Just when you thought the Anaheim Ducks might be turning a corner under Greg Cronin…
Two weeks ago, the Ducks got a deserving win over the Edmonton Oilers and followed it with victories over the New Jersey Devils and Winnipeg Jets, two other teams that envision making runs at the Stanley Cup. The Ducks nearly took the Oilers to overtime in a road rematch but returned home to handle the Tampa Bay Lightning. Moreover, they were playing good defensive hockey and getting timely scoring to support season-long great goaltending.
An overtime loss to the Calgary Flames felt like a letdown, but it got them another point. It felt like the Ducks were gaining some real momentum under Cronin to take into the second half of the season. Instead, they started a pivotal road trip with a thud against the St. Louis Blues and followed it up with an embarrassing blowout loss to the equally mediocre Philadelphia Flyers.
Playing at Carolina on a back-to-back Sunday, the Ducks defeated another playoff-bound club. But the overtime win was more about being opportunistic as the Canes controlled play throughout. As it moves forward in the second half, Anaheim has 10 more points than at the same stage last season but hasn’t won more than three in a row and has an 18-20-5 record. Up next: Washington, Tampa Bay and Florida (twice).
The Ducks have showed some tangible improvement in record and team play under Cronin, but they’re still near the bottom offensively and continue to be dogged by a poor power play and substandard penalty-killing. They’re taking far fewer penalties but also have fewer individuals taking notable steps forward as difference-makers. Those resounding losses to start their current road trip don’t inspire confidence in Cronin taking the Ducks to a higher level.
This midseason report card is focused on the players, but we’re not ready to give Cronin or general manager Pat Verbeek, who made notable trades in adding Jacob Trouba and moved longtime defenseman Cam Fowler, passing marks considering the expectations are for the Ducks to play meaningful games down the stretch. Realistic or not, Verbeek has talked of competing for a playoff spot. They’re edging closer but remain far away.
A gentle reminder: Each player is different and the marks are based on what’s generally expected of him.
Forwards
Leo Carlsson: C-plus
It’s been a mixed bag for the center, who turned 20 on Dec. 26. He struggled badly in the faceoff circle early in the season but has improved a lot over the last two months. He’s been on the ice for only 10 goals against in five-on-five play but can also stand to shoot the puck more. Cronin also hasn’t done him many favors by often giving him wingers who aren’t natural scorers.
Sam Colangelo: Incomplete
Colangelo has earned a promotion by leading the AHL’s San Diego Gulls with 13 goals and 22 points in his 24 games. He’s been bumped up to a scoring line with Troy Terry out of the lineup, and while he scored his second NHL goal last week, he’s also been on the ice for four goals against at even strength.
Robby Fabbri: C-plus
Fabbri is in a contract year, and a slow start to his first Ducks season wasn’t ideal, but eventual knee surgery may have played a role in that. The veteran winger did have a strong nine-game showing upon his return, with four goals and four assists. He’s been most effective with Cutter Gauthier and Mason McTavish.
Cutter Gauthier: B-minus/C-plus
The first two-goal game of his career on Sunday exemplified Gauthier’s ability to shoot the puck. Too often early on, he fell in love with that and didn’t build other elements that could bring him success. He’s a great skater and can use that to his advantage more consistently. With a lot more to tap into, he’s tied for fourth in NHL rookie scoring with 20 points.
Jansen Harkins: B-minus/C-plus
Signed to a two-year deal in the offseason, Harkins scored his first goal on Sunday. He has mostly been with the team since the middle of November and plays with some energy and edge while being one of the few on the Ducks who can consistently win faceoffs.
Ross Johnston: C
Johnston is a crash-and-bang winger who is going to be in the lineup mostly against bigger, more physical teams. While it can be argued whether there’s a need for a deterrent when league-wide fighting has dramatically decreased, the Ducks believe that need remains present. His forechecking has been effective on some evenings.
Alex Killorn: B-minus
His detractors can feast on middling numbers — eight goals, 18 points — for a forward with a $6.25 million cap number, and he’d be best deployed in a complementary middle-six role, but Killorn also doesn’t hurt the team when he’s on the ice. He’s a very good defensive forward with the best possession numbers on the club. He just needs to have more of an offensive impact.
Brett Leason: C-plus
Leason has been scratched at times by Cronin but he’s also averaging nearly a minute more in ice time and has a solid 48.65 percent goal share, although his expected goal share isn’t nearly as good. But he’s proven to be a useful NHL forward with a little bit of skill who can chip in goals here and there.
Isac Lundestrom: C-plus
In his seventh season, Lundestrom remains a strong defensive presence in a bottom-six role. His GA/60 (1.85) and xGA/60 (2.21) were terrific last season. This year isn’t quite as good (2.29 GA/60 and 2.67 xGA/60) but he’s carved out his niche as a strong skater focused on shutting down his counterparts.
Brock McGinn: B
McGinn has been out since Dec. 23 after suffering a lower-body injury. It’s the second time he’s been knocked out of the lineup and that has to be frustrating for the winger, as he was playing his best hockey in a Ducks jersey since coming to the team at the 2022 trade deadline. When healthy, he improves the fourth line.
Mason McTavish: C-minus
McTavish is on a pace for 11 goals and 34 points. That’s very disappointing for a third-year center who is coming off consecutive 40-point seasons and who should be ascending. He’s got 20-goal capability but either hasn’t finished as well (8.2 shooting percentage) or isn’t in prime positions to score often enough, either in five-on-five play or on the power play.
Nikita Nesterenko: Incomplete
Nesterenko has played in four games since his call-up, and he’s popped onto the scoresheet a couple times with a goal in St. Louis and a primary assist on Harkins’ goal Sunday with playing limited fourth-line minutes. He has three goals in 16 NHL games over three seasons. It’s what you want to do when you get an opportunity.
Ryan Strome: B
Strome is on a fairly similar pace to his two 41-point seasons with the Ducks, but it just feels like he’s been more effective in this one. During that great five-game stretch, he had back-to-back game-winning goals to beat Edmonton and New Jersey while putting up seven points in playing his best hockey since coming to Anaheim.
Troy Terry: A
Terry leads the Ducks in goals (14), assists (19) and points (33). He’s one of their few plus players at even strength and drives their best line. And when he left the lineup to be present for the birth of his second child, Terry was scorching with five goals and eight points in his last six games. The Ducks have struggled without their best player.
Frank Vatrano: B-minus
Vatrano has never been thought of as a strong defensive forward. His 3.50 xGA/60 speaks to that, and it was always going to be difficult to match his 37-goal, 60-point breakout from last season. But he’s second in goals and tied for second in points. Moreover, his production and compete level earned him a three-year extension.
Trevor Zegras: C
His injuries — his knee surgery in December was his third significant injury over the last two seasons — play a part, but Zegras isn’t thriving under Cronin. When he’s been healthy, the offensive zeal that defined him has often been lost amid a move away from center and Cronin’s mandate to play more responsible two-way hockey. His production has cratered for someone of his talent.
Defensemen
Brian Dumoulin: B/B-minus
The defense needed more upgrades after they added Radko Gudas last season, and the trade for Dumoulin has worked out in giving Anaheim a steady veteran presence who doesn’t get flustered when under pressure in his own zone. His defensive play was strong early on but has hit some bumps recently.
Radko Gudas: C-plus
Gudas has been up and down. He was down at first, but his partnership with LaCombe has been beneficial. The first-year captain has delivered some big hits that he’s known for — and he has done them cleanly. Perhaps the best thing so far is that he has remained healthy. His play suffered in the second half last season as he was playing with an injury.
Drew Helleson: A-minus
What might have originally looked like a short-term stay after his recall on Nov. 13 has turned into something mostly regular for the 23-year-old. It helps that he is a right-handed shot – something Cronin was desperate for, to help balance the corps – but Helleson has been a surprise in capably handling a third-pairing role.
Jackson LaCombe: A-plus
No player has improved more than LaCombe. Not many on the Ducks are better right now. The 24-year-old is one of the few younger players who have surged upward, as he’s become an offensive threat with eight goals to rank high among NHL defenders while making huge advancements with his defense. He’s up to 20 points to lead the Ducks’ blue line. His confidence is soaring, and it shows.
Pavel Mintyukov: C-plus
If you go purely by metrics, Mintyukov is doing better in some areas than he did as a solid rookie. But he hasn’t driven play as well as last season and is now splitting games with Olen Zellweger, since LaCombe has taken off. Ironically, the best results have come when he’s paired with Zellweger. It’s wise to remember that he just turned 21 in November.
Jacob Trouba: C
Initially, Trouba further steadied the back end from the right side with some effective first passes to thwart the opponent’s forechecking. The Ducks can take more advantage of his accurate point shots. But pairing him with Dumoulin as their main shutdown unit hasn’t been great for either player. Ironically, Trouba did best with the now-departed Fowler.
Olen Zellweger: B/B-minus
Like with others, Zellweger’s advanced defensive metrics are made to look better by strong goaltending, but it doesn’t hurt to have winning minutes in five-on-five play (24-15 on-ice edge in goals for/against) or a 1.69 GA/60. If anything, his offense has dried up with just two assists — both in one game — over his last 16. He needs to be in the lineup regularly, though.
Goaltenders
Lukas Dostal: A
Dostal’s numbers have trended downward of late after a scintillating October, but expecting him to play at the Vezina level through an entire season was probably unsustainable. Still, the 24-year-old has kept his team in just about every game and holds a .910 save percentage. His 15.8 goals saved above expected remains near the top among all goalies.
John Gibson: A-minus
Gibson’s play is one of the more encouraging developments for the Ducks. An emergency appendectomy kept him out until Nov. 10 but he’s offering up a reminder that he’s got plenty of game left, and he is responding well to a better defensive presence in front of him. Currently, his .914 save percentage and 2.69 goals-against average are the best in years, and he’s up to 11 xGSA. A return to old form.
(Photo of Jansen Harkins and Leo Carlsson: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)
