2023 Anaheim Ducks Predictions with Futures Odds and Expert NHL Picks
Did anything go right for the Anaheim Ducks last season? They would go on to finish dead last in the league as they managed a mere 58 points on the season. Not only that, but after being by far the worst team on the ice, luck wasn’t on their side when it came to the draft lottery as they would fall out of the top pick and miss out on Connor Bedard. Their -129-goal differential was the worst in the NHL by 13 goals, while their 338 goals allowed was also the worst in the league. Their 72.1% PK% was the second lowest across the league, and their 15.7% success rate on the PP was also second worst in the league. Getting the trend? Last season was one to forget for Ducks fans.
C Trevor Zegras and RW Troy Terry were the only two members of this Anaheim squad to total over 60 points, with the two totaling 65 and 61, respectively. No other member of the team was able to eclipse 50 points. Zegras and Terry were tied for the team lead with 23 goals, while Zegras also led the way in assists, finishing with 42. John Gibson was in the net for most of the season and posted a 14-31-8 record allowing 3.99 GA/G and a low .899 SV%.
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Seasons come and go, so now it’s time to take a look at what we can expect from the Anaheim Ducks in 2023-24:
Key Additions/Losses
Blueliner Simon Benoit headlines a list of departures from the Ducks team. After posting 10 points in 78 games, he is now off to Toronto. Fellow blueliner Kevin Shattenkirk is headed to Boston after finishing with 27 points in 75 games for Anaheim. C Jayson Megna is also off to Boston after playing in 41 games with the Ducks.
Anaheim acquired D Ilya Lyubushkin from the Buffalo Sabres for a fourth-round pick, while also getting busy in the free agent market. After posting 64 points with Tampa Bay a year ago, Alex Killorn is now dawning the Ducks uniform (though he will miss a good chunk of time to start the season after fracturing a finger). They also brought in Radko Gudas (17 points, FL), journeyman D Robert hagg (DET), and veteran netminder Alex Stalock (CHI).
X-Factors
John Gibson- If the netminder can have some success, not only would the Ducks win more, but they would likely see more of a return for him if they shipped him off by the deadline. Regardless, Gibson is better than the numbers he posted last year, and his improvement correlates with the success of the Ducks.
Draft Lottery- This is kind of a joke, but not really. Anaheim got a bad draw missing out on Bedard despite being the worst team in the league. Hopefully history doesn’t repeat itself this next offseason.
Goalie Outlook
John Gibson is back and slated as the number one guy again between the poles. He is dealing with an upper body injury and may miss some time, though reports have been positive. Newly acquired Alex Stalock will be his backup.
They cannot have a repeat of last season. The goalies combined to allow over 4 GA/G and had a lowly .899 SV%. Gibson will need to eat the majority of the games, but he may be on his way out at some point depending on the direction of the season.
Grade: D
Key Schedule Stretch
The first half of the season- They brought in some veteran pieces to be leaders and maybe fill a few seats for the beginning of the season, but they did not do enough to be seriously contending. They will likely struggle from the get go and sell some of the pieces they brought in and other veterans on their roster, in order to continue the rebuild.
Notable Odds
*DraftKings Sportsbook
Stanley Cup Champions - +25000
Conference Winner - +13000
Division Winner - +30000
To Make the Playoffs- Yes- +1700
Prediction
Anaheim will be right where they were a year ago. They put band-aids on a gaping wound. And they’ll likely rip those off and bring in some future capital. Ducks sit around 60 again this season and will have good odds again heading into the lottery.
Under 67.5 Team Total Points
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