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With Mikael Granlund aboard, how might the Anaheim Ducks' depth chart look?
With Mikael Granlund aboard, how might the Anaheim Ducks' depth chart look?

New York Times

time09-07-2025

  • Sport
  • New York Times

With Mikael Granlund aboard, how might the Anaheim Ducks' depth chart look?

Teemu Selänne helped sell free-agent forward Mikael Granlund on the Anaheim Ducks and what they had to offer. It was natural for Granlund to seek out his countryman's advice. After all, Selänne is the 'Finnish Flash,' not only a face worthy to be on the Ducks' Mount Rushmore but also an unofficial ambassador for the franchise. The Beloved One. Advertisement Why wouldn't someone listen to him? 'He's obviously really close to the team and he knows what kind of players they have and what he thinks the future (looks) like,' Granlund said. 'I heard only good things about the team. That was a big part of that as well.' The Ducks introduced Granlund on Monday, a few days after he signed a three-year contract worth $21 million. But the 33-year-old isn't new to Anaheim. He's been a regular opponent after spending virtually all of his 13-year career in the Western Conference, suiting up for the Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars. He also had a 21-game stint with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2023 that didn't work out after he arrived as a playoff-push trade-deadline acquisition. Shortly thereafter, he was sent to San Jose in the Erik Karlsson trade, which reversed a downward trend in his career. With the Sharks, Granlund played a ton as their de-facto No. 1 center while Logan Couture was sidelined due to injury. Granlund, traded to Dallas this February in another move to a contending team, saw his point-per-game average drop from 0.87 to 0.68, in part because of a reduced role on a better team. Granlund still had 21 points in 31 regular-season games, in line with his career 82-game average. 'A couple years ago, I made some changes,' Granlund said. 'How I wanted to prepare for the seasons, and a lot of things were happening in my life. I kind of got a clean slate in San Jose and I really put everything to be a better player. That really paid off. I've been playing my best hockey of my life for the last two years and I really feel my best years are ahead of me. 'That's what excites me the most. I've been healthy. I've been playing my best hockey and I have a feeling that I can get even better. I can do more. Obviously, the timing in San Jose was great. I got an opportunity and all that. For me, as a person and as a player, I feel like I've been growing so much for the last couple years. I'm really excited about the timing in Anaheim right now.' Advertisement When it became apparent that the Stars couldn't re-sign him, Granlund found Anaheim appealing. The Ducks, in his view, are on the rise, and familial considerations — such as direct flights from Helsinki to Los Angeles — played a role in his decision-making. There also was Selänne's appeal to him, but new coach Joel Quenneville also was an attraction. 'He knows what winning takes,' Granlund said. 'We're trying to get to that habit for winning. That was a big thing.' Granlund has been Pat Verbeek's only signing so far in free agency, but the general manager has been busy this summer, hiring Quenneville, trading for Chris Kreider and trading away Trevor Zegras and John Gibson. What might the Ducks look like on opening night? Here's a look at their possible depth chart: Under former coach Greg Cronin, the Ducks rode the line of Frank Vatrano, Ryan Strome and Troy Terry while moving around other pieces on the other lines. It was clearly the trio that Cronin trusted more than others. There was reason for that. Per Natural Stat Trick, Vatrano-Strome-Terry spent 725 minutes together at five-on-five and had positive metrics in Corsi-for, Fenwick and shots for/against while nearly breaking even in goals for/against and high-danger chances produced/allowed. But will they stay together under Quenneville? Or will he (or new assistant coach Jay Woodcroft) change things up, especially since they're now incorporating Granlund? In San Jose, Granlund played with a series of wingers but spent more of his time with Fabian Zetterlund – now in Ottawa – and William Eklund. But in Dallas, Granlund spent more time on the wing than at center, and he played mostly with Roope Hintz and Mikko Rantanen in an all-Finn line that scorched for a time during the postseason. Perhaps that's the beauty of Granlund. It didn't matter who he played with. The veteran produced a high level of secondary offense whether he was the middle or on the wing — and with numerous linemates. And when asked if he had a preference, Granlund simply said, 'No. Not at all.' Advertisement 'I told him I can play a lot of different roles,' Granlund said of his brief conversation with Quenneville. 'All I care about is winning and try to do whatever I can for the team. I don't care where I play (or) what it is but I can do a lot of things and hopefully I can try to bring something good to the table.' The fourth line will get a different look, after the Ducks moved on from Isac Lundeström and Brett Leason. Often-injured forwards Robby Fabbri and Brock McGinn also weren't retained, and that might provide opportunity for Nikita Nesterenko and Sam Colangelo to win jobs out of camp and stick with Anaheim as regulars. Nesterenko's skating and forechecking are his best attributes. Colangelo had 10 goals in 32 games as he showed a proficiency to successfully tip pucks and finish around the net. Ryan Poehling effectively takes Lundeström's place. The 26-year-old Minnesota native isn't a complete non-factor offensively, plus he can be very useful with his terrific skating and reputation as an ace penalty-killer. Beckett Sennecke is listed here, since he figures to get a long look in camp. Had he been born a month earlier, the 19-year-old would be eligible to play in the AHL. It's possible that Sennecke could follow a similar path to Mason McTavish in 2021-22: start in Anaheim and, if the big league is a little too much for him, get sent to the AHL for a conditioning loan and then join Team Canada for the World Juniors. From there, the Ducks could decide which path is best for the remainder of his season. No Ducks pairing shared more ice time last season than Jackson LaCombe and Radko Gudas. — more than 935 minutes in five-on-five situations, Brian Dumoulin and Drew Helleson were a distant second, and that third defense pair was broken up by Dumoulin's departure at the trade deadline. That trade allowed Olen Zellweger and Pavel Mintyukov to get back in the lineup together. Before that, they often rotated in and out of the lineup. Neither Zellweger nor Mintyukov was crazy about that arrangement, which — along with LaCombe's meteoric rise during the season — seemed to stunt their development. Gudas and Trouba are entering the final year of their contracts. How the season plays out for the Ducks could affect either's long-term future, unless the club desires an extension. Stian Solberg and Tristan Luneau will be among the most interesting prospects to watch (along with back-to-back first-round picks Sennecke and Roger McQueen). The hard-hitting Solberg made an instant impact when he got into AHL games after his SHL season ended and is bound to become a fan favorite. Luneau was one of the top-scoring AHL defensemen, as his 52 points in 59 games led San Diego. Both could leave a great impression with strong training camps. Advertisement With the Gibson era now concluded after his trade to the Detroit Red Wings, the net is there for Lukáš Dostál to seize. Dostál, a restricted free agent, still hasn't signed to a new deal and has filed for salary arbitration. If the Ducks improve their possession game and take some stress off defending in their own zone, a truer idea of Dostál's ceiling as a No. 1 may emerge. Statistically, Petr Mrázek was not good last season. Most of his work came with the Chicago Blackhawks before he was moved to the Red Wings for a season-ending stint that included only five starts. MoneyPuck had Mrázek as one of the league's worst goalies in 2024-25, as only three netminders were worse than his 14 more goals allowed than expected. It's a downgrade from the Dostál-Gibson tandem, but Mrázek has had stretches of solid-to-good play in the past and can step in to give Dostál week-long breathers. On the other hand, Verbeek tapped into the Detroit pipeline for Ville Husso in February and found someone who not only gave the Gulls a huge lift in their bid to move into Calder Cup playoff position but impressed enough in three Ducks starts (he stopped 124 of 134 shots) to earn a two-year contract. Husso's $2.2 million AAV will raise eyebrows, but the Ducks wanted to be three-deep in what they feel are NHL-level goalies — even if Husso is targeted to start out with the Gulls and give them a strong lead in net. (Photo of Mikael Granlund: Stacy Revere / Getty Images)

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