Ducks Enter 2026-27 With Star Power Intact but a Thinner Roster

Anaheim made the playoffs for the first time since 2018 last spring, won a round, and proved the rebuild is real. Locking up Gauthier on a six-year, $81 million deal before camp was essential. But the defence lost four regulars, the cap forced the team to cut a 22-goal scorer for nothing, and the depth additions are modest at best.

Last season in review

The Ducks finished 43-33-6 and third in the Pacific, a genuine surprise. Cutter Gauthier led the team with 41 goals and 69 points. Leo Carlsson added 67 points and looks like a legitimate franchise centre. Beckett Sennecke chipped in 60 points in his first full season. The offence ranked 13th in the league at 3.23 goals per game, a massive leap after three seasons near the bottom.

Defence and goaltending were the drag. Anaheim allowed 288 goals, ranking 29th in goals against per game at 3.51. Lukas Dostal posted a .888 save percentage across a 30-20-4 record, workable but not good enough for a team leaking that many chances. The Ducks were outscored in the second round by Vegas, averaging just 2.17 goals per game in a six-game loss. The offence that carried them through the regular season went quiet when it mattered most.

Ins and outs

• In: A.J. Greer (acquired from Florida, signed four-year contract)
• In: Nick Jensen (signed two-year contract)
• In: Jeff Malott (signed three-year contract)
• In: Laurent Brossoit (signed one-year contract)
• In: Anton Wahlberg (acquired from Buffalo with a second-round pick for Olen Zellweger)
• In: Cutter Gauthier (signed six-year, $81 million extension, $13.5M AAV)
• In: Pavel Mintyukov (signed five-year contract)
• In: Leo Carlsson (matched five-year, $90 million offer sheet from Philadelphia)
• In: Mikael Granlund (named 10th captain in franchise history)
• In: Marcus Nordmark (signed three-year entry-level deal)
• Out: Mason McTavish (traded to St. Louis for picks Nos. 15 and 29 in 2026)
• Out: Jacob Trouba (signed with San Jose as a free agent)
• Out: John Carlson (traded to Carolina, then signed with Tampa Bay)
• Out: Radko Gudas (traded to Florida as part of the Greer deal)
• Out: Olen Zellweger (traded to Buffalo for Wahlberg and a pick)
• Out: Chris Kreider (contract terminated, signed by Montreal)
• Out: Jeffrey Viel (departed)

The big question

Can the defence hold together? Anaheim lost four NHL defencemen from a group that was already ranked 29th in goals against. Jackson LaCombe and Mintyukov will carry the load, but Tristan Luneau has played just one NHL game in three seasons, and the remaining candidates, Tyson Hinds, Ian Moore, and newcomers Jensen and Travis Mitchell, are depth pieces at best. If the blue line collapses, no amount of offence from Gauthier and Carlsson will keep Anaheim in the playoff picture.

X-factor

Tristan Luneau. The 22-year-old defenceman has flourished in the AHL and GM Pat Verbeek has said publicly he expects Luneau to make an impact because of his well-rounded game and ability to contribute on special teams. With the blue line this thin, Luneau does not just need to be good; he needs to be a regular. If he steps into that role and delivers, the defence becomes manageable. If he struggles, Anaheim has very little behind him.

Bold prediction

Anaheim sneaks back into the playoffs but exits in the first round, with the defence issues proving too significant to overcome a full 82 games without at least one major stumble.

The outlook

The Ducks have a legitimate top end with Gauthier, Carlsson, and Sennecke, a new captain in Granlund, and a coach in Joel Quenneville who has already shown he can develop this group. The opener comes Oct. 2 in Vegas, a tough early test. The ceiling is real. So is the floor, and a lot depends on whether a young, inexperienced defence corps grows up fast enough to protect it.