Post-Mortem: Anaheim Ducks Have A Busy Off-Season Ahead

Anaheim Ducks fans had to deal with some rough years lately.

Their team missed the playoffs for seven straight seasons, and when they previously made the 2018 post-season, the rival San Jose Sharks swept them in the first round.

So not every team or fan base will be satisfied with a second-round loss, but the Ducks should be thrilled with how this year went.

Since being hired in 2022, GM Pat Verbeek has slowly but surely engineered a full rebuild that brought in dynamic young players and accomplished veterans. At long last, Anaheim took a major competitive step – not only by being a playoff team but by beating the heavily favored Edmonton Oilers in the first round.

Takeaways from the Ducks' 5-1 Loss to the Golden Knights, Vegas wins Series 4-2

A slow start to the game put Anaheim in an early hole, which they never recovered from against an experienced playoff team.

What's Next For The Ducks?

Amazingly, Verbeek still has a projected $40.5 million in salary cap space to potentially use this summer.

But a good deal of that cap space will be spent on the team's six RFAs, including Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier and Pavel Mintyukov. There are also six UFAs to deal with, including top defensemen John Carlson, Radko Gudas and Jacob Trouba.

Verbeek has a history of playing hardball with his RFAs. Just ask center Mason McTavish; he didn't sign his contract until Sept. 27 this season, and he accepted a deal that followed Verbeek's clear decision to cap any player's salary at $7 million. Only Trouba and Carlson had a salary higher than $7 million, and their contracts weren't signed by the Ducks.

So it'll be fascinating to see how big a pile of money Carlsson and Gauthier, in particular, are able to get out of Verbeek.

In any case, there's no reason Verbeek has to radically depart from his blueprint for success. Winning a Cup is a process, and Verbeek understands that progress isn't always linear. But with evolving high-end youngsters and experienced hands, including left winger Alex Killorn, right winger Troy Terry and center Mikael Granlund, the Ducks have a solid and exciting foundation to build upon.

The Ducks will only go as far as their young stars take them, but they made clear and impressive progress this season. Although their loss to the Golden Knights no doubt left a sour taste in the mouths of Anaheim's players, their new task is to build on this season, rise up the ranks of the Pacific and get beyond the second round at this time next year.

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This story was originally published May 15, 2026 at 1:41 PM.