Stat Hockey’s Anaheim Ducks 2023-24 Line Projections

This is a look at the Anaheim Ducks 2023-24 line projections. It will cover all forward lines, defense pairings, goaltenders, and scratches.

Projected Lineup

F

Adam Henrique – Trevor Zegras – Troy Terry

Alex Killorn – Mason McTavish – Ryan Strome

Frank Vatrano – Leo Carlsson – Jakob Silfverberg

Max Jones – Benoit-Olivier Groulx – Brock McGinn

S- Sam Carrick, Brett Leason

D

Cam Fowler – Jamie Drysdale

Urho Vaakanainen – Radko Gudas

Jackson LaCombe – Ilya Lyubushkin

S- Robert Hagg

G

John Gibson

Lukas Dostal

Forwards

The Ducks should once again ice the same top line. Henrique is a nice complementary player to Zegras and Terry. These three should lead the team again if there are no injuries to deal with. I expect the two young stars to get even better with the help of the veteran leadership and two-way ability alongside them.

Killorn comes in as the big free agent addition at forward and makes the top-six better. After a career year, he’s looking to help the young Ducks become more relevant as soon as possible. He adds much needed scoring that the team didn’t have last season, and he’s very durable. He and Strome should be great wingers for McTavish who took a big step forward last season. He has solidified a top-six role and I see him centering the line.

Carlsson is no lock to make the Ducks this season, but I have him pegged as the third line center. There is less pressure on the 18-year-old and he will get to play in between two veterans. Vatrano can still put up points, but Silfverberg is slowing down. This should be a solid third line, but I don’t expect them to stay together for the entire season.

Groulx has to make the team this season or he will have to go through waivers. He has been on the cusp, so I think the young center can finally take the fourth line center role this season. Flanking him will be two solid depth players. I don’t expect a ton from this line, but they will be able to score on occasion.

Defense

Drysdale is back from injury, and he will get top minutes alongside Fowler, the team’s number one defenseman to this point. I can see Drysdale pushing him for key minutes, but they should also each log over 23 minutes a night easily because of the talent behind them.

Gudas was added this season to help defend some of the softer talented players on the team. He comes from a third pairing role in Florida to a second pairing role on the Ducks. He will be a stable presence and definitely help limit some goals and protect the stars. I had Vaakaneinen stepping into a top-four role last season, but injury prevented that. Now, he should be able to play alongside Gudas because there is little to no competition behind him on the left side.

The third pairing is where it gets a bit tricky. Lyubushkin is being paid and is solid at defending, so he should have the right side locked down. But the left and the extra spot on defense is up for grabs. In competition should be Robert Hagg, Jackson LaCombe, Colton White, and Drew Helleson. Only two can make it to start the season. Hagg has seventh defenseman written all over him, while Helleson would do better getting a full time spot on the right side rather than sitting in the press box. LaCombe is coming out of university where he played great. He got a two-game trial at the end of the season and I think he steals the spot in camp. Helleson will be on standby in the AHL as their top defensive option.

Goaltending

The Ducks are running it back with Gibson again it seems. He has struggled through tough years in Anaheim since they started a rebuild, but if he sticks it out, he could be rewarded. For now, it looks like he is the starter and should play a lot. He can still steal games and is a great talent. Behind him will be the rookie Dostal who started 17 games last season and solidified his spot on the team for this season. Alex Stalock will be on standby as the third goalie as many teams have gone this route this season.