Ducks Will Show Interest In Every Name That Comes Up In The Market

Even with the acquisition of Chris Kreider, the Anaheim Ducks are definitely not done trying to upgrade. The team has over $32 million projected cap space for next season and over $67 million projected cap space for the season after. While still factoring in extensions, there is a ton of space to add.

According to Jeff Marek, the Ducks are going to be involved in "every name that come up" in the market. The latest player mentioned by name among potential targets is Jason Robertson. A move like this would likely see someone like Cutter Gauthier head back to the Dallas Stars in return to help match the value, but that's how it may have to go.

The Ducks appear to be very serious. The team had a 21 point improvement, their young players are improving nicely, and there is a number of established veterans providing secondary help. More big names to watch for include Mitch Marner, Nikolaj Ehlers, and even some RFAs like JJ Peterka, Evan Bouchard, or Matthew Knies.

I expect the Ducks to remain generally quiet on the defensive front for this offseason at least. They have a six man unit that includes veterans like Jacob Trouba and Radko Gudas who I expect to hit free agency in 2026. Anaheim could act sooner if they specifically like a player such as Aaron Ekblad if he reaches free agency this season, but the names the Ducks appear to have higher on their list is at forward.

The Ducks were a solid defensive team with strong goaltending this season. The scoring is what part of the problem was, but the improvement gave the team lots of hope regardless. There are lots of good pieces to build around and the team would likely get a better contract from acquiring someone in a trade rather than signing them in free agency, but I don't think Anaheim is going to get too picky in trying to get better immediately and jumping right into the playoffs next season.