The Anaheim Ducks are 9-9-2 since the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off break and have fallen entirely out of the Western Conference Playoff race, in which they had made a brief appearance early in March when they were within six points (as recent as March 5) of the second Wild Card spot. They played a handful of meaningful games, a significant improvement over the season’s past in that regard, but they came up short in nearly every game where they could have closed the gap.
The Ducks’ opening night roster featured nine players aged 23 and under, ready to assume larger roles than they had previously. However, aside from Jackson LaCombe and Lukas Dostal, the team’s youngest and most talented players stumbled out of the starting gate. The majority of them had either plateaued or seemingly taken a step back in their progression as they attempted to refine details in their games and/or carve out consistent roles for themselves.
The Ducks relative success for the first half of the season could be largely attributed to the play of their goaltending tandem, Lukas Dostal and John Gibson, as well as timely goalscoring from veterans like Ryan Strome, Frank Vatrano, and Troy Terry.
LaCombe (24) hit the ground running on the 2024-25 season, grabbing hold of spots on the Ducks’ power play and penalty kill while assuming shutdown responsibilities at 5v5 as well. He has emerged as a star blueliner in the NHL.
As the season's halfway mark passed and the 4 Nations tournament approached, roles for the important young stars on the Ducks roster became clear, and their production skyrocketed. For the last month and a half, the offensive keys had seemingly been handed over to Leo Carlsson, Mason McTavish, Trevor Zegras, and Cutter Gauthier.
“Leo, for us, has become, and he was last year, an attractive player when you watched (him),” Ducks head coach Greg Cronin said ahead of Tuesday’s game against the San Jose Sharks. “He’s taken on another level since the 4 Nations tournament. He’s got the size and length you can’t create.
“Mac-T has taken a humongous step this year. Both those guys (McTavish and Carlsson) are over a point-a-game guys for the last 20-plus games. Zegras has taken a huge step.”
Carlsson (20) has 24 points in his last 23 games, and the game is slowing down immensely for the sophomore superstar center. He’s always been able to read attackers well and strip them of possession, but he’s now translating that to the offensive side of the ice, displaying more selectivity with his decision-making and not attempting to take on up to four defenders at once.
McTavish (22) has 21 points in his last 19 games and has improved leaps and bounds on the defensive side of the puck. He’s one of the most tenacious players on the Ducks roster in board battles and has worked tirelessly to remain diligent in defensive zone coverage and not let opponents drift too far from his hip.
Zegras (24) ...