4 Anaheim Ducks Bold Predictions for the 2024-25 Season – Hockey Writers – Anaheim Ducks

With the Rookie Faceoff tournament in the rearview mirror and training camp right around the corner, the Anaheim Ducks are quickly gearing up for the 2024-25 season. It could be another low-key rebuilding campaign for the Ducks, who have failed to make the postseason for a franchise-record six consecutive seasons. Recent history aside, there’s a lot to be excited about around the team. They field the youngest roster in the league, including several elite players who are expected to help turn the franchise around.

Related: Ducks September Series: 2024-25 Expectations for Pavel Mintyukov

From a scoring standpoint, this could be another bad season for the Ducks. However, Anaheim’s future depends on a lot more than how many pucks go into the net on any given night. Key players take on new roles with added responsibilities, and how they progress from this point determines how they will perform on Anaheim’s roster. Some of these events will be surprising as the season progresses. In that spirit, here are four bold predictions for the upcoming season.

While suggesting the Ducks make the playoffs is a bold prediction, it’s almost impossible. These four predictions come out a little bit, but not to the extent of the dream.

Cutter Gauthier Wins Calder

Starting with a bold prediction for the team and the site and hardware. The Ducks have never had a winner of the Calder Memorial Trophy, which is awarded to the league’s most outstanding rookie. However, they came close with Bobby Ryan (2008-09) and Trevor Zegras (2021-22) each finishing second.

Cutter Gauthier is often listed as the most likely winner of the Calder behind Macklin Celebrini, Matvei Michkov, and Logan Stankoven. Gauthier is a shooter with a knack for finding the back of the net, but standing out among this rookie group is a tall order. Celebrini and Michkov are heralded as franchise cornerstones, and Stankoven’s 43-game (regular and postseason) sample size last season suggests he’s a legitimate point producer in the NHL.

Gauthier’s chances at Calder were strengthened by the position he entered. He has very little competition to be a top scorer, to match up against the most talented forwards on Anaheim’s roster. Leo Carlsson will likely focus on him, while Zegras may feed him passes from the other side. Even with the talented players already on the roster around him, the Ducks have struggled to score in recent seasons. Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek traded Gauthier to address the issue. While it may be difficult to make noise in a crowded class, Gauthier filling the score sheet will go a long way.

Lukas Dostal Out-starts John Gibson

For the first time since the 2015-16 season, someone other than John Gibson will lead the Ducks’ starting lineup. Lukas Dostal has been the goalie of the future in Anaheim for quite some time now. The 24-year-old netminder from the Czech Republic played one full season in the NHL, recording 38 games and six more appearances in assist efforts. Dostal’s numbers compared favorably to Gibson’s including the edge in save percentage, goals against, shutouts, and wins despite having fewer starts.

This prediction has a lot to do with Dostal’s rise and Anaheim’s rebuilding stage getting smaller and smaller with Gibson’s decline. Gibson is now able to do the things that made him considered one of the best strikers in the past seasons. He’s only 13 wins behind Jean-Sebastian Giguere’s 206 franchise record, and looks set to set a new career high with three seasons left on his contract.

Pavel Mintyukov Scores 50 Points

Last season, 20 defensemen in the league topped 50 points. Conversely, the Ducks haven’t had a 50-point season from the blue line in nearly 15 years. Only Scott Niedermayer (three times), Oleg Tverdovsky (twice), Lubomir Visnovsky, Chris Pronger, and Fredrik Olausson have reached this milestone in a Ducks jersey.

Pavel Mintyukov had an encouraging rookie season for the Ducks, recording 28 points and averaging just under 19 minutes a night in 63 games. The next step in his progression is to become the team’s best player – a role that Cam Fowler has held in recent seasons. Fowler had 67 more minutes on the man advantage over Minttyukov last season, but Anaheim’s continued habit of having low-tier power plays is proof enough that a change is needed.

I expect a big season from Minttyukov on the power play, which helps the cause of the last bold prediction.

Ducks’ Power Play Breaks 22%

Last season, Anaheim’s power play converted 23rd place on 18.3% of power play opportunities, but this is not a new problem. Power play goals don’t happen out of the air, and the Ducks rank 10th in penalties over the past seven seasons. Additionally, injuries last season forced some patchwork power-play combinations and ice-time collisions that shouldn’t have happened.

This jump from center to right tackle is well within the team’s capabilities, especially as some young players expect to take a step forward in their development. A clean bill of health for Mintyukov, Trevor Zegras, Leo Carlsson, and Mason McTavish and the cannon fire of Gauthier could help create a high-powered playmaking unit. Olen Zellweger in the second power play passes the 30 scorers Troy Terry and Frank Vatrano are also behind.

It’s unlikely that all of these predictions will come true, but they serve as a good barometer of where the Ducks are in their rebuild. Gauthier and Mintyukov could be a big help on Anaheim’s power play. Additionally, Dostal’s emergence as a top goaltender is crucial as the team finally becomes competitive again.

Statistics courtesy of Hockey-Reference.