Ducks News and Notes: Season Preview
The Anaheim Ducks begin their season on October 2nd against the Vegas Golden Knights in Las Vegas. Following a postseason appearance, a break, and roster adjustments, the team is set to start the campaign. Here’s a look at the opening-night lineup, key matchups, and other pre-season details.
Opening-Night Roster
The team finalized its season-opening roster on Monday. The forwards include Leo Carlsson, Judd Caulfield, Sam Colangelo, Cutter Gauthier, Mikael Granlund, A.J. Greer, Alex Killorn, Nikita Klepov, Jeff Malott, Roger McQueen, Nikita Nesterenko, Ryan Poehling, Beckett Sennecke, Troy Terry (injured, not on roster), Frank Vatrano, and Tim Washe.
Defenders are Drew Helleson, Tyson Hinds, Nick Jensen, Jackson LaCombe, Tristan Luneau, Pavel Mintyukov, and Ian Moore (injured reserve). Lukas Dostal and Ville Husso will be in goal.
The Ducks are a young squad, with seven players aged 22 or younger: Klepov, McQueen, Sennecke, Carlsson, Gauthier, Luneau, and Mintyukov. Additionally, Caulfield, Colangelo, Hinds, Luneau, Moore, Nesterenko, and Washe have not yet completed a full season.
Expect some challenges as the season starts due to this inexperience. However, the roster features strong talent, skill, and speed, complemented by experienced players. Head coach Joel Quenneville demonstrated last season his ability to quickly stabilize a team, and this year should be similar.
Notable Games
Several games stand out. The home opener is on October 4th versus the Florida Panthers. A strong rivalry has emerged with the Philadelphia Flyers since the Gauthier/Jamie Drysdale trade. The Ducks visit the Flyers on October 24th, and the Flyers come to Anaheim on January 3rd.
The "Freeway Faceoff" rivalry with the Los Angeles Kings resumes with back-to-back games on November 27th and 28th. On January 23rd, they face the reigning Stanley Cup champions, the Carolina Hurricanes, for the first time.
The season concludes with four April games against conference and division rivals: the Utah Mammoth, Edmonton Oilers, Kings, and San Jose Sharks. Their final home game (vs. the Kings) is April 6th, and the regular season ends against the Sharks on April 10th. A playoff spot might be decided in these closing contests.
The team will also host two legacy nights to honor franchise greats. On January 28th, they will mark the 20th anniversary of their 2007 Stanley Cup victory. The following game, January 30th, will feature Ryan Getzlaf’s jersey retirement ceremony. Various other theme and giveaway nights are scheduled throughout the season.
A Few Things to Note Before the Season Starts
Mikael Granlund will serve as captain, with Carlsson, Killorn, LaCombe, and Terry as alternate captains. He replaces Radko Gudas, who was traded to the Panthers in June. Gudas will return to Honda Center to play against his former team in the Ducks’ home opener.
The Ducks have ended their contract with Victory+. Games will now stream locally on Prime Video and over-the-air on KCOP-13 or FOX 11, excluding national broadcasts. Fans outside the local market can stream games on ESPN+ or NHL Center Ice. There will be no rinkside reporter this season, as Aly Lozoff was let go during the offseason.
Terry is expected to be sidelined until at least December, following hip surgery in June. Moore will miss two to four weeks with a lower-body injury. The rest of the team is healthy following training camp and preseason games.
The Ducks’ season begins on October 2nd at 7:00 pm.
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