The Anaheim Ducks are ready to finally take the ice after a messy summer. Anaheim had all the optimism in the world entering the 2026-27 offseason. The Ducks returned to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2026. More than this, they came within two games of the Western Conference Finals.
This summer should have been about adding to this young roster. Bringing in established talent that could help cement the Ducks as a Stanley Cup contender in the West. Instead, the summer was chaotic, and threw a massive wrench in the team's future plans.
The Ducks were hit with the Leo Carlsson offer sheet shortly after July 1. Anaheim had seven days to consider whether it wanted to make Carlsson the league's highest-paid player at the time. In the end, they matched the $90 million offer sheet from the Philadelphia Flyers.
This put an incredible strain on the team's salary cap. It also forced the team to overpay to retain defenseman Pavel Mintyukov, who was also under threat of receiving an offer sheet. More recently, the team terminated the contract of Chris Kreider.
The Ducks can finally put this all behind them when the season begins later this month. However, their messy offseason begged some very important questions.
How will Leo Carlsson perform with new contract?
Leo Carlsson is a very promising player with a bright future in this league. Before suffering an injury, the Ducks star was a candidate for the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP. In time, he could very well be worth the $18 million.
However, it's certainly fair to question whether he is currently worth the money. Carlsson's potential is there, but it's currently unrealized at this time. He is not a finished product by any means.
Of course, the Ducks had no true choice here. They needed to keep Carlsson at any cost. Especially after essentially signaling to teams that they would match any offer sheet that came their way.
Can Carlsson live up to this contract? Can he become that elite, franchise sort of player that Anaheim expects? The 2026-27 season will provide the first indication of whether this comes to pass.
Article Continues BelowCan Ducks overcome major losses on defense?
Anaheim's inability to sign Carlsson before NHL free agency caused issues elsewhere on the roster. This was mainly felt on defense. Jacob Trouba departed the Ducks in free agency. Captain Radko Gudas was traded to the Florida Panthers this summer. John Carlson and Olen Zellweger were also traded in separate moves.
Anaheim was unable to truly do a lot to replace those players. They signed veteran Nick Jensen this summer to provide more experience. Outside of that, the Ducks are turning to more inexperienced internal options to fill their roster holes.
It's hard for teams to replace one or two defensemen. Losing two-thirds of your starting defense in one summer could prove impossible to overcome. The Ducks will certainly try to do so this coming season.
Who will step up to replace Chris Kreider?
Chris Kreider is not a big superstar player by any means. However, the veteran winger proved he can still provide value, even at this stage of his career. Kreider scored 22 goals and 50 points for the Ducks to help them make the playoffs in 2026.
As previously mentioned, he is no longer on the team. His contract was terminated recently. He went on to sign a one-year contract with the Montreal Canadiens after a brief stint in NHL free agency.
The Ducks will need to find a way to replace his 22 goals and 50 points. That won't be easy, especially given the team's limited salary cap flexibility. It will be intriguing to see if this team can replace that offensive production from within.