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Pacific Division 2024-25 Off-Season Preview: The Anaheim Ducks look to end their six year post-season drought
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Photo credit: © Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Ryley Delaney
Aug 17, 2024, 14:00 EDTUpdated: Aug 16, 2024, 22:17 EDT
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The rebuilding Anaheim Ducks will look to turn the corner in 2024-25.
From the 2002-03 season until the 2017-18 season, the Ducks failed to make the post-season just three times. Unfortunately for them, they’ve failed to make the post-season in six straight seasons now, as their record of 27-50-5 last season gave them 59 points, third-worst in the National Hockey League.
Just like the San Jose Sharks, who we looked at in the last article of the series, the Ducks had a high pick in the 2024 draft.

Drafted players

With the third-overall pick, the Anaheim Ducks selected right-winger Beckett Sennecke from the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League. Last season, the 18-year-old scored 27 goals and 68 points in 63 games, along with 10 goals and 22 points in 16 postseason games. He helped the Generals make the OHL finals before suffering an injury.
The Ducks had an additional first-round pick, using it to select Stian Solberg from Vålerenga Ishockey in the EliteHockey Liganen in Norway. Solberg, a left-shot defenceman, was the second Norwegian-born player selected in the first round of the NHL draft. Michael Brandsegg-Nygård was the first Norwegian selected in the first round and he came eight picks prior.
In the second round, the Ducks selected Lucas Pettersson, a left-shot centre from Sweden. The third round saw the team select three players, Maxim Masse, Ethan Procyszyn, and Tarin Smith. All three players played in the Canadian Hockey League in 2023-24, with Masse playing for Chicoutimi Sagueneens in the Quebec Maritimes Major Junior Hockey League, Procyszyn for North Bay in the OHL, and Smith for the Everett Silvertips in the Western Hockey League.
The Ducks selected Alexandre Blais from the Rimouski Oceanic in the fourth round, and selected Austin Burnevik in the sixth round. Their last pick of the 2024 draft saw them select Darels Uljanskis, who won’t turn 18 until Aug. 25.

Free agent signings

Last off-season, the Ducks made two sizable signings, agreeing to terms with Radko Gudas and Alexander Killorn. However, no notable free agent signed with the Ducks during this off-season.
Jansen Harkins signed a two-year worth $1.575 million on the second day of free agency, while Carson Meyer agreed to a one-year, two-way deal. Those were the only two players the Ducks brought in through free agency, but they were able to re-sign Isac Lundeström, Urho Vaakanainen, Brett Leason, Pavol Regenda, Jackson LaCombe, and Nikita Nesterenko.
Moreover, the Ducks signed their two 2024 first-round picks, Beckett Sennecke and Stian Solberg to their three-year entry-level deals.

Departures

The most notable departure from the Ducks was Jakob Silfverberg. Acquired from the Ottawa Senators for Bobby Ryan, Silfverberg played 11 season with the Ducks, scoring 158 goals and 354 points in 772 games. He agreed to a two-year deal with the Swedish Hockey League team Brynäs IF towards the end of the season.
Other departures from the team include Andrew Agozzino, Trevor Carrick, Glenn Gawdin, Bo Groulx, Max Jones, William Lagesson, Ben Meyers, and Colin White. Moreover, Chase De Leo, Robert Hagg, Gustav Lindstrom, Blake McLaughlin, Alex Stalock, and Brayden Tracey all remain as unsigned unrestricted free agents.

Trades

The Ducks didn’t sign a whole lot of players, but they did make a handful of notable trades. On the first day of the 2024 draft, they moved the 31st-overall pick acquired from the Oilers, as well as the 58th-overall pick, for the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 23rd-overall pick. On top of that, they made another small trade, trading down from the 164th-overall pick to land the 182nd-overall pick and the 214th-overall pick.
Moving to player trades, the Ducks acquired Brian Dumoulin from the Seattle Kraken for a 2026 fourth-round pick, taking on the entirety of his $3.15 million salary. A day later, they acquired Robby Fabbri and a conditional 2025 fourth-round pick from the Detroit Red Wings for Gage Alexander.
Fabbri was also a cap dump, but managed to score 18 goals and 32 points, matching a career-high in the former category. The 28-year-old won a Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues in 2019 and is usually good for double-digit goals when healthy.
Thanks for reading! You can follow me on Twitter @Ryley_L_D.

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