Ducks Draft Strategy, Free Agency & The Next Captain

The NHL offseason is officially underway, and for the Anaheim Ducks, the future may have changed in just a few days.

On Episode 22 of The Mask & The Mic, Guy Hebert and Kent French break down one of the busiest weeks on the NHL calendar — the 2026 NHL Draft and the opening of free agency.

The conversation begins with a fascinating draft weekend for the Anaheim Ducks. Entering the draft with six selections and no first-round pick, Ducks General Manager Pat Verbeek orchestrated a series of moves that left Anaheim with nine total selections, including two first-round picks. Guy and Kent analyze the trades involving Owen Zellweger and Mason McTavish, discuss the prospects acquired, and examine the long-term vision Verbeek appears to be building.

The guys also take a closer look at several of Anaheim's newest draft picks and discuss which prospects could make an impact at the NHL level sooner rather than later.

With NHL Free Agency opening on July 1st, the focus shifts to improving the roster for another playoff run. Guy and Kent discuss potential free-agent targets, whether the Ducks should instead explore the trade market, and could a player like reigning Norris Trophy winner Zach Werenski be available.

The episode also tackles one of the biggest leadership questions facing the organization. With captain Radko Gudas' rights traded to the Florida Panthers, the Ducks will soon need a new captain. Guy shares firsthand insight into what wearing the "C" truly means in the NHL, the responsibilities that come with leading a locker room, and the qualities the Ducks should be looking for in their next captain.

From draft strategy and roster construction to leadership and free agency, Episode 22 takes you inside one of the most important weeks of the NHL offseason.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hi everybody, this is GA Bear and the Mask and the Mic. And you know what? I was thinking about this, Frenchie. Uh, I'm not only the mask, but I've been behind the microphone with you for many, many years, so I kind of am the mask and the mic. Could we mask and the mic and the mic?

SPEAKER_01 0:17

Yeah, or I could throw that out.

SPEAKER_00 0:19

I throw it to you.

SPEAKER_01 0:21

Hey, this is a good point by you. Yeah, I mean, technically you are the podcast. I'm just here to facilitate as the other mic. Oh no. Uh, but we do have a lot to talk about on this particular episode because uh a couple big um things happening in the world of hockey. We went through the Stanley Cup final already, but now, Bebo, the draft just happened, and free agency as we record this is on the horizon.

SPEAKER_00 0:47

Yeah, exciting times if you're a hockey fan. Your team may or may not get what you wanted in the draft, but you have an opportunity to fulfill those needs in restricted free agency, and of course unrestricted free agency, which happened July 1st, which is when this airs.

SPEAKER_01 1:05

Or even uh a trade. You never know what's gonna be happening here until we talk to you next time. And uh next time I might be wearing a mask, just so I'm uh I can do both at this point in time. But uh certainly a lot to talk about, a lot going on in the world of hockey and the world of sports. We will cover it all here on a podcast we like to call the Mask and the Mic and Gebo, as always. And good for us. Hello everyone, and welcome to another edition of The Mask and the Mic, Ken French, alongside Guilla Bear, who is back in town, back in uh Newport Beach, which is uh nice sunny Newport Beach. You were uh you were away last time we spoke. Granted, it's a couple podcasts ago because we had Travis Moen on last week, but you were uh in upstate New York. How was your visit uh to some beautiful country?

SPEAKER_00 1:51

Uh it's always a pleasure to get back east. You know, you get to see greenness. Uh we always every time we get off the plane and we get up into the uh Adirondack Mountains in that region, it is just so beautifully green. We forget about it being out here. And then when we land back in Orange County, you look out the window and it's just brown. It's brown everywhere. So it's a change, uh change of um life, I guess, when you go back east. I I will say that we we didn't really see the sun for much of the trip, which is really unfortunate. Yeah, and it was actually quite cool while we were there. Um, right now I think it's like 100 degrees in New York City and in 80s and 90s upstate. So uh comfortably Kent French, I'm back in the OC right now. Wide open spaces, Gibo. Um, remind me, how many acres is your father-in-law's farm? Yeah, I've had to ask him a couple different times, but it's somewhere around 70 acres. Uh used to have like 250 acres. Used to I mean it used to be vast.

SPEAKER_01 2:49

But well, can you do me a favor? Next time you're there, can you like just video yourself on a tractor?

SPEAKER_00 2:56

Like I can do that. I I I posted something uh like was it last summer? Uh I maybe have to dig it out, but uh the corn was already in in full effect, so it was probably you know eight feet tall or more. And I did a little skit of why you know doing the coming you know into the cornfield, just like uh a famous movie, right? And so I made some comment or whatever, and then I disappeared into the cornfield. Um it was I thought it was hilarious. It's somewhere on social media, I'll have to bust it back out. But maybe I do it again, Frenchie, and that'll be the opening for the mask and the mic.

SPEAKER_01 3:31

Well, and I think what we should do is we should potentially get you and Travis Moen, the other farmer I know, you should go side by side, maybe do a tractor race. I mean, maybe there's something that we can do, uh, or just have you guys listening to our podcast while you're on while you're on the mowers. I think there is something there, Gibo.

SPEAKER_00 3:48

There is something I think there's something Mowers, tractors, uh we we got it all. I mean I mean, I used to have a dirt bike when I when I was retiring, and my wife was like, Yeah, I was like, are you really thinking are you really thinking about retiring? And I said, Yes, I I I really think I I've made up my mind or whatever. And so she knew that I wanted a dirt bike forever. And the fact that, you know, I obviously not gonna ride a dirt bike while I'm playing. No. And we would traditionally end the season, have a little bit of time here, and then pack up and go back east for the summer. And when I did, uh, we flew across country, connection to Chicago, uh, then finally making it to Syracuse and upstate and and arrive. And when we got there, it was just about dark. And as we pulled into the driveway of her parents' house, there sat a Honda 225 dirt bike. And I was like, Oh my god. So she's like, This is a little nudge for you. You only get it if you're really gonna retire. And I was like, Oh, that thing's a beauti beauty. So um that's yeah, so I got to ride that, you know, across, you know, at the time, probably 200 acres of land, um, which is probably the safest place for me to be, right? If I fall, I'm just gonna fall into the dirt or into the field, or hopefully not hit a tree. I mean, there are a bunch of woods that I would I'd go through, but um, you know, knocking wooden safe to say I I made it. I no longer have it, but that's probably a good thing. Dirt bike or training camp?

SPEAKER_01 5:19

Dirt bike or training camp. Yeah. At that stage in your career, I don't I don't I don't blame you whatsoever. Well, certainly a lot of uh water has gone out of the bridge, as um they like to say since last time we spoke. The Canes are Stanley Cup champions. Um earned well-earned, well-deserved congratulations. Congratulations to our friend Freddie Anderson for picking up a cup, uh, finding out that he was a little dinged up, as most players are that time of year. Um, Bussy came in, and what a story that was. Just a wonderful story. Um, you know, Rod Brindamore who you knew and played with, and just all kinds of wonderful storylines as part of that uh Stanley Cup journey. So great to see them and congratulations to them.

SPEAKER_00 6:04

Yeah, and just when you thought the hockey season ended, which it did end with the Stanley Cup champion, as you just mentioned, uh, but then the NHL draft Frenchie is like literally a week away from the end of the Stanley Cup. And uh for a lot of teams, besides the two that were in the finals, uh, were working diligently trying to make sure that their draft board was set, making sure that they could try hopefully select the players that they wanted to select if they were still available. And of course, the biggest question of all was would Gavin McKenna actually go number one overall to the Toronto Maple Leafs? And if you watched it, uh, you know, at the NHL on their marketing team, Frenchie, I mean, they'd loved, and I think it's a good thing, right? They're trying to engage the fans and the audience to make it not a boring, long drawn-out process. And all of a sudden they're like, hey, who's the Toronto Maple Leafs' favorite fan in the world of entertainment? And of course, it's the Beebs. I saw him walk in. Justin Beeberg. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I think he got some booze, right? Because it was in Buffalo being held in Buffalo, and obviously uh a nice little rivalry between uh the Sabres and Toronto being so close. Uh but yeah, the Beebs got booed. But of course, he was able to get there and get up and uh introduce Gavin McKenna as the first overall pick. And I mean, I think everybody is incredibly excited in Toronto. I mean, he is a guy who's been projected to be number one for it since last draft ended, right? All of a sudden they've you know cemented okay, Gavin McKenna will be the number one overall pick. And that's hard for a kid to be able to go through an entire season and not disappoint and and have questions about whether he should be number one or will they fall uh on that draft board. So I know Austin Matthews had a little message for him. And I think for Toronto, if you're a fan, I mean this is pretty exciting times. Yeah, I mean, no pressure on the kid, right? It's like a it's like going to the Yankees.

unknown 8:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:05

He's got a whole country on his back now. Hopefully, hopefully they uh that he could be a savior to help turn that Toronto Maple Leaves franchise around, which has certainly been in involved in some turmoil the last several years. So uh yeah, that was exciting to see. And then of course, when you look at the Anaheim Ducks, who we are somewhat familiar with, um what were they going to do? They traded John Carlson at the trade deadline, so they did not have a number one or a first round pick heading into the draft uh for the first time in many years, Gibo. But but that changed. That changed rather quickly right before the draft. Are you saying it's fluid? It's a fluid situation at the draft? Fluid situation, yes. And and you know what I do, I do miss those days when they had all the tables down on the draft floor, and you saw the GMs and the assistant GMs walking back and forth from table to table and and making the the deals on the floor. Everybody now is in their separate quote unquote war rooms at the respective arenas or respective states, uh, as the ducks were uh shacked up in Newport Beach. Oh, by the way, that's just so tough.

SPEAKER_00 9:13

You know, Buffalo, Newport, don't have to travel. I listen, I I see both sides of the equation, right? I mean, um I I I too miss the fact that everybody's not there and that all all the kids are there. I mean, kids who might get drafted in later rounds um sometimes will go and just wait to hear their name called. I mean, they look forward to meeting, you know, coaches, general managers, owners, uh, especially the first round picks. So I that part I I do miss um from a fan and a player's perspective. I I do understand the travel and you know, trying to take your entire team with you, all your personnel to the other city. This obviously would be a cross-country trip for the Ducks organization. So I get it, but uh nonetheless, I I always loved, like you mentioned, and in the year we were doing this live.

SPEAKER_01 10:03

That was a couple years ago, right? Yeah, sphere in Vegas.

SPEAKER_00 10:06

And that was the Leo Carlson. Yeah. And that was the last, you know, the last year that it was live with everybody there. And but you love to see because you will, you'll sit there and you'll watch, you know, a GM get up from one table and he'll go and he'll whisper at another. And like, so I almost think that deals are more easily done in that circumstance, right? Something is almost like the instant gratification of like, I'm gonna go over and tap Joe Sackick on the shoulder and say, hey, can we get a deal done? Or or whoever, Stevie Eiserman. But when you think about it and then you got time to process, all of a sudden, do I make this phone call or do I not make the phone call? And I think that might change the dynamic of some trades. I think when things are going down, maybe it's good. It gives you a moment to pause uh as a general manager, but I think sometimes in the heat of the moment, I think, you know, right there on the floor, I mean, it becomes emotional and dramatic. And I think that uh sometimes leads to some of the best trades that have happened over the uh the last few decades.

SPEAKER_01 11:05

Well, I agree too. And we talk about phone calls. No phone calls are happening for the most part, right? And also if you're sitting at your draft table and you're watching one GM talk to another, you're like, wait a second, what are they talking about? And if you are involved in something that this GM might be involved in as well, then it also causes you to potentially speed up the process, uh, maybe throw in somebody you weren't ready to throw in, whether it be a draft picker or a player. Uh yeah, exciting times. It was fun when we look back at our time at sphere, and as I mentioned, the Leo Carlson uh draft back in the day. So that all being said, Gibo, um the question, the question, Mason McTavish, he was uh the hot topic for the Anaheim Ducks heading into this one. But uh prior to that, I didn't see Owen Zellwigger this thing coming.

SPEAKER_00 11:48

Yeah, you know, I mean I've I heard rumblings throughout the course of the season. And, you know, listen, when you're got a stockpile of really good, talented young players, uh, other teams are gonna be the ones who are calling. And you know, Zellwigger was scratched a little bit late in the season. He was scratched in the playoffs, the emergence of Ian Moore, both on defense and offense. Um, you were trying to make sure that you got players involved. You picked up John Carlson at the deadline, so all of a sudden there was another spot gone on the blue line because the Ducks were looking for that veteran offensive push there that Carlson provided. So all of a sudden you start to wonder like who who's out there and what could you get? And I think, you know, I mean, listen, I heard Edmonton was was looking at Zellweger. I mean, I I think that's no secret that they were looking at a puck moving, uh high tempo guy, can take a lot of minutes, and I think that he was uh a guy that they were really looking into. And you know, I think maybe sometimes you don't want to make those trades, you know, you know, in your rivalry division. And you know, if you can move someone elsewhere, like the east eastern division, eastern conference, uh to Buffalo, and it it doesn't you're he's not gonna come back to bite you, uh, or at least not so often. But um, you know, I'm happy for Zelly. I think he's uh a really great player, he's an outstanding young man, and I think he just needs to be able to go play where he gets an opportunity to play a lot of minutes. And with Bo Byron moving on from Buffalo, that opens up really the spot for Zellwager. So he's gonna go in there and take his place. And I mean, they're looking for power play time. Um, and I think that he's really gonna flourish with the uh Buffalo Sabres. Sad to see him go. Like I said, he's just a tremendous kid. Um, I wish him all the best.

SPEAKER_01 13:28

Yeah, and and it's an up-and-coming franchise heading to the postseason for the first time in in over a decade at least. I mean, certainly that fan base is rabid for a winner, and he is gonna have an opportunity to play there on a daily basis and make an impact. So, as you mentioned, good on him. We're gonna mention now uh we'll talk more about defense in a minute, but let's get to now. So Zellwigger went and McTavish goes, and McTavish was a different story because um at least I was thinking when as uh a team that just if you will entered their window window of potential playoff, playoff uh contention that will be for some time for the Anaheim ducks that you were gonna add to the NHL roster and not necessarily your pelithera of young uh talent in your talent pool, but but I think the offer was too good for Pat Ferbiq to turn down when you have a Mason McTavish and you get two firsts in return uh from the St. Louis Blues. So when you look at that, and also uh listening to what Pat had to say, if uh Clepoff, Nikita Klepoff wasn't available at 15, he said that deal would not have been made. So certainly a lot of stock put in Nikita Klipoff at 15th overall.

SPEAKER_00 14:45

Yeah, I was surprised. I I think all Ducks fans were certainly surprised. You know, I mean McTavish's name has been, you know, bantered about for several months now. I mean, if you even go back to his contract negotiations back last summer, uh, it wasn't the smoothest. Uh, they both agreed on a deal, I think, that was beneficial to the team and to uh MACT. Um I'm sad to see him go as a fan. I I really think at 23, he is still scratching the surface of the player that he can become. But it boils down, Frenchie, is like, you know, as as the team's looking forward and you know, they're really trying to fine-tune the lineup. And you know, I think that when they looked at what MACT brings to the team, um, they have another players, and I think maybe they think that they want to be maybe even a little bit bigger, but they want to be continue to be a little bit faster. And you know, and this is not a knock against uh you know McTavish at all, but you know, he wasn't really in the cards, right? He wasn't in the future for the ducks that you could see, but there were a lot of teams who wanted him. I mean, you were talking about Philly, Ottawa, New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens. I hadn't really heard much about the Blues, to be honest with you, as a potential suitor of McTavish, but with them moving on from Jordan Cairo and a couple other players, they needed to bring somebody in who was going to kind of be that, you know, second line center, physical player, great scorer. And listen, I know there's been a lot of talk about, you know, he's such a great shootout shooter. I I think he's like at 68. Over 60, right? Yep, yeah. I mean, it's close to 70 percent. And we we watch him come in, you know, it's so slow, I think it's illegal, but he doesn't necessarily stop spoken like a true goalie. Yeah, I mean he's got the patented move and all that. Um, you know, in defense of the current goaltenders, I I think there has to be like a time clock on him, but that's a skill. And you know, when every point is so crucial throughout the course of the season that if you can rely on a guy to be able to score, you know, seven out of ten times in the shootout, I mean, if that gets you a couple extra points throughout the course of the season, you know, and we saw how tight the race was in the Western Conference this year, that you know, at three points or five points that you win a game because of the shootout, uh that I mean that's that's big stuff. So again, sad to see McTavish leave. I think he's got an incredibly bright future. I think he's gonna get that fresh start in St. Louis. Um and then you know what the Ducks get in return. I mean, I I I like most people thought that the only way he was getting moved if if there was another NHL caliber player ready to come in and help the Ducks uh in a in a top six role. I mean, I was almost thinking that maybe they packaged uh McTavish with uh a first-round pick, a second round pick, a pick next year, uh a prospect, um uh, you know, any of that that Pat had at his his disposal, you know, to get someone that they really wanted to get. So uh obviously, whoever they were targeting from any of those other teams, they couldn't get the deal done. And as you mentioned, Klepov, you know, listen, we know Martin Madden is a genius, right? And his scouting department does incredible work. So whatever they think of that young man, they think enough of, hey, you know, we're gonna move McTavish, we're gonna create some more cap space. Not that they necessarily need more cap space, but um they're gonna clear almost seven more million dollars of cap space and get a young player that they think that might be able to play sooner rather than later. And you never know, right? I mean, there's a lot of guys coming into camp who are gonna fight to, you know, say, hey, you know, I'm here. I think I can make this roster. And, you know, if I don't, well then I go back and play junior college or uh some of the guys who are currently in San Diego knocking on the door.

SPEAKER_01 18:35

Yeah, I I mean if if you're one to to go to training camp or development camp and you've got these kids that are gonna be vying for a position and a spot, it's gonna be a lot of fun to watch. And the big question is then, as you mentioned with Klepoff, you know, I said that they weren't gonna make that deal unless he was available. So certainly the you know, they think highly of this young man, and Pat Verbeek has described him as a 50-50 player, which is 50% playmaker, 50% goal score, a complete hockey player. And and the question then lies, how quickly can he impact the NHL roster? As we were talking about that, the other kid, Marcus Nordmark, was taken at 28th. Um, the Ducks had the 29th overall pick as part of that McTavish deal as well. They traded up one for Vegas because they like this kid so much. Um, he maybe has a little question mark on his maturity, but his skill set. Um, he's got a high ceiling, one of those, you know, great risk, if you will, at that position in the draft. But you have a little history with the Nordmark family, from my understanding.

SPEAKER_00 19:37

Yeah, you know, it's it's a small hockey world, isn't it? Yeah. I was looking at the pick and I was like, hmm. I got drafted in the same year by the St. Louis Blues with Robert Nordmark.

SPEAKER_01 19:48

So you don't feel old at all today.

SPEAKER_00 19:50

Every day, Frenchie, I feel just a little bit older. But so I I was like, I played with you know, I didn't play with him. We were drafted in the same class. I I of course googled it, and of yes, uh Robert Nordmark is the father of Marcus Nordmark. And the irony is, uh, and the weird thing is like way back in the then in the draft, uh, he was already drafted to dad Robert, like a few years earlier, and he was over in Sweden, and I guess he didn't come over. And so he was able to essentially, instead of become a free agent, he was able to go back into the draft. And the blues drafted him, and I believe he was 25 years old um that that draft year. So most of us, uh you know, I the ceiling used to be like 20 at that at that time. I think I was 20 when I got drafted. But yeah, just a small, small world. Uh it's kind of like uh Nilsen last year. I had played against his dad. So yeah, I guess I'm in that age demographic Frenchie where uh a lot of the guys I I got drafted with, played with, played against, uh, their kids are either just coming into the draft or currently, like many of my friends, uh like Ted Drury, his son, just signed a nice new contract. He got traded from uh Colorado to Nashville. And so there's always that constant thread that keeps us all tied together.

SPEAKER_01 21:08

Yes. Uh so that being said, uh nine overall picks by the Anaheim ducks in the draft. They came into the draft with six, and because of trades, uh including John Carlson, the rights going to the Canes for a pick. They end up with nine, five forwards, three demon, and of course a goalie, Gibo. Yeah. Um Gleb Peshkoff taking uh 178th overall uh in the sixth round, and uh did read and hear some comments about how Sudzy liked this guy and was kind of following him. He's got um he's got a goaltender body, uh big wingspan, six three, but he's got to kind of grow into his frame. I know when it comes to goalies, you're a little familiar with with this guy.

SPEAKER_00 21:53

Yeah, uh well, you know, I mean, all goalies love to research goaltenders and who's available. And I was trying to pick Ryan. Miller's brain the other night. We were uh doing an alumni event, and I said, Hey, so you know, who do you got circled? And he, of course, Millsey working with the San Jose Sharks was very coy about answering my questions. He's like, but he goes, you know, he goes, put it this way Sudsey and I think a lot the same about goaltending. And he goes, You wouldn't be surprised if my list and Sudsey's list is pretty similar. Um, that's all the intel he would give me. I I mean, I really tried to prod him. That was it. He's like, hey, we can talk after the draft. Uh he says, but he goes, uh, I'm I'm sure that you know somebody on my list is going to be picked by San Jose. And he goes, I can pretty much tell you that somebody on my list is on Sudsi's who you guys will take as well. So uh, but I think what they love about Glub is that he like he's he's incredibly athletic. And I think that instead of being 6'7, he's 6'3. And I think when you're a little bit smaller, you can be a little more athletic. Uh, I think that with the goaltending uh prospects that the Ducks have, I mean, they have six seven guys, they have six six guys. Uh, they got, I think, a six eight guy. And so you figure maybe just break it up by like, okay, in our future, because this is not a tomorrow thing, or this is not even a year or two or three thing, we have Do Sta locked up for a number of years, and then you know, obviously uh Villy Husso for another year. Uh, but there's the guys battling down in San Diego, learning the craft, which they need to do and play a lot of games, make a lot of mistakes. Uh, but it's nice. I mean, it's nice to keep getting goaltender in the draft, and and you never know, right? Because all these pieces either we'll play here, we'll never make it here, or could be a part of you know, future draft picks, right? Where you go, hey, I want to trade this pick for that pick, or and I, you know, I know people have called me and texted me and said, like, hey, we picked two guys in the first round this this year we didn't know we had. Uh, could they be used as a piece of a uh a nice trade? And I said, absolutely. I said, you know, depending on how coveted the picks really are, or how badly somebody wants to add somebody who might be closer uh to playing in the NHL. So uh I'm not I'm not assuming, I'm not saying that anybody who is just selected will be traded, but I mean that just gives Pat and the Anaheim Ducks just uh, you know, a whole bunch of options when you have something that you didn't have a couple days ago.

SPEAKER_01 24:26

Here's fun a fun one too. Um Ryan Chadzinski, who was uh he was picked 82nd overall, third round. And the reason I I bring him up is because his dad was a former NFL head coach for the Cleveland Browns, uh, also a coach and coordinator for the Chargers, Panthers, Colts, and University of Miami. Right. He's at Boston College. He's uh an analyst, offensive analyst, so he's got the pedigree. So it's fun to see kind of the background stories now with some of these kids that are being drafted to see. Um pretty cool to have that NFL background, and you know he's gonna be ultra competitive uh and ultra physical coming from a football family to see how that translates onto the ice.

SPEAKER_00 25:07

Just I think you know, kids having the opportunity to grow up around sports and with a dad who's a coach or involved in management. Uh I think that, you know, when they're running around locker rooms when they're, you know, little kids, you know, they they just by I don't know, osmosis, right? They just they just kind of grasp what's going on and they as they grow up. I think Macklin Cellebrini is the same way, you know. He was uh out on the West Coast in San Francisco area and was you know kind of in locker rooms as a kid growing up. So I think by that uh you know innate uh ability to just to be around guys and just you know, even when you're a kid, realize like, oh, hey, what are these guys doing? And what does it take to be able to play at this level? And yeah, someday I, you know, I aspire to be like them, whether it's in that sport or a different sport.

SPEAKER_01 25:56

Yeah, and it yeah, for me, it's easy to see. Well, of course, you know, with like uh Tamu's kids who went on to play, you know, college hockey and they're around all the time. But in the baseball world, like Vladdy, Vladdy Jr. was around Jeremy on the field playing catch all the time. I mean, back in the day when I was out there with the team, it's like, oh my gosh, and now he's obviously a superstar uh in baseball. So fun to watch these kids make that transition. Um okay, uh one more Radka Gudist rights were traded. We got AJ Greer back his rights from the Panthers. Another big forward. Um, have the rights to sign them before July 1. Uh, he had 17 goals, kind of unassuming goals for the Panthers. So another one to add to the piece, right, when it comes to this forward group. But where I'm going with this is now you look at Zellwigger, Carlson, Truba, Radko, Goodis, get four D men who potentially are not going to be on the roster. Well, of course, Gudis is not, Carlson's not, Zellwig's not, Truba's still a question mark, but we'll see. Most sa all signs are kind of pointing that he's not going to re-sign. Um, there is a pool for Ducks fans who follow this team should know that the defensive pool of young talent is is plentiful. The cupboards are full, Gibo. And so uh Pat Verbekis certainly knows this and is coming at a point of strength when he's able to trade these pieces or not re-sign these pieces, knowing that uh some spots are going to be open up for some well-deserving defensive prospects.

SPEAKER_00 27:25

Yeah, you hit the nail on the head, and I think, you know, uh some of the comments Pat made was okay, at some point you've groomed these players, and at some point, you know, they've they've played as much as they can play at the level in San Diego in the AHL that they can, right? They they have an opportunity to step up and be able to prove that they're an NHL player, and I think that's the opportunity that exists for for several of the players. Uh, you know, uh Tristan Luno, I mean, Pack has come out and said, like, you know, he will compete for a spot on this roster. And you're like, he's done everything he needs to do, he's excelled at the American League level, and he's ready to play. And we just need to give him that opportunity. So if you do have Radco and Truba and John Carlson and Zellwegger, uh, where do you put him? Like, how do you get him into the lineup? So some of these moves with the the veterans uh are is necessary. Um, you know, Zeli moving on to opens up another spot. So you had you know Tyson Hines playing at the end of the season into the playoffs. Um, he looked NHL ready. He didn't show any, it didn't give the team any reason to think that he's not ready to play on a full-time basis this season. Um so you know, all of a sudden you got two guys you're trying to get into a six-man rotation. So if nobody leaves, they don't have an opportunity. So I think the big question for me is uh how much of an opportunity did they get? Uh will they get extended opportunity when they're in camp? If they have a good camp, uh it's gonna be really important for them to be able to show that, yeah, right from day one, they're ready to go. Uh the Truba thing I I think is really interesting. I know as a free agent, and I know he's he's actually been very public about it. He's like, hey, I've never hit you know unrestricted free agency in my career. I I don't know what it's about. I, you know, I mean I've never tested it. And you know, I think for him, like any player, you want to get the best deal you can in a place that you feel like you fit. And I think that, you know, if you didn't get exactly what he was wanting, um, you know, then there's no harm in testing the free agent market. We call it dipping the toe into free agency. And when you do that, you know, you see what other teams are out there. We talked about this in the uh podcast or two ago about okay, what do I think my value is, my perceived value in the league? And once I go into free agency, you know, the market will tell me what exactly I'm worth. And, you know, for Ducks fans who would love to see Jacob Truba back, I think there's a real possibility because once you go out there, you know, you might want three, four, five years at a certain number, and then all of a sudden, you know, what you get back, the feedback from other GMs calling your agent is like, hey, you know, you're 32 or 33, you know, we'll give you a two or three year deal. And all of a sudden, if the market speaks in those terms, uh, you know, my guess is the ducks would like shorter term, uh, with true, but then longer term. And, you know, if he gets what he wants from another team, well, then it's an easy answer for him and he's able to move on. But, you know, uh, as recording uh as we are right now, there are some hours left in the day.

SPEAKER_01 30:33

Yeah, I don't even know what the date what is the date today? I didn't even know what date we're recording this on.

SPEAKER_00 30:38

Oh, it's still in we're still in June as we record this podcast. Okay. So anybody in the in the hockey world, there are a couple dates that you always remember. And July 1st is the big one for unrestricted free agency. So um if he's not traded and getting something in return uh by the end of today, then you know he'll walk into uh unrestricted free agency. The ducks will lose him for nothing unless they resign him. Um so there's always a little bit of a gamble. But you know, if you wrap all that together, I mean the ducks are in a great position. Uh if Truba does happen to leave, uh, there are guys knocking on the door ready to join. And oh, by the way, there might be a couple free agents out there, restricted or unrestricted, that the ducks might have their eyes on. There's a couple guys who have mentioned that they may or may not want to sign an extension with their current team. Uh, if you can read between the lines, there's a player out there that I think is going to be uh highly coveted on the back end who may have just won the Norris trophy. So we'll we'll just say that uh the Columbus Blue Jackets are in a little bit of a bind if they cannot get uh Werensky to sign an extension. And much like the Brady Kachuk thing, he may be able to dictate where he wants to go. Yeah, so that's an interesting really I mean, if you know, I mean, fans of every team are thinking there could be the reigning Norris trophy winner available to my team. Uh listen, we already got Jackson Lacomb, and we know how great he's been. And do you want to take minutes away from Jackson Lacomb? Uh if Zach Ohrensky comes into town, and listen, we're we're just talking about this. Uh, we have no, I have no intel um that I can share. I mean, there's nothing that I know beyond what I'm reading, but you know, it's like saying that you don't want Quinn Hughes, right? If Quinn Hughes was available and you could get him, would you pass up on Quinn Hughes? I mean, it's like you pass up on Werensky if you have a chance. Um I'm not sure. I but it that's gonna be an interesting thing to see play out. Well, dots.

SPEAKER_01 32:48

What are you doing to me on this whole thing? Uh well, what who who was the final piece of the ducks 2007 Stanley Cup puzzle? Yeah, and you put him with a Scott Niedermeyer. I'm not by any means putting those two gentlemen, Lacomb and Warinski, in in that category, but you have two top line defensemen, and that's certainly a lot of teams will build from your goalie out, right? And then add the pieces. And so you have those two players, ridiculous, but to get somebody, you need to give up something. So be careful, Ducks fans, what you're hoping for, because you're gonna have a top-line young superstar going the other way if some sort of deal like that is being made. So, yes, that's fun to think about. And, you know, as we've discussed and been talking about over the last 20 minutes or so, that Pat Verbeek is continuing to restock an already full covered load of prospects. So um, I do believe that there is another play here with what he is doing, and and you bring up a tremendous point when you talk about there's two big words when you talk about professional sports outside of baseball. Because there's no such thing as a cap yet. Yes, maybe yet, where yours truly could be directly affected by that at some point. Um 40 over 44 million for the ducks now, with MACT gone in cap room for the ducks. Now, you and I both know uh along with Minty, that uh Carlson and Cutter are the two big fish that are RFAs that need to be signed. And you and I were chit-chatting a little bit that most likely they those two players alone could take up half of that cap space. Um, but that still leaves a tremendous amount to go out and get somebody. Um, and when you look at the UFAs, if you're looking to replenish on the blue line Gibo, I think the market is more in the trade market. Um, based on you were just talking about Warinski, but Darnell Nurse has been another name that's been mentioned, 31 years old. He's still got four years left on his deal. That's it's a what does he got? Uh salary hit of 9.25 million um that's an ouch for sure at 31. Um, but the ducks are one of the teams that could uh take that on and still have room. But there was a I think he's got a four or three team um uh list that he made, and the ducks were not on that list as of yet. So yeah, it'll be interesting to see, but I I do believe um, you know, Pat has has mentioned throughout this draft process and and not replenishing or improving the NHL roster uh based on the trades that he made, that this the MACT and the Zellweger, who was an RFA by the way, as well, he was gonna have to be paid, that he now has flexibility to be aggressive in the trade market and the um the UFA market if there's somebody out there. So um there's a lot to play with. I think Pat is just he just played one part of his hand. I think the other hand is yet to be played. I think he's got a plan. Um and I find it interesting too, Giba, when you talk about the more I think about this too, when you have prospects, it's almost like you want to see prospects that are two or three years down the road that have made an you know, that have kind of grown up and you can kind of see where they're gonna be in the National Hockey League. But when you talk about draft picks, you almost teams want their own draft pick to um draft their own guy. So I thought it was interesting when he made that deal with MACT that those two picks, I thought those were gonna be packaged for a bigger deal before the draft. So the fact that he took those on and made a selection, I found that interesting. Um so it leads me to believe that it is more of a trade scenario that we're gonna see here um from Pat Verbeek to improve the roster. What about you?

SPEAKER_00 36:54

Uh without a doubt. I I I think the you know, the unrestricted free agents, uh it's not a great pool of talent. I mean, there's guys that could fit in to a variety of teams and and certainly will. Um I think for the ducks, I agree. I think, you know, there listen, there's still some big names out there. I mean, you know, there's a little bit of fight going on now in Detroit, right? Steve Iserman's come out and said, well, Dylan Larkin has asked for a trade. You know, hey, I mean, I can't really control it. I mean, like, if someone gives me a deal I can't pass up, then I'll trade them. You know, otherwise, uh, this this could get dirty, right? I mean, this could be something where your captain ends up coming to training camp disgruntled with five years left on his contract, and uh is a real negative, you know, he's he's a true professional, right? So he'll, you know, he'll obviously move on and and you know do the right things if he's back in Detroit, but you know, it'll be something in the back of his head that he's not happy, and it'll be, you know, it'll it'll it'll have a trickle-down effect in that locker room. And I don't think um if he stays, it'll be healthy for the Detroit Red Wings. But so he's still available. I know he's got like a three-team list, he's expanded it a little bit. You know, I've heard teams are excited. Players are excited about you know, the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks. They see both teams on the rise doing the right things, uh, cap space available, really exciting young talent, right? I mean, so I think some of these players that are available. I mean, I'll throw Vinny Trochek out there, you know, what the Rangers are gonna do with him, if anything remains to be uh seen. You know, but when you're talking about, like, you know, Celebrinis and you're talking about the Carlsons and the Cutter Goches, veteran players are looking around going, like, I want to play with these guys. Like these guys are marquee players. So that's a real attractive uh feature for the ducks uh on the west coast here, where sometimes players look at I, you know, listen, I don't want to play in California, I don't want the taxes, I don't want, you know, I don't want sunshine, right? I I don't know what else there is. What? But I I mean I do. I think there's you know, it it's funny to see that you know, in the trade market, you know, guys are able to kind of really kind of predestine where they're gonna go. You know, they can kind of force the hands. Back when I played, I mean, if you had a year left on your contract or or multiple years, and you were disgruntled and wanted to get out of where you were, and you were a valuable marquee player, I mean, they just said, suck it up, you're not going anywhere. You know, you you know, I mean, we will revisit this when you are out of contract years, and you know, they wouldn't be afraid to run you all the way through your final year of your contract, and then by the time you got to the trade deadline, management look at you and say, Okay, yes, we will resign you. This is what we're looking to sign you for. Or, hey, you know, now we're gonna trade you, and you know, you can go to whoever we send you to, a contender or not, and then you know, we'll get something and we won't lose you for nothing. And then you, you know, the other team will figure out what they're gonna do with you. So I'm I'm somewhat surprised, and I talked to other uh former players and we're like, can't believe the control and the power that the guys currently have uh, you know, with no movement clauses, whether they're partial or full. The guys obviously with the full no movement clause, they really have um, you know, kind of team. You know, just think about hey, if I'm gonna go anywhere, Brady Kachuk, I'm gonna give you like really one team, and I want to go play with my brother. And there's no other option for the team, right? So uh, but let's let's digress and move back to the current trade market. Uh, I I do. I think Pat has got certain players earmarked, and he's gonna see what he can do. And it and if it is a deal, I think it's gonna be a deal that involves, you know, probably some current players with draft picks or prospects that will have to get uh a major deal done.

SPEAKER_01 40:52

Yeah, I agree. And I and I think that's why you're you're seeing the AJ Greer AJ Greer deal being done, um, Wahlberg deal being done. A lot of these guys are gonna be able to supplement if they have to take away from the NHL roster, that would make sense. Um, that being said, you mentioned the attractiveness of the Anaheim ducks. I mean, Coach Q, I think, leads the way as well. People want to play for him. I think that is a big difference maker for a lot of people, too. I think that's an easy sell based on uh what he's been able to do, the culture he has created, and the coaching staff he has put together. Um, I think people want to come and play for this team. Again, prospects and talent aside, I think that's a huge factor as well. All right, something I wasn't gonna hit on, but I just it just dawned on me. Um I I've been wanting to ask you about this. I'll ask you about it on the podcast. So Rachel Gudis, Captain, gone. We've had this conversation before. So where does that see go? And prior to Gudis, it kind of was a captain by committee. Let's see who steps up, let's see, you know, let it evolve a little bit. I think you've seen some of these players evolve over the last couple years under Gudis. I think this has been part of the plan the entire time. Not necessarily to see Ratko Goot go, but there was certainly going to be a progression plan in put in place. So coming to my mind, you got four guys that stand out to me right away. You got Leo Carlson, you got Cutter Gautier, you got Jackson Lacomb, and you have Troy Terry. The first guy that stands out to me is Troy Terry and always has been. Just based on his longevity with the team, his leadership, who he is as an individual, what he means to the franchise, he would stand out to me as my first choice. I know that he's hurt right now and that he won't return until a couple months into the season. Yeah. I'm not sure if that'll have an effect effect on it or not. I mean, once you choose a captain, you choose a captain. Um, a close second for me, a 1A and 1B, I think I'm going Jackson Lacomb. And I he wasn't always on my radar. I think it was more of the Leo Carlson Cutter Gochier. Um, I think that's kind of where I was always going with this. But Jackson Lacomb, the way that he holds himself, he the way he plays the game, what he did in the postseason, the ice time that he has, just his demeanor on the bench. He comes across as a leader, kind of one of those quiet leaders. Again, I'm not going all Scotty Niedermeier on you, but certainly one of those guys that leads by example on the ice. He seems like one of those guys that is that type of quiet type of leader. We talked to Travis Mowen about what what Scotty was. He didn't talk a lot, but when he spoke, people listened. I'm not inside that room. I haven't talked to anyone about this, but he seems like he is more of that um mentality and that character that he is that type of guy. So uh when you look at the future captain of the Anaheim Ducks moving forward, and uh again, this is gonna be a big one, Gibo, because this is gonna be a guy that you're gonna want to find consistency in as you're opening this window to the postseason for the next six, seven, eight, nine years and beyond, you're gonna have some. Somebody that's got to wear this C and be consistent because having a consistent captain, you can speak to this more than a lot of other people. That's important. Important to have a a leader that's gonna have a constant voice on a team. Um, it's gonna be a big decision. So 1A, Troy Terry, 1B, Jackson Lacomb. What say you, Gia Bear?

SPEAKER_00 44:23

Well, I mean, listen, there is so much that goes into selecting a captain for your team. And yeah, I mean, immeasurable in a lot of ways. And Radko Goodis, I do. I think Radko became the perfect choice uh to lead this young team, right? Uh KG veteran, uh incredible guy. Like I, if anybody's ever met Radko, you just walk away saying that guy is just the one of the greatest guys I've ever met, right? And what he does on the ice, the way he performs, the way he leads by example, uh is you know almost unmatched in the NHL. The way he leads in the locker room, again, is just one of those things where he's got the pulse of the team, knows when to say something, knows when to jump on somebody, knows when to motivate somebody. Uh, so he slid into that role really well. The thing that most people don't realize is that listen, the captain is like the conduit between the coaching staff, the management, and the organization. There's a lot of things that run through the captain about, you know, we have all these events that we need to have through the marketing uh and public relations. And so they work through the that through the captain of the team and work out, you know, do these dates help you guys? You're coming back from this road trip. So there's a whole bunch of stuff that the captain deals with uh off the ice that is time consuming. And sometimes that's you I I wonder and I worry about you know, young captains who are you know geared in on playing the game, and then all of a sudden there's a lot of distraction. Uh, you know, it's team oriented, but it's away from the ice. It's stuff that like I gotta talk to coach about you know, this, that, the other thing, and we have you know uh this event, and yeah, it so it becomes it becomes a lot. So that's my fear of a younger guy um you know taking control. Now I I'll say that and Paul Korea was named our captain, I think his second year with us, and and Paul wore that, you know, that C for you know a long time. He had the right mentality. I mean, he was all business all the time, and he never had a problem uh leading on the ice, off the ice. Uh Paul was very quiet for the most part, so much like Scotty and some others along the way, you know, and Paul talked, we we listened, and we always knew that he was going to be the hardest working guy on the ice. So it was it was easy to follow him because you know you get done with your ice practice, you come into the locker room, and there's Paul lifting weights. And so it's like, I don't really want to lift weights today, you know, and you look over and there's your captain. It's like, okay, get on the stationary bike, get a workout in, go hit the weights, make sure you get your stretching in and do all the right things. So uh a guy who can lead by example is critical. So you're 1A, 1B, maybe 2A. Um, you know, my inclination is that you know, you're looking for your next Paul Carey as captain. And I think uh not uh any knocking against Troy Terry because Troy is um you know as solid as there is, and does he deserve it? I think he does. I I'm curious because of you know his surgery and recovery time, that you want to have your captain engaged from day one into training camp, or at least by puck drop for opening night, that you want to have your captain and have that sorted out. So I mean, I think Jackson Lacomb, uh yeah, I think he vaulted up the standings for all of us uh with his performance in the last year. The contract he just signed in the off offseason last year that kicks in now this season. Um, I believe it was seven years, seven or eight years. I think it was eight. It's yeah, eight years, 72 million, something like that, right? So so you're looking at a guy who's tied up now for the next eight years. So to give him the C, I wouldn't be surprised. I think Leo is definitely another uh great choice. I think Cutter, um, again, not to take anything away from another player, but I think that you know, Cutter is a really quiet guy. Um, and I and I think sometimes, you know, some players just like to do what they do and do well, and they don't like that extra burden of being the captain. Uh, you know, it's certainly Corey Perry.

unknown 48:41

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 48:42

Exactly. I mean, some guys are like, hey, uh, you know, I'll let Getzey be the leader and I'll do everything he tells me, and I'm happy to support him in every way, but I don't need that extra pressure. I I want to make sure I just do what I do. Um, so and I don't want to speak for any of these players because you know, I think, you know, uh the honor of being a captain for an NHL franchise is incredible, and I think everybody would want it to some extent. Um, but listen, there's great options, and I guess that's the great thing, right? You know, uh I think any of those players would be great. I think they'd be very fitting because of the direction of the team. Um, they've been here long enough that they've made a big enough impact that I don't think someone would say, uh I mean, I can't believe why they give it to him. Like, I mean, he's barely played in this league, and I'm supposed to follow him. So I think that these guys uh are all well suited for it in different ways. And, you know, it'll be interesting to see if it's a patent decision, a patent coaching decision, or if they let the players actually decide uh like we did many a time uh voting on who we wanted as captain. A lot of times we just scribbled on a piece of paper, we put it in a hat, the coaches took it to the back room and came out with the uh the name of the captain and assistant captain. So that's the key is that if you have your captain Frenchie, you have to have, you know, your assistant captains who are going to help you throughout the process off-ice stuff as well as just the on-ice stuff.

SPEAKER_01 50:05

Well, I think you bring up a good point that people don't understand is the off-ice stuff can wear on you as a player. It can be taxing, and there's a lot going on because you are the liaison between the organization, the coaching staff, uh, and you still have to get it done on the ice. And I think I would love to uh have a conversation with Ryan Getzloff about that because he took on the C after Scott Niedermeyer. And you saw a decline in his play, and not saying it was because of the C, but he was a young man who had a tremendous amount of pressure. He was starting a family off the ice, he was a young guy on the ice as a a leader of a team um that was expected to win now after Scotty, and you you saw it, and he worked through it, it was it wasn't easy, and he became one of the best captains to ever wear a C for the franchise and one of the faces and always will be one of the faces of the franchise as a result. But he had to grow into it. Yeah. Um, but he had the work ethic, he had the mentality to to fight through some of the tough times and to come out on the other side as one of the very best. And so I think that's a a really good point you make. You have to look at the player himself, the person, and who's gonna be able to take on this pressure and still perform as an elite player on the ice, but also be able to take on all this extra that comes along with being a captain off the ice. And certainly that is something that the coaching staff, everybody looks at, and and the players, I think you you bring up a good point. You got a lot of veterans in that dressing room that are gonna be able to know what it takes because of their experience, like a Kreider, for instance, you know, um, like a Granland. I mean, these guys who have been around who who know what it takes to be a captain. So uh I agree and I think it'll be interesting to see kind of how it shakes out, but certainly exciting. I mean, I'm really looking forward to seeing who is gonna kind of carry the torch um for the Santa Heim Ducks team into this this kind of new era, as you want to call it, um, of the franchise. So it's gonna be a lot of fun to see a lot of changes, a lot of good changes, and and uh wow, got a lot to talk about, Gebo. It's already, man, we're rolling here. I mean, there is just so much going on. It's it's uh it's gonna be fun to see you know what Paterbeak does over the next day or so and and then what the team does over the next several months when it comes to the captain. So good stuff for the ducks here uh on the horizon.

SPEAKER_00 52:30

Yeah, I mean it this is a fun time in the NHL. Um, you know, last thing about the captain is is that you know, captains form relationships with the referees and the linesmen throughout the course of the league, right? So uh that's an important relationship. That took you a while to do. Yeah. I mean, the ducks heavily penalized for the last, you know, 15 years or so. And you know, a lot of that comes from, you know, how do you is there respect between you and the referees and the linesmen? And if you have a great relationship with them, um it's amazing. You know, they're they're more apt to listen to you if you've got a good relationship or if you're just barking in their ear constantly. Uh, sometimes, you know, they got they got long memories, so they'll put that in their back pocket. But uh, you know, that's something that, you know, uh I know that will be on the forefront. Who whoever becomes the next captain is to be uh aware of that situation. But and listen, July 1st, fun time, more fun for unrestricted free agents, really fun for the fans, thinking, hey, my team needs X player. Are we gonna get them? And how exciting that is for the upcoming season.

SPEAKER_01 53:39

Yep. Um be a lot to talk about for our next podcast. And also, you know, and I love this. So yeah, we are uh we are the mask and the mic, but yet, you know, we like to talk about other things other than hockey, although this is a big time when it comes to uh the NHL offseason. But let's not forget there's this thing called the World Cup going on. And before we go, uh hopefully next football, hopefully next time we have this podcast, we're talking about a USAW because um they're taking on Bosnia Herzegovina. Did I say that right? Yeah, you got it. As much as I know. I will say one thing before before we go when it comes to soccer. I have been a casual fan, um, certainly tuning in because it's a historic uh time to have you know the World Cup here on North American soil. Um Christian Pulisic is one of the stars, or if not the star, of the US men's national team. Played a little bit in game one against Paraguay, didn't play in game two, got in the second half in game three, uh, the loss of Turkey A. But Gibo, when you have a player that I I never knew how dynamic he was, but he he demands the ball, he has the ball, and he makes things happen. Within a matter of like 10 minutes, he had like three or four shots on that. It was it's unbelievable how much of a difference maker he is, and I cannot wait to see him uh on the pitch on Wednesday. So um, U.S. men's national team has an opportunity to do something incredibly historic in the knockout round. Will you be watching Wednesday night, Guilla?

SPEAKER_00 55:16

Oh, yeah, absolutely. I mean, I think, you know, you hate to be a bandwagon or jumping on, but as you mentioned, it I mean, it is historic for all this to be going on in the U.S. Uh, the success of the U.S. men's team right now, uh, it's hard not to get excited about it. And then who doesn't love like single elimination? Like, talk about knockout rounds and you either win or go home. And I think for the US men's team, um, you know, what an opportunity it is to continue to put US men's soccer on the map. Listen, they've been, you know, for for decades or years, you know, I mean, they were spurts of great performances and and iconic players. Uh, but this is an opportunity for them to really make uh make a mark in in the world of soccer or as they say in Europe, football.

SPEAKER_01 56:03

Nothing more stressful than penalty kicks. That's where it all ends up now, right? It's like, oh my gosh, I'm getting text. Hey, this match isn't a penalty kick. I'm like, well, oh my, you know, it's not like shit.

SPEAKER_00 56:11

It's love to be a goalie in any sport, right? Yeah, that's super fun. The net is generally.

SPEAKER_01 56:26

Good stuff, man. Welcome back from uh from from the country, yeah from thank you from farming.

SPEAKER_00 56:32

And good to have you back. Lots to talk about. Yeah, yeah. And there's uh we might have to talk about some guy named Messi because I think he scored a lot of goals. I think he's that's for another podcast. That's for another podcast.

SPEAKER_01 56:43

Uh, anyways, if you want to listen to this podcast or watch our smiling faces, of course, you can tune in to our YouTube channel at the Mass the Mic. And we are also on Spotify and iTunes. Uh, Gibo, good stuff. Good to have you back. Good to get caught up on all things uh hockey. And uh cannot wait to see what's on tap over the next uh actually day or so, and then uh we'll have a lot to talk about next week. So uh as we always like to say as we end and wrap up this incredible time of conversation, what say you bear?

SPEAKER_00 57:15

Well, there's gonna be a lot of fireworks uh in the world of DNA. 250th and happy 250th, uh and as we always say, and good for us.