After Day 1 of training camp saw the introduction of Radko Gudas as captain, Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek held court on Day 2 following an offseason that didn’t live up to its hype.
While the Ducks did reconfigure their bottom six as Verbeek had hoped to, they missed out on the more significant stated needs of a top-six forward and top-four defenseman, preferably who were right-handed shots. Verbeek said he sought to mobilize the Ducks’ significant salary flexibility – they entered the summer with the second most cap space in the NHL – to address those needs.
Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported that the Ducks made more lucrative offers than the ones that were ultimately signed by a pair of Stanley Cup title winners, former goal-scoring champion Steven Stamkos and 2023 Conn Smythe Trophy winner Jonathan Marchessault, both of whom landed in Nashville.
“We took some swings, and, unfortunately, we don’t get the final say in it all,” Verbeek said. “But I’m happy overall. We were in there ’til the end. Anyway, it didn’t work out, so we kind of pivoted and made a couple other moves, to bring Dumoulin in, and Fabbri.”
That would be two-time Cup champion Brian Dumoulin, a defenseman who won it all with Pittsburgh in 2016 and 2017 and spent last season in Seattle, and center Robby Fabbri, who was a staple in Detroit during Verbeek’s time with the Red Wings.
“(That experience) still gives me a lot of confidence knowing that I can still bring that game and play that way,” said Dumoulin, who is in the final year of his contract. “The thing I most remember about those times is just how fun it is to win, and that winning should be the end-all and be-all.”
Fabbri, who is also entering a contract season, said he was comfortable in a leadership role and that his responsibility was communicated clearly upon arrival in Anaheim after a trade this summer.
“To come in and bring the experience that I’ve gained over the years and help out some of these younger guys here, who have a lot of talent and a bright future ahead of them,” Fabbri said.
Both players, along with Jansen Harkins and some prospects competing for a handful of open roster spots, deepened the Ducks’ roster options. Despite their inability to lure any marquee players in free agency, the Ducks could get a boost on the top end of their lineup simply by having league-average health. Last season, the frequency of their injuries was eclipsed only by the prominence of the players whose absence they created.
That included key forwards like Leo Carlsson, Mason McTavish, Trevor Zegras, Troy Terry and Alex Killorn, most of whom sustained multiple injuries and all of whom were missed as the Ducks lost a franchise-number of games in regulation while dropping nearly half of them by one goal or two goals with an empty-netter.
They’ll also add an element to their nucleus with Cutter Gauthier, one of the top collegians last season who was acquired in January and made his NHL debut in April for Game 82 of the campaign.
“He scores goals, he’s a great skater and he’s a big kid. I’m excited to see what he’s going to do with a full NHL season under his belt. Obviously we only saw him in a few practices and one game last year,” said Frank Vatrano, the Ducks’ leading goal-scorer last season. “He got his first point out of the way, so we’ll get him his first goal here pretty soon. He’s a great addition to our young group and he’s going to be a big part of our team.”
That same core, currently bargain-priced with a mix of entry-level deals and second contracts, will command raises in the near future, starting with two restricted free agents-to-be, McTavish and goalie Lukáš Dostál.
“I wanted to be aggressive, like I mentioned, but sometimes things don’t work out for good reasons,” Verbeek said.
