through 2024-25)
  • Rookies:
    • C Groulx
    • C Carlsson (ELC)

• Defense
  • Vets:
    • LD Fowler (signed through 2025-26)
    • RD Gudas (signed through 2025-26)
  • Youths:
    • RD Drysdale (waiting to be signed: bridge probably)
  • Rookies:
    • LD/RD LaCombe

I don't think we have the correct formula to surprise the league due to the roster turnover on defense. There are four new defensemen on the team, technically. It may take some time to develop chemistry as well as understanding best fits between Drysdale returning from a season ending injury, rookie LaCombe, along with newcomers Gudas and Lyubushkin

Our top-6 looks to be very promising and our goaltenders are amazing!

• How can we surprise the league?
  • Vastly improved PK
    We've added RD Gudas, RD Lyubuskin, F Killorn, and C Groulx
  • Vastly improved PP
    We've added LD Lacombe and RD Drysdale
  • Win puck battles on the Defensive Zone
    We've add more physicality with Gudas, Lyubuskin, and Killorn, but also the speed of Drysdale as well as LaCombe will help in securing the pucks
  • Replacing Lundy's defense
    Either Strome balls out defensively or Carlsson centers an energy line
  • Youth d-men are top-4 quality
    This is where Drysdale and LaCombe make a significant impact
  • McTavish dominates as a 1C

My fear with the PK unit is we don't have any strong LD's at the moment. I know rookie LaCombe plays all three facets of the game, but I'm not sure how much trust LaCombe can generate in a short amount of time to play on the PK. Then there's also, "Who's gonna replace Lundy?"

My fear with the PP is we have the same PP coach in Brown.

We went from rags to riches at the start of the 2021-22 season after finishing with the second worst record in 2020-21. This shows it's possible to do it, but that team was more talented on the backend. The team didn't have enough talent depth when injuries surfaced during the middle of the season and no GM to add talent in that time.

 

[ohcomeonref]

I worried about the layering between vets, youths, and rookies, but I think PV's has the vets in place so our youths and prospects won't be flailing by the wayside.

• Forwards
  • Vets:
    • LW/RW Killorn (signed through 2026-27)
    • C/RW Strome (signed through 2026-27)
    • LW Vatrano (signed through 2024-25)
  • Youths:
    • RW Terry (signed through 2029-30)
    • C Zegras (waiting to be signed: bridge/long term)
    • C McTavish (ELC through 2024-25)
  • Rookies:
    • C Groulx
    • C Carlsson (ELC)

• Defense
  • Vets:
    • LD Fowler (signed through 2025-26)
    • RD Gudas (signed through 2025-26)
  • Youths:
    • RD Drysdale (waiting to be signed: bridge probably)
  • Rookies:
    • LD/RD LaCombe

I don't think we have the correct formula to surprise the league due to the roster turnover on defense. There are four new defensemen on the team, technically. It may take some time to develop chemistry as well as understanding best fits between Drysdale returning from a season ending injury, rookie LaCombe, along with newcomers Gudas and Lyubushkin

Our top-6 looks to be very promising and our goaltenders are amazing!

• How can we surprise the league?
  • Vastly improved PK
    We've added RD Gudas, RD Lyubuskin, F Killorn, and C Groulx
  • Vastly improved PP
    We've added LD Lacombe and RD Drysdale
  • Win puck battles on the Defensive Zone
    We've add more physicality with Gudas, Lyubuskin, and Killorn, but also the speed of Drysdale as well as LaCombe will help in securing the pucks
  • Replacing Lundy's defense
    Either Strome balls out defensively or Carlsson centers an energy line
  • Youth d-men are top-4 quality
    This is where Drysdale and LaCombe make a significant impact
  • McTavish dominates as a 1C

My fear with the PK unit is we don't have any strong LD's at the moment. I know rookie LaCombe plays all three facets of the game, but I'm not sure how much trust LaCombe can generate in a short amount of time to play on the PK. Then there's also, "Who's gonna replace Lundy?"

My fear with the PP is we have the same PP coach in Brown.

We went from rags to riches at the start of the 2021-22 season after finishing with the second worst record in 2020-21. This shows it's possible to do it, but that team was more talented on the backend. The team didn't have enough talent depth when injuries surfaced during the middle of the season and no GM to add talent in that time.

How we don't have a new PP coach is the biggest head scratcher for me. Hopefully he proves me wrong this year.

 

[Lord Flashheart]

So the D went from having a bunch of 6, 7, and 8’s , to now having a bunch of 4, 5 and 6’s. Baby steps.

What’s up with this Gummy Bear nickname? Saw it on here and Twitte….er um X.

True, and it's the right path. We were never going to go from Fowel + AHL fodder to legitimate first two pairings, these will have to come through the system, unless we get mad luck again and 2 HOF defenseman fall in our lap.

 

[DuckDuckGetz]

How we don't have a new PP coach is the biggest head scratcher for me. Hopefully he proves me wrong this year.

The only acceptable explanation of it (for me) would be if Eakins was significantly involved in the PP last year. Otherwise it is totally baffling, I agree.

 

[DavidBL]

The only acceptable explanation of it (for me) would be if Eakins was significantly involved in the PP last year. Otherwise it is totally baffling, I agree.

Did they announce all the new Assistsnt coaches already? I hadn't realized they finalized Cronins staff.

 

[Hockey Duckie]

Did they announce all the new Assistsnt coaches already? I hadn't realized they finalized Cronins staff.

The official website hasn't updated it's coaching staff index. I hunted down sources that announce the new coaching staff for Cronin.


Thompson, new PK and Def coach
There's only been one official reporting on the Ducks site in Brent Thompson as an assistant coach. Thompson was NYI's AHL head coach for the past 9 years.

Ducks Name Brent Thompson Assistant Coach | Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks today announced they have named Brent Thompson assistant coach.

www.nhl.com

Rook, new asst goalie coach
The OC register (Dillman) has us hiring an assistant goalie coach in David Rook because our current goalie coach, Sudarshan "Suds" Maharaj, is battling cancer and undergoing chemotherapy.

Ducks hire assistant coaches Brent Thompson, David Rook

Thompson will run the defense corps while Rook will serve as an assistant goaltending coach under new head coach Greg Cronin.

www.ocregister.com

Brown and Johnson, retained as asst coaches
The Athletic (Stephens) confirmed with Verbeek that Newell Brown and Craig Johnson are returning as asst coaches, but Stothers has been reassigned to the role of special advisor to coaching mentorship. Stothers is also battling cancer like Suds. Stothers is the PK and defensive coach and newly hired Thompson is known for defensive coach.

You need to scroll to the bottom of the article.

The Anaheim Ducks at the NHL Draft — what might happen this week?

All eyes will be on the Ducks as they decide which prospect to draft with the No. 2 pick after Connor Bedard.

theathletic.com

 

[All Mighty]

Curious if they let Gaucher pick a new number or just give him another random rookie number.

 

[WhatTheDuck]

Curious if they let Gaucher pick a new number or just give him another random rookie number.

Just don't give him 47