Ducks Cut Roster To 26

By Thomas Harrington

Before Friday’s final preseason game, the Anaheim Ducks made several roster moves. Forward Sam Colangelo, forward Nathan Gaucher, and forward Nikita Nesterenko were assigned to the San Diego Gulls, forward Beckett Sennecke was assigned to Oshawa of the OHL, forward Jansen Harkins was placed on waivers with the intent to assign him to San Diego once he clears, and defensemen Gustav Lindstrom and Mark Pysyk were released from their professional tryouts. The Ducks now have 26 players on their roster. Two of those, John Gibson and Tomas Suchanek, are currently on injured reserves, which means the Ducks almost have their opening night roster set.

Colangelo was a second round pick from 2020 who made his professional debut at the end of last season. He played in two games at the rookie tournament and recorded two assists. He has played in four preseason games, tied for the lead among Anaheim’s prospects, and scored a goal. Colangelo was fighting for one of the final roster spots, and even though he didn’t get it out of training camp, the Ducks clearly liked what they saw out of him. I anticipate him being back in Anaheim during the season.

Gaucher was a first round pick from 2022. He was injured for much of training camp and ended up only playing in one preseason game as a result where he recorded an assist. If not for the injury, he undoubtedly would have played in more games, but also may have been sent to San Diego sooner. Gaucher is far from a lock to get called to the Ducks this season, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he did.

Nesterenko was acquired from the Minnesota Wild back in 2023. He did not attend the rookie tournament and was tied with Colangelo with four preseason games played. Nesterenko had two assists in those four preseason games. Similar to Colangelo, I fully expect Nesterenko to be back in Anaheim at some point this season; it’s a question of when and not if to me.

Sennecke was the third overall pick in the most recent draft. He was injured and missed the rookie tournament and much of the preseason. He was able to play in one game but was scoreless. However, there was a shootout in that game and Sennecke scored a pretty goal in it. It’s unsurprising to see him sent back to junior hockey. I thought there was an outside chance he’d get a couple of NHL games at the start of the season, but his injury and missing so much of training camp meant that was no longer a consideration.

The Ducks signed Harkins to a two-year contract back in July. He’s played in both the NHL and AHL for the past couple of seasons, so it wasn’t surprising to see him waived. If the Ducks need a veteran fourth line presence, he could make his way back to Anaheim, but I think it’s more likely Anaheim would call up one of their prospects from San Diego instead.

Lindstrom and Pysyk were brought to give a little more competition for Anaheim’s blueline. If any of Anaheim’s younger defensemen weren’t ready, then one of them could have been signed. Instead, by letting both go, the Ducks clearly think their young defensive core is ready to go. Which means the Ducks will likely carry four defensemen on their roster who were born in 2001 or later.

Other than the backup goaltender situation, Anaheim’s roster looks about set. Opening night is just over a week away. Hopefully the Ducks’ young blueline will be able to stand up to the rigors of the NHL season. For now, it looks like Cutter Gauthier and Tristan Luneau are the only rookie skaters who will make the opening night roster, but others should be joining them throughout the season.

Related Articles:

Ranking Anaheim’s Prospect Positions

2024-25: Anaheim’s Top 10 Rookies

Prospects We Could See In NHL This Season

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October 4th, 2024