By: Chris Nosek
Pat Verbeek has been patient during this rebuild, and it is finally paying off this season. They are competing with the Vegas Golden Knights for first place in the division. During the past week, Verbeek made two significant moves. So let’s take a look at them.
Contract Signing
Ryan Poehling Extends For 4 Years
Poehling has been a great addition to the bottom-six group for the Ducks. He has been a key player for their penalty kill unit and, overall, a steady presence. He has moved between teams since being drafted by the Montreal Canadiens. However, he seems to have found a good fit with this Ducks team. Locking him in for another four seasons was a solid decision. Keeping him at a cap hit under $4 million in a rising cap is a great value.
Trades
IN: John Carlson
OUT: 2026 1st Round pick + 2027 3rd Round pick
This is a great addition by Verbeek. While this pick isn’t guaranteed, the only condition is that the Ducks qualify for the playoffs this season. It would be a historic collapse if they don’t. John Carlson adds more physicality to the right side, but he also helps improve the puck movement on the powerplay. Lackson LaCome has been decent, but this gives Quenneville a right-hand shot who can replace him.
IN: 2027 7th Round Pick
OUT: Ryan Strome
I’ve been saying for a while now that Strome is someone we need to keep an eye on. It seems like he hasn’t been as good a fit in this lineup as he used to be. The bigger thing when it comes to Strome, was next season. Verbeek was projected to have $36.3 million in cap space to work with over the summer. Now, he has a bit over $41 million. This will be critical as he has significant players to re-sign or replace. Cutter Gauthier and Leo Carlsson will take significant money to re-sign despite being restricted free agents. They also have Trouba, Gudas, Moore, Mintyukov, and Zellweger all needing new contracts on the back end. John Carlson is now part of that mix as well. Moving on from Strome’s money gives them more space to work with to sort that all out for next season.
Looking at Verbeek’s day overall, it was a decent day. He avoided losing any major assets. He also significantly improved their blue line. This rebuild was given a major kick forward when Joel Quenneville was brought in. That doesn’t mean a complete deviation from the plan. They have several more young players in the organization who teams will covet. Adding Carlson was a move to help the team now. Sending Strome out and extending Poehling shows he’s keeping an eye on the future. It was a tough balancing act, but he did it quite well.
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