The Ducks are a franchise stuck between two worlds. On one side of the puck, the Ducks are young and learning, still growing into the team they’re supposed to be. But Ducks GM Pat Verbeek doesn’t seem to have much faith in the teardown he’s overseen, and is already making sweeping changes.

That started with the coach. Ducks fans and hockey analysts alike weren’t enamoured with Greg Cronin’s work behind the bench over the last two seasons. So Verbeek made the controversial call to replace him with Joel Quenneville, who hasn’t coached in the NHL since his involvement in the Chicago Blackhawks scandal came to light in 2021.

Trevor Zegras was supposed to be a big part of the Ducks’ next era. But that came to an end in June, when he was dealt to the Philadelphia Flyers for Ryan Poehling and a pair of draft picks. Zegras wanted to be a centre; the Ducks traded him for… a centre, albeit a depth one.

Leo Carlsson and Mason McTavish already take Anaheim’s top two centre slots for the foreseeable future, though McTavish’s name has found itself out in the trade market recently. McTavish and Carlsson were key to the Ducks’ success last season, putting up 52 and 45 points, respectively, and the team is going to live or die by their success. The same can be said about leading scorer Troy Terry and up-and-coming goalie Lukas Dostal, who’ll officially take the reins this year in the net from the departing John Gibson.

On defence, the Ducks have been working to insulate developing players Jackson LaCombe and Pavel Mintyukov with veterans to eat up ice time. It started with new captain Radko Gudas’ signing in 2023, and was furthered by acquiring Jacob Trouba from the New York Rangers last season. Veterans also surround the forward corps with names like Alex Killorn, Mikael Granlund and recent trade pickup Chris Kreider.

A lot is going on around the Ducks these days, literally and metaphorically. As the young team builds towards a winning future on the ice, their owners are doing the same off the ice in the form of a $4 billion sports and entertainment district called OC Vibe. By the time the Olympics arrive in Los Angeles in 2028, the Honda Center will be surrounded by new hotels, restaurants and nightclubs. And that’s not even including the $1 billion worth of renovations for the arena itself, which opened two years before Rogers Arena in 1993.

Taking all of that into consideration, it’s safe to say the Ducks aren’t a team worried about now just yet. The Canucks are concerned about winning right now, and that’s probably why they’ve won 10 of their last 11 meetings. Anaheim finally got the better of them last season in a 5-2 victory, but Vancouver exacted some rude revenge in April, when they scored five goals in less than five minutes during their last matchup.

The Canucks should still have all the keys and advantages to beat the Ducks in their four-game season series this time around. The biggest X-factor will be just how much the Ducks can grow in an 82-game schedule under their new coaching staff. This team might not have enough firepower to compete for the Stanley Cup playoffs just yet, but if they can make life difficult for the Pacific teams above them, that might be seen as progress in the eyes of Ducks management and their fans.

November 26 @ Honda Center

January 29, 2026 @ Rogers Arena

March 24, 2026 @ Rogers Arena

April 12, 2026 @ Honda Center