The Anaheim Ducks have already cleared their biggest late-summer hurdle, and they did it just in time. On Tuesday night, the club locked up Cutter Gauthier on a six-year extension worth an AAV of $13.5 million, ending the kind of high-profile contract business teams hate carrying into camp.
That deal came hours before the previous CBA expired and two days before the Ducks were scheduled to open training camp in 2026. For a team that has already had to navigate multiple major negotiations in recent years, getting Gauthier done before camp matters. It also gives Anaheim a clearer picture of what this next phase of the build looks like, with the young core now carrying more of the load and several key departures leaving real holes to fill.
The Ducks released their camp roster and details Wednesday morning, and 48 players are set to attend: 29 forwards, 14 defensemen and five goaltenders.
One of the clearest questions sits on the blue line, where Jackson LaCombe stands as the undisputed anchor. His eight-year contract with a $9 million AAV begins this season, and he’s viewed as Anaheim’s top defenseman and, in some circles, the only one in that category. The problem is that the partner who logged 861 minutes with him at 5v5 last season, Jacob Trouba, is gone after signing a four-year deal with the San Jose Sharks on July 1.
That leaves the Ducks trying to sort out who fits next to LaCombe and who can handle the top-pair responsibility. Drew Helleson, 25, is one option, though his 5v5 results last season were uneven and his 320 minutes with LaCombe weren’t especially strong.
Nick Jensen, the only blue-line addition the Ducks made, is 35 and returning from a knee injury, so expecting him to step into a major top-four role may be too much. Tristan Luneau, 22, is headed for what should be his first full NHL season, but putting him straight into the top pair could be asking a lot.
For now, Ian Moore looks like the most plausible answer. The 24-year-old has the skating, intelligence and habits to develop into a modern shutdown defenseman in Joel Quenneville’s system. He even finished last season as a fourth-line right winger, but he still logged 92 minutes with LaCombe in 2025-26, and that duo controlled 60.6% of the expected goals at 5v5.
The Ducks’ forward group comes into camp with its own set of gaps. Mason McTavish and Chris Kreider are gone from the top six, and Troy Terry is expected to miss the first two to three months of the season. Anaheim also lost Jacob Trouba, John Carlson, Radko Gudas and Olen Zellweger from the back end.
Because of the major contracts already on the books for Leo Carlsson, Pavel Mintyukov and Gauthier, the front office didn’t have much room to replace those departures in a meaningful way over the summer. That puts extra pressure on the pipeline, which now has a real opening for young players to force their way onto the roster.
Roger McQueen, the No. 10 pick in 2025, and Nikita Klepov, taken 15th in 2026, are the most notable names in that mix. McQueen is coming off a successful but low-scoring freshman season at Providence College and brings the kind of size, skill and habits that could translate quickly.
Klepov is a different case entirely: the Ducks signed him to an entry-level deal, which means he’s headed either to the NHL or the OHL in 2026-27. He has plenty of talent and edge, but he has not played against professionals.
Anaheim may need one or both to contribute early just to help offset the losses and the absence of Terry. Betting on rookies is always risky, but this organization has leaned on that path before, with Leo Carlsson, Gauthier and Beckett Sennecke all providing recent examples.
Then there’s Frank Vatrano, whose role has become one of the more interesting questions in camp. The Ducks extended him for three years in the winter of 2025, but the first season of that deal went off the rails. After averaging 26 goals and 48 points across his first three seasons with Anaheim, he managed only nine points, with five goals and four assists, in 50 games last season.
A new coach and system that didn’t fit his game, a significant shoulder injury and an off-ice personal situation all played a part in that downturn. Still, the Ducks will have openings in the top nine, especially with half of last year’s top six unavailable to begin the season. If Vatrano can rebound even partway, and if the younger players keep moving forward while a rookie or two chips in, Anaheim has a chance to replace some of what it lost through volume and depth.
When Vatrano is right, he’s proven he can give a team instant scoring from the middle of the lineup while bringing pace, energy and a hard forecheck. That version of him would go a long way for a Ducks team entering camp with talent, opportunity and plenty of unfinished business.
In Other News...
Ducks Camp Opens With A Roster Concern Fans Didn't Want
Training camp had barely gotten underway when the Ducks were already dealing with some familiar early-season discomfort. Anaheim opened camp with a few absences, including forward Ryan Poehling, who did not attend practice, while defenseman Ian Moore and forward Herman Traff were also unavailable as the club got its first look at the roster in a competitive setting.
The injury list is the part Ducks fans will be watching most closely, especially with depth battles starting to take shape and reps at a premium. Moores absence adds an immediate wrinkle on the back end, and Poehlings status leaves another question hanging over the forward mix as Anaheim moves deeper into camp and tries to sort out who can stay on the ice. [Read more 🡒]