2024-25
Record: 35-37-10, 6th in Pacific Division
Playoffs: Missed Stanley Cup Playoffs
Key Losses
Trevor Zegras (C – Traded to PHI), John Gibson (G – Traded to DET), Isac Lundestron (C – Signed with CLB), and Greg Cronin (Coach – Fired)
Key Additions
Mikael Granlund (C – Signed via FA), Chris Kreider (LW – Trade with NYR), Ryan Poehling (C – Trade with PHI), Petr Mrázek (G – Trade with DET), and Joel Quenneville (Coach – Hired)
2025-26 Preview
A New Voice, But With Scrutiny
On May 8th, 2025, Joel Quenneville was hired to replace Greg Cronin, who was fired on April 19th, 2025 after going 62-87-15 during his two seasons behind the bench for the Ducks. However, for the 66-year-old Quenneville, who won three Stanley Cups with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010, 2103, and 2015, he comes with scrutiny over the fact that he was named in the independent investigation into the Blackhawks over allegations by former player Kyle Beach of sexual assault by then video coach Brad Aldrich in 2010.
“Over nearly four years, I’ve taken time to reflect, listen to experts and advocates and educate myself on realities of abuse, trauma and how to be a better leader,” Quenneville said during his introductory press conference with the Ducks . “I hope others can learn from my inaction. I’ve spoken to Kyle more than once, including this morning. I’ve apologized to him and express how much I regret not following up and taking action.”
“I am so excited to be back in the NHL, and the Ducks are the team I wanted to restart my career with. Great ownership, great management, one of the most exciting young cores in the NHL,” Quenneville said. “We have current players that are veteran, young and even more that will play in the NHL in the near future.
“I am humbled and deeply grateful for the opportunity to return to the game I love and I can’t wait to get started.”
While the scrutiny on Quenneville is justified, one has to see how things truly unfold in Anaheim under his watch. Will the Ducks and Quenneville showcase the work Quenneville is doing behind the scenes to show that he has learned from his mistakes, and has truly grown as an individual and as a leader? Only time will tell.
“Over the last two weeks, we conducted interviews with many outstanding coaching candidates, while simultaneously conducting a comprehensive review of what took place while Joel was head coach of the Blackhawks in 2010. We spoke with dozens of individuals, including advocates for positive change in hockey and leadership of the NHL, which last July officially cleared Joel to seek employment in the league,” Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said. “Our findings are consistent with Joel’s account that he was not fully aware of the severity of what transpired in 2010. It is clear that Joel deeply regrets not following up with more questions at the time, has demonstrated meaningful personal growth and accountability, and has earned the opportunity to return to coaching.”
“Going through this process, this meticulous process that we talked about, I feel comfortable with what we were able to find out,” Verbeek said. “And what we discovered gave our entire organization the comfort that we needed to move forward and take this team, as far as winning and becoming a winning organization, to the next level.”
Big Changes with High Expectations
On June 12th, 2025, the Ducks began their offseason roster changes with the acquisition of left winger Chris Kreider from the New York Rangers. The 6-3, 230-pound forward has scored 326 goals and 256 assists for 582 points with a +121 rating and 575 penalty minutes (PIM) in 883 career NHL games with the Rangers across 13 seasons from 2012-2025. Kreider has scored 30 or more goals in three of the last four seasons while he has netted 20 or more goals in a season 10 times.
“Chris Kreider is the type of player we were looking to add this offseason,” said Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek. “He has size, speed and is a clutch performer that elevates his game in big moments. Chris also upgrades both of our special teams units, something we really needed to address.”
After trading for Kreider, Verbeek made another move as the Ducks traded center Trevor Zegras to the Philadelphia Flyers for center Ryan Poehling and a pair of draft picks.
“I want to thank Trevor for his contributions and efforts over the last six years,” said Verbeek. “While this was a difficult trade to make, we have and will continue to look at retooling our roster over the next couple of months, and this transaction is part of that process. We wish Trevor the best of luck with the Flyers.”
“Well, Ryan’s 6-2, 215 pounds. He has really good speed,” Verbeek said about Poehling. “And as I had mentioned before, some of the special teams, Ryan is the number one guy that goes over for the Flyers on a penalty kill, and we’re looking to improve in that area. So he certainly is going to add speed and he’s going to add penalty killing ability for our roster. And so I’m trying to shore up certain aspects of our special teams with players that can do a good job there.”
During the NHL Draft, the Ducks traded longtime netminder John Gibson to the Detroit Red Wings for goaltender Petr Mrázek and a pair of draft picks.
“We want to thank John for his time with our organization and being an integral part of the Ducks for more than a decade,” said Verbeek. “It became clear John wanted a new opportunity, and after many discussions with him we felt now was the right time to make this move. John and his family became a major part of the community and their dedication to Orange County will leave a lasting impact. We wish John and his family all the best in their next chapter.”
Mrázek has recorded 180 wins, 176 losses, and 40 overtime losses with 26 shutouts, a 2.85 goals-against average (GAA) and .906 save percentage (SV%) in 428 career NHL games (397 starts) with Detroit (2012-18 & 2024-25), the Chicago Blackhawks (2022-25), Toronto Maple Leafs (2021-22), Carolina Hurricanes (2018-21) and Philadelphia (2017-18).
“Well, I mean we’re certainly going to be counting on him [Mrázek] for at least 30 starts,” Verbeek said of the role he expects Mrázek to play. “And so I think the cool thing is Lukas [Dostal] and Petr [Mrázek], they were teammates at the World Championships. They’re very familiar with one another. They’re good friends and I think Petr’s very competitive, and so having that relationship, I feel that they’re going to push each other real hard to be the best and I think it’ll be a good tandem.”
Then on July 1st, 2025, on the first day of NHL Free Agency, the Ducks signed forward Mikael Granlund to a three-year contract.
Granlund has recorded 179 goals and 431 assists for 610 points with 277 penalty minutes (PIM) in 902 career games with the Dallas Stars (2025), San Jose Sharks (2023-25), Pittsburgh Penguins (2023), Nashville Predators (2019-23) and Minnesota Wild (2012-19). He has also tallied 16 goals and 26 assists for 42 points in 77 career Stanley Cup Playoff contests.
“He’s what I consider a hard worker,” Verbeek said. “He goes to the hard areas, something that we needed more of. Not afraid to be a net-front presence guy. He’s a guy that hangs onto pucks in the corners for more puck possessions, so he’s a very smart hockey player.”
With the additions of Kreider, Poehling, and Granlund, the Ducks look to add more depth, increase offensive output, and bring improvement to their special teams. With expectations from ownership to make the playoffs this upcoming season, this could be a make or break season for Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek.
Projected Lineup
Offense
Chris Kreider — Leo Carlsson — Troy Terry
Cutter Gauthier — Mason McTavish — Frank Vatrano
Alex Killorn — Mikael Granlund — Ryan Strome
Jansen Harkins — Ryan Poehling — Ross Johnston
Defense
Jackson LaCombe — Radko Gudas
Pavel Mintyukov — Jacob Trouba
Olen Zellweger — Drew Helleson
Goalies
Lukas Dostal
Petr Mrázek
Resources
- Van Diest, Derek. Quenneville hired as Ducks coach, replaces Cronin, May 10, 2025. https://www.nhl.com/news/joel-quenneville-hired-as-anaheim-ducks-coach.
- Ducks, PR. Ducks Name Quenneville Head Coach, May 8, 2025. https://www.nhl.com/ducks/news/ducks-name-quenneville-head-coach.
- Ducks, PR. Ducks Acquire Kreider, 2025 Fourth-Round Pick from Rangers, June 12, 2025. https://www.nhl.com/ducks/news/ducks-acquire-kreider-2025-4th-round-pick-from-rangers.
- Ducks, PR. Ducks Acquire Poehling, Second-Round and Fourth-Round Picks from Philadelphia for Zegras, June 23, 2025. https://www.nhl.com/ducks/news/ducks-acquire-poehling-second-round-and-fourth-round-picks-from-philadelphia-for-zegras.
- Ducks, PR. Ducks GM Pat Verbeek Discusses the Trade and What’s Ahead for Anaheim, June 23, 2025. https://www.nhl.com/ducks/news/ducks-gm-pat-verbeek-discusses-the-trade.
- Ducks, PR. Ducks GM Pat Verbeek Discusses the Trade and What’s Ahead for Anaheim, June 23, 2025. https://www.nhl.com/ducks/news/ducks-gm-pat-verbeek-discusses-the-trade.
- Ducks, PR. Ducks GM Verbeek Comments on the Gibson Trade, June 28, 2025. https://www.nhl.com/ducks/news/ducks-gm-verbeek-comments-on-the-gibson-trade.
- NHL, NHL.com. Granlund signs 3-year contract with Ducks, July 1, 2025. https://www.nhl.com/news/mikael-granlund-signs-three-year-contract-with-anaheim-ducks.
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