3 Offseason Targets For Anaheim Ducks

The Anaheim Ducks definitely took positive steps this season as a lot of their younger players have started to come into their own and some of the veterans complement them well. This is a team that will continue to be on the rise and might even be in the hunt for the playoffs until very late in the season. They need at least another piece though and there are some free agent targets that would really help out.

Mitch Marner

Mitch Marner is going to be the top free agent available if he makes it that far, which he very well may at this point. A team like Anaheim will try their very best to bring in a player of that caliber at this key time and in the later stages of a rebuild to help take the team right out of it and into playoff contention. The Ducks will have a lot of competition in trying to sign Marner though, but the team needs an elite and experienced winger to complete the top-6. If they don't get Marner, there are other options.

Nikolaj Ehlers

I would say the next best option for the Ducks would be Nikolaj Ehlers. He is probably going to leave the Winnipeg Jets because he wants top line minutes that he won't be able to get on his current team. He would be able to get that on the Ducks though. I look at the current top line of Anaheim and I don't see any one of the three playing as much or as high in the lineup. Troy Terry, Mason McTavish, Cutter Gauthier, and Lucas Carlsson will all be top-6 players for a long time and I don't see Trevor Zegras being with the team much longer. Ehlers could slide right in as a more experienced highly skilled player coming off of a career year.

Jake Allen

The defense seems pretty set with a lot of options next season, but the goaltending is a little more up for debate. John Gibson still has two years left on his contract at $6.4 million AAV, but there have been some teams, particularly the Carolina Hurricanes, who have been interested. I believe he will be traded as Lukas Dostal took over as the starter this season anyways and Gibson is regularly injured. If that becomes a reality, a backup will be needed and Jake Allen has been great in that role the past number of years. He could get a 2-3 year contract that is deserved after his season in New Jersey.