The breakthrough season that the Anaheim Ducks hoped for is now in the rear-view mirror. They’re now at a different phase. Making the playoffs now should be the expectation. The minimum.
But as they attempt to build on a thrilling return to the postseason, the Ducks are already faced with roster turnover that will impact the start of their 2026-27 season. Whether through intent or reaction, Anaheim general manager Pat Verbeek will be giving Joel Quenneville some different faces to work with for the coach’s second season.
The extent of the new faces remains unknown, but as we’re in draft week and with free agency approaching, it is worth looking at who will be on the Ducks when it’s time for training camp and who could be heading out the door.
The untouchables
Leo Carlsson
With 23 points in 26 games after recovering from thigh surgery, Carlsson responded well and then was a force in his first playoff series. Things were tougher for him against Vegas, but the 21-year-old is their franchise center, and he figures to land a second contract that could make him Anaheim’s highest paid player in franchise history.
Cutter Gauthier
Speaking of huge second contracts, Gauthier could have one coming his way as a fellow critical core player who is also set to be a restricted free agent. With 41 goals, Gauthier finished tied for 11th in the league with Detroit’s Alex DeBrincat. The 22-year-old is clearly their best goal scorer and could be for years to come. I’d say he’s off-limits at this stage.
Beckett Sennecke
The third-place finisher in the Calder Trophy voting has the total package — size, skill and scoring touch — and has showed that he isn’t shy about battling in the tough areas. And with Troy Terry out for possibly the first two months of next season, Sennecke could be greatly leaned on to produce. The 20-year-old has a ton of upside still to tap into on his rookie contract.
Not going anywhere
Lukáš Dostál
Last season was not Dostál’s best – and that should be a motivator for the goalie who turned 26 on Monday. He was a 30-game winner for the first time, but his save percentage dropped from .903 in 2024-25 to .888. Other metrics to measure goalie performance also took a dip and he struggled in the playoffs. But he’s the Ducks’ guy and is signed long-term.
Mikael Granlund
Injuries limited Granlund to 58 games in the regular season, but he gave the Ducks exactly what they were looking for as a versatile forward who provided secondary scoring. The 34-year-old being their second-line center for much of the year was a surprising development. He’ll be entering the second year of his three-year contract.
Alex Killorn
Killorn, 36, is moving into the final year of his contract. He has played all 82 games each of the past two years with Anaheim and in four out of the last five seasons overall. While the veteran winger has been a sound defensive forward with the Ducks, his offense has declined with each season. But he figures to remain a valued presence on and off the ice in 2026-27.
Chris Kreider
After a career spent with the New York Rangers, a re-energized Kreider started strongly with three multi-goal games and eight scores in his first nine contests. He didn’t finish well, with a 15-game goal drought and one goal in his final 18 games. He’ll be entering a contract year but keeping a top-six role will require him to be more consistent and not fall off.
Jackson LaCombe
With his big-money, eight-year extension set to kick in, LaCombe is a focal point as the team’s No. 1 defenseman. His star turn against Edmonton opened eyes to the possibilities of him being a big-minutes, two-way leader. If he takes another big step next season, LaCombe could move into untouchable territory as someone in the Norris Trophy mix.
Ryan Poehling
The Ducks wanted Poehling, 27, last summer in the Trevor Zegras trade because he brought elements to their forward group. Poehling’s importance as a speedy forechecker and penalty killer grew throughout the season. Not only did he play his way into the third-line center job, but he also got a four-year, $3.75 million AAV extension in the process.
Troy Terry
Terry, 28, is facing a recovery period of up to six months after surgery to fix the hip issues that he played through while posting his highest point-per-game average. Realistically, the 2026-27 season should be about building the winger up over the second half, with the hope that he’ll be fit enough to be a difference maker in any playoff run the Ducks have next spring.
Staying put, almost certainly
Drew Helleson
Helleson, 25, is signed for next season at a depth defenseman rate. His season was spent either on the third pairing or in the press box, though he did get in 60 games. Like many of his teammates, Helleson’s defensive numbers took a hit in the high-event atmosphere under Quenneville.
Ville Husso
The Ducks presumably have their backup goalie in Husso, whom they signed to a two-year contract. The 30-year-old made 19 starts and went 10-8-2, though his .885 save percentage and 3.25 goals-against average show that he was often the benefit of good goal support from an improved Anaheim offense.
Ian Moore
Over 67 games as a rookie, Moore played both his natural right defense position and up front on right wing. The Ducks are impressed with the 24-year-old’s hockey sense and ability to adapt between both positions, though his development would be enhanced if they committed to using him solely on the blue line.
Staying put for another look
Tyson Hinds
Hinds becoming a playoff option over Zellweger was a surprising twist, but Quenneville wanted more size for his back end in the playoffs, even though Hinds was an April recall after spending most of the year with AHL San Diego. The 23-year-old is an RFA coming off his entry-level contract but the Ducks figure to have no issue re-signing him after his solid NHL showing.
Nikita Nesterenko
Nesterenko, 24, is signed for 2026-27 so Anaheim will again have a winger who has been between the AHL and NHL for the last two seasons. He has mostly seen fourth-line duty whenever he has been with the Ducks. A personal highlight came last October, when he had four assists in Anaheim’s 7-5 road victory over Boston.
Tim Washe`
The Ducks managed to sign Washe as a coveted college free agent out of NCAA champion Western Michigan and worked the rookie into their regular mix as they moved into the postseason. Washe’s faceoff prowess (58 percent win rate) carried into the NHL after a midseason call-up. Is he an everyday 4C? We’ll see how the Ducks address the middle.
Staying put … we think
Pavel Mintyukov
At this point, Mintyukov might seem like a safe bet to return even though he is an impending RFA and he reportedly was open to a trade early last season. The 22-year-old played regularly after some early scratches and finished on the team’s second defense pair. But his name likely will come up in trade talk packages if the Ducks are looking to take a big swing.
Olen Zellweger
Like Mintyukov, Zellweger once was a touted defense prospect who hasn’t earned full trust from his coaches. (Or, in his case, the GM as well.) The 22-year-old also needs a new deal. Given that a team’s second-round pick is the only compensation for an offer sheet up to $4,775,666 AAV, could either receive one and force Anaheim to match or pass?
Jeffrey Viel
Because Viel is an impending UFA, I considered not having him in this section. It’s possible that he could test free agency. But considering that the Ducks invested a fourth-round pick in a January trade and then saw the 29-year-old flourish in an energy role and score two meaningful playoff goals, I’m leaning toward Anaheim finding a way to keep the agitator.
The toughest decisions
Jansen Harkins
Well, this decision doesn’t qualify as all that tough. Harkins, 29, is a quality, hard-working guy for an NHL organization that can fill in when the parent club needs him or be a strong presence for its AHL team. He was with Anaheim all last season and would covet another one-way contract. The Ducks could go either way on re-signing the checking forward.
Ross Johnston
Johnston, 32, reached the end of his contract after being a waiver claim by the Ducks in 2023. The on-ice cop role may reflect a bygone era in the NHL, but it can still have value for teams, particularly those with young high-end talent. He was an effective player this season and is a good influence on Sennecke, his locker room next-stall neighbor.
Mason McTavish
The Ducks have McTavish signed for the next five years but what puts him here is his constant presence in trade speculation following a wrong-turn season. And with center prospect Roger McQueen possibly a year of development away from breaking into the lineup, Anaheim must be taking a hard look at where McTavish fits in its grand picture.
Jacob Trouba
The rise in the salary cap has allowed teams to re-sign their core players. It is also allowing older UFAs who are still useful, such as Trouba, to consider what the market may bear. Trouba has been a strong partner for LaCombe but the 32-year-old blueliner is staring at one final meaty contract. Do the Ducks bite the bullet or invest elsewhere?
Difficult to see them return
Radko Gudas
While Gudas was emphatic in desiring a return to the Ducks as his three-year contract expires, the Ducks are likely not keen on retaining their captain because his presence could block a younger righty on their defense with more upside. At 36, Gudas battled injuries and his diminishing role showed a rugged player with great dressing room presence but also a player in decline.
Frank Vatrano
Things changed in a massive way for Vatrano after he signed his creative deferred-money contract extension in early 2025. The 32-year-old played for Quenneville in Florida, but this reunion couldn’t have gone any worse. Shoulder surgery wiped out the middle part of his season, but Vatrano’s role was being marginalized before that. He’s a fresh-start candidate.
Definitely not back
John Carlson
While he had sounded open to the prospect of re-signing in Anaheim, Carlson’s time with the Ducks seems likely to be short, after they acquired the point-producing defenseman at the trade deadline. “His preference is to return and play in the East, closer to family and the familiarity with it,” Carlson’s agent, Rick Curran, told The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun.
Petr Mrázek
A take-back veteran in last summer’s trade that sent John Gibson to Detroit, Mrázek struggled in his first Anaheim start (a 7-6 win over San Jose) and the 34-year-old only delivered two strong efforts out of the eight he made before hip surgery in February sidelined him for good. He’ll be moving on.
