The Anaheim Ducks just completed a great season in the NHL that included a trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Despite that fact, things seem very strange in Anaheim at the moment. The Ducks are in grave danger of losing all three of their veteran defensemen to free agency, per Sportsnet.
John Carlson has made it known he wants to leave Anaheim and head back to an East Coast team. That is hard enough for Ducks fans to stomach, as Carlson posted six points in the playoffs.
Anaheim though is quite likely to see two other defensemen hit free agency.
“Anaheim Ducks veteran defenseman Jacob Trouba is likely to test the unrestricted free agent market,” Pro Hockey Rumors reported.
The outlet then went on to say Radko Gudas is likely to test the waters, too.
“The 36-year-old is the Ducks’ captain and is coming up on the end of the three-year, $4MM AAV contract he signed as a free agent on July 1, 2023. Gudas took a real step back in terms of role this past season, skating in just 16:10 time on ice per game, and just 1:36 per game on the penalty kill,” Pro Hockey Rumors added.
Gudas played in just one postseason game for Anaheim this season. During the regular season, he posted 13 points in 56 games played.
Trouba played in 81 regular season games. He posted 35 points for the Ducks. During the postseason, he scored one goal for Anaheim in 12 games played.
These players have a wealth of experience. It would clearly hurt Anaheim tremendously to lose all three of them. During the 2025-26 season, the Ducks posted 92 regular season points.
Anaheim then skated into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. After defeating the Edmonton Oilers in a thrilling six-game series, the Ducks then bowed to the Vegas Golden Knights.
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