Anaheim Ducks Expected To Name General Manager

According to Pierre LeBrun, the Anaheim Ducks are expected to name Pat Verbeek as their new general manager. He also noted that an official announcement could occur as soon as Thursday.

All signs point to Pat Verbeek being named the next GM of the Anaheim Ducks, sources say. Announcement possibly as early as Thursday. The former NHLer has worked alongside Steve Yzerman in Tampa and Detroit. Seems primed and ready for this opportunity. @TSNHockey @TheAthletic
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) February 3, 2022

Verbeek is currently the assistant general manager of the Detroit Red Wings and the general manager of their AHL affiliate - the Grand Rapids Griffins. Thus, he's had an excellent mentor in Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman, so that should excite Ducks fans. With that, he also previously worked with Yzerman during the latter's time as general manager there, too.

Anaheim's former GM, Bob Murray, resigned from the team back in mid-November. Thus, the team has been on the hunt for a permanent replacement since then. Now, it seems that Verbeek will be their guy, and it's hard to complain about it.

Verbeek also had a lengthy career as a player, too. In 1,424 games between the New Jersey Devils, Hartford Whalers, New York Rangers, Dallas Stars, and Red Wings, he had 522 goals, 540 assists, 1,062 points, and a whopping 2,905 penalty minutes. With that, he appeared in two All-Star Games and was a part of the Stars' 1999 Stanley Cup team.

Once officially hired, Verbeek will have a lot of big decisions to make. The rebuilding Ducks have been very good this season, but they also have multiple big-name pending free agents. Thus, he will have to decide if he will trade them to help their rebuild or risk losing them for nothing during the offseason for a potential playoff run.