Helleson, 24, returned on a deal that will pay him an annual average value of $1.1 million.

He spent the first month or last season in the minors but came up to play 56 NHL games. He had a +6 rating and 13 points manning the right side of the Ducks’ third pairing overwhelmingly, playing over 16 minutes per game.

The Farmington, Minnesota, native was a friend of Jackson LaCombe growing up and their reunion with the Ducks has been fruitful. Former coach Greg Cronin said that Helleson’s arrival boosted the confidence and morale of LaCombe, who enjoyed a breakout season that saw him turn around his shaky rookie campaign 180 degrees to become the Ducks’ top blue-liner.

Now, Helleson and LaCombe will be part of a group that added Chris Kreider via trade, Mikael Granlund through free agency and Joel Quenneville from the coaching market. Thus far, their defense has remained unchanged from the end of last season.

Helleson’s re-signing comes one day after the Ducks committed $32.5 million over five years to lock up Lukáš Dostál, their uncontested No. 1 goalie following his stellar 2024-25 and the trade of John Gibson to Detroit.

Among restricted free agents without contracts are a pair of former Western Michigan standouts, Sam Colangelo and Tim Washe, and 2021’s No. 3 overall draft pick, Mason McTavish. Since Dostál had arbitration rights and McTavish did not, it seemed logical that the Ducks would attend to Dostál’s deal first.

Even with the signings of the past two days, the Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks have the most cap space of any NHL team, over $21 million, per PuckPedia. That should protect them against offer sheets for McTavish and enable them to not only retain their remaining RFAs, but also explore opportunities to add talent.

Dostál, 25, announced his own signing via Ducks social media channels on Thursday morning.

He’s come light years from a tiny town outside Brno where he began his journey to NHL stardom.

“I look at myself in the mirror and I always see myself as being a kid from a village with 300 people in it,” Dostál said. “It’s a good reminder that if you have a dream and you want to chase it, there’s always a possibility to reach it.”

Dostál said the deal was finalized late Wednesday night, and while he was looking ahead to his morning workout, he had to fit in a call home to parents Martin and Renata before bed.

“Right away, I called my dad, like, ‘Hey, it’s done, these are the numbers, we can chat more the next day,’” Dostál said. “My dad didn’t want to hang up the phone, he just wanted to talk to me. It’s a big moment for my family.”

Last season, he led one of the NHL’s top goaltending tandems with veteran John Gibson. The longtime Duck was traded to the Detroit Red Wings in June, and now Czech countryman Petr Mrázek will serve as Dostál’s backup.

Dostál said he reached out to Gibson when he was dealt, saying the pair had a strong “professional relationship” and that he gleaned quite a bit from Gibson. Now, Dostál is the uncontested starter.

“Lukáš has proven he is a No. 1 goaltender and we are so pleased to get this deal done,” Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said in a statement. “He is just entering the prime of his career with his best hockey ahead of him.”

Dostál went 23-23-7 with a .903 save percentage last season, but given his team’s typically poor possession numbers and high shot volume against, he was one of the top goalies in the NHL in terms of goals saved above expected.

Just before solidifying himself at the NHL level, Dostál was the lynchpin in Czechia’s run to World Championship gold on home soil in the spring of 2024. In February, he will likely reprise his role as No. 1 netminder in Milan at the Winter Olympics, the first tournament with NHL participation since 2014.

“It’s a massive honor. The NHL players are coming back, and it’s nice that I can be a part of that wave,” Dostál said. “I’m going to be 25, and representing the Czech Republic (at that age) is going to be really cool.”

Dostál is part of a young Ducks core that also includes half a dozen top-10 picks as well as top defenseman Jackson LaCombe. He said the mid-range term of his pact – he could have signed for as many as eight years or as few as one – represented a mutual desire between him and the Ducks.

“We are a rising team, I truly believe that. That’s why we agreed to a long-term deal,” said Dostál, whose contract covers two arbitration-eligible years as restricted free agent and three unrestricted free agent campaigns.

Remaining unsigned for the Ducks are RFAs Mason McTavish, the No. 3 overall pick in 2021; Drew Helleson, a solid contributor on right defense and close friend of LaCombe; Sam Colangelo, who spruced up the third line once he was called up for good last season; and Tim Washe, who joined the Ducks for two games at the end of last season after winning the NCAA championship with Western Michigan.

Here’s a quick peek at the six games that aren’t to be missed this season.

Oct. 14: vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

After a quick swing through Seattle and San Jose, the Ducks will kick off the home portion of their schedule against the Pittsburgh Penguins and perhaps the greatest player of his generation, Sidney Crosby.  Crosby’s Pens have missed the playoffs three years in a row – the Ducks’ drought is seven seasons – but they won Stanley Cup titles in 2009, 2016 and 2017. Those three championships were equaled in the post-lockout era only by the Chicago Blackhawks, who won it all in 2010, 2013 and 2015 under new Ducks coach Joel Quenneville.

Oct. 19: at Chicago Blackhawks

This early-season visit to the Madhouse on Madison was already significant thanks to the showdown between 2023’s top two picks, Chicago’s Connor Bedard and the Ducks’ Leo Carlsson. Now, the plot thickened as Quenneville joined the Ducks. He’d returned to Chicago previously with the Florida Panthers, though only once outside the crowdless conditions of the COVID pandemic. Quenneville hoisted the Stanley Cup in Chicago three times, but his tenure was later marred by what the NHL deemed inadequate action to a sexual assault scandal, leaving him barred from the league for nearly three years.

Dec. 15: at New York Rangers

It’ll be the first game back in the Big Apple for a pair of players who wore letters for the Rangers, former captain Jacob Trouba and former alternate captain Chris Kreider. Trouba was traded to the Ducks last season after they’d already played at Madison Square Garden and Kreider was sent west over the summer. Both were not only critical contributors on the ice for the Blue Shirts, but pillars of the community as well. While Kreider’s departure was handled with care, Trouba was less than thrilled about how the Rangers pushed their Mark Messier Leadership Award winner out the door.

Jan. 6: at Philadelphia Flyers; March 18: vs Philadelphia Flyers

What instantaneously became the biggest interconference rivalry in the league today only deepened its intrigue over the summer. Last season, the Philadelphia crowd went insane while welcoming Ducks rookie Cutter Gauthier, who had refused to sign with the Flyers after they drafted him fifth overall, sparking a 6-0 romp by Philly. This year, not only will Gauthier hear the hate on Broad Street, but former Duck Trevor Zegras should feel the love inside the Honda Center. The former team leader in scoring was dealt unceremoniously to the Flyers this offseason and will make his return to Anaheim in March.

Feb. 6-24: Winter Olympics in Milan

It’s another campaign with a compressed schedule for 2025-26, this time for the first Winter Olympics since 2014 that will feature NHL pros in the ultimate best-on-best tournament. Carlsson was the only Duck to participate in last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off, but should he go to Milan as well he will likely be joined by goalie Lukáš Dostál (Czechia), captain Radko Gudas (Czechia), newcomer Mikael Granlund (Finland) and other hopefuls, including Kreider (USA).

April 16: at Nashville Predators

Will Game 82 carry real significance for the Ducks this season? As they visit one of the freshly acquired Granlund’s former teams, the Ducks could be playing for a postseason berth or playoff position. They haven’t been in such a position since 2018, when they were swept by San Jose in the first round. With the O.C. Vibe complex opening, Quenneville arriving and Ducks ownership opening its checkbook wide, ambition has returned to Orange County.

DUCKS 2025-26 SCHEDULE

Oct. 9 at Seattle, 7 p.m.

Oct. 11 at San Jose, 7 p.m.

Oct. 14 vs. Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 16 vs. Carolina, 7 p.m.

Oct. 19 at Chicago, 4 p.m.

Oct. 21 at Nashville, 5 p.m.

Oct. 23 at Boston, 4 p.m.

Oct. 25 at Tampa Bay, 2 p.m.

Oct. 28 at Florida, 4 p.m.

Oct. 31 vs. Detroit, 7 p.m.

Nov. 2 vs. New Jersey, 5 p.m.

Nov. 4 vs. Florida, 7 p.m.

Nov. 6 at Dallas, 5 p.m.

Nov. 8 at Vegas, 7 p.m.

Nov. 9 vs. Winnipeg, 7 p.m.

Nov. 11 at Colorado, 6:30 p.m.

Nov. 13 at Detroit, 4 p.m.

Nov 15 at Minnesota, 3 p.m.

Nov. 17 vs. Utah, 7 p.m.

Nov. 19 vs. Boston, 7 p.m.

Nov. 20 vs. Ottawa, 7 p.m.

Nov 22 vs. Vegas, 7 p.m.

Nov. 26 vs. Vancouver, 7 p.m.

Nov 28 vs. Kings, 1 p.m.

Nov. 30 at Chicago, 12:30 p.m.

Dec. 1 at St. Louis, 5 p.m.

Dec. 3 vs. Utah, 7 p.m.

Dec. 5 vs. Washington, 7 p.m.

Dec. 7 vs. Chicago, 5 p.m.

Dec. 9 at Pittsburgh, 4 p.m.

Dec. 11 at New York Islanders, 4 p.m.

Dec. 13 at New Jersey, 9:30 a.m.

Dec. 15 at New York Rangers, 4 p.m.

Dec. 16 at Columbus, 4 p.m.

Dec. 19 vs. Dallas, 7 p.m.

Dec. 20 vs. Columbus, 7 p.m.

Dec. 22 vs. Seattle, 7 p.m.

Dec. 27 at Kings, 6 p.m.

Dec. 29 vs. San Jose, 7 p.m.

Dec. 31 vs. Tampa Bay, 1 p.m.

Jan. 2 vs. Minnesota, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 5 at Washington, 4 p.m.

Jan. 6 at Philadelphia, 4 p.m.

Jan. 8 at Carolina, 4 p.m.

Jan. 10 at Buffalo, 4 p.m.

Jan. 13 vs. Dallas, 7 p.m.

Jan. 16 at Kings, 7:30 p.m.

Jan 17 vs. Kings, 7 p.m.

Jan. 19 vs. New York Rangers, 7 p.m.

Jan. 21 at Colorado, 6 p.m.

Jan 23 at Seattle, 7 p.m.

Jan. 25 at Calgary, 5 p.m.

Jan. 26 at Edmonton, 5:30 p.m.

Jan. 29 at Vancouver, 7 p.m.

Feb. 1 vs. Vegas, 6:30 p.m.

Feb. 3 vs. Seattle, 7 p.m.

Feb. 25 vs. Edmonton, 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 27 vs. Winnipeg, 7 p.m.

March 1 vs. Calgary, 5 p.m.

March 3 vs. Colorado, 7 p.m.

March 4 vs. New York Islanders, 7 p.m.

March 6 vs. Montreal, 6 p.m.

March 8 vs. St. Louis, 6 p.m.

March 10 at Winnipeg, 5:30 p.m.

March 12 at Toronto, 4 p.m.

March 14 at Ottawa, 10 a.m.

March 15 at Montreal, 4  p.m.

March 18 vs. Philadelphia, 7 p.m.

March 20 at Utah, 7 p.m.

March 22 vs. Buffalo, 5 p.m.

March 24 at Vancouver, 7 p.m.

March 26 at Calgary, 6 p.m.

March 28 at Edmonton, 12:30 p.m.

Mar 30 vs. Toronto, 7 p.m.

April 1 at San Jose, 7 p.m.

April 3 vs. St. Louis, 7 p.m.

April 4 vs. Calgary, 7 p.m.

April 7 vs. Nashville, 7 p.m.

April 9 vs. San Jose, 7 p.m.

April 12 vs. Vancouver, 5 p.m.

April 14 at Minnesota, 5 p.m.

April 16 at Nashville, 5 p.m.

Clang, 23, has 68 games of experience with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls, where he will compete for starts among a crowded group of goalies that includes veteran Ville Husso, recently arrived prospect Damian Clara and a healthy Tomas Suchanek after the Czech national missed last season with a knee injury. The ECHL could be an option for the recovering Suchanek while Clara – he divided last season between San Diego, Sweden and Finland – could have options abroad as he prepares to represent host nation Italy at the Olympics.

Clang was selected in the third round of the 2020 draft (No. 77 overall) by the Pittsburgh Penguins and was traded to the Ducks in March of 2022 as part of the package they received in return for forward Rickard Rakell.

He has represented Sweden internationally in junior competition, winning gold at the U18 World Juniors and bronze at the U20 level.

Myšák, 23, was acquired near the 2024 trade deadline from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Jacob Perreault. Myšák went 48th overall in 2020 to the Habs.

His game revolves around effort, energy, diligence and forechecking. Yet he posted a respectable 42 points in 68 games with the Gulls last season, doubling his scoring output from the campaign prior.

He has skated for Czechia, including captaining their U20 side and being named to the tournament all-star team. In 2021, he arrived in North America and his first junior season in Canada saw his Hamilton Bulldogs win the 2022 J. Ross Robertson Cup as OHL champions and become finalists for the Memorial Cup.

Whereas last season they came up empty-handed in free agency despite possessing an obscene amount of salary cap space, this time they landed Mikael Granlund, who had been coveted by teams firmly ahead of the Ducks in the Western Conference standings. They had already acquired another firmly-in-his-30s forward, seizing a buy-low opportunity on former 52-goal scorer Chris Kreider as the New York Rangers angled to open up cap space for former Kings defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov.

Their biggest addition of the offseason might have been not on the bench but behind it. They abruptly fired Greg Cronin, who presided over the second-largest leap in the NHL standings and the biggest in the West last year, and then oh-so-slowly confirmed the obvious: they were hiring Joel Quenneville. Quenneville lugged four Stanley Cup titles in tow, but also the baggage of a grim scandal in Chicago that left him out of the game for the better part of four seasons.

“(The Ducks) took a really big step last year. With some of the new players that are coming in and with ‘Coach Q’ coming in, it really feels like we’re taking the next step,” said Granlund, whose 66 points last season were three shy of a career high. “It’s not about just (developing) some players and learning, it’s about starting to win some hockey games.”

The NHL’s investigation into Quenneville was lightyears from flattering, indicating that he not only was aware of sexual assault allegations against video coach Brad Aldrich toward at least one Chicago prospect, Kyle Beach (Quenneville said he was unaware until 2021, previously), but that he also provided Aldrich with a favorable evaluation at year’s end. Three years later, Aldrich pled guilty to sexually assaulting a high school player in Michigan.

Quenneville has shown what the Ducks consider to be appropriate contrition, though in his lengthy introduction nothing was said or asked about another player currently suing the Blackhawks in litigation similar to the Beach lawsuit. Ducks players have emphasized Quenneville’s success, particularly with the Blackhawks, where he won Cup titles in 2010, 2013 and 2015. Frank Vatrano played for him in Florida and played up his locker room presence. Ryan Strome said he hadn’t followed the scandal too closely. Granlund said his experience was invaluable.

“He has won in this league, a few times. He knows what winning takes and how the game looks when you’re winning,” Granlund said. “That’s a big thing in the NHL, you have to know what it takes to be a good team, what it takes to actually win something.”

The Ducks won just a little something last year, chasing a .500 points percentage until nearly the final game of the season, and showed individual improvement among some cornerstone players. Overall, however, their special-teams and underlying numbers were atrocious, reflecting in part a team that has sold off more than it has replaced in terms of established talent year after year during its doldrums.

Part of this offseason was also about resolution, especially for the man who had been the longest-tenured Duck, John Gibson, and for another who had been the team’s leading scorer just two years ago, Trevor Zegras.

In a swap that netted a couple of mid-tier draft picks and enough salary flexibility to bring back Ville Husso as a veteran No. 3 netminder, Gibson was dealt to the Detroit Red Wings. The deal didn’t make the Ducks’ goaltending any better, younger or significantly cheaper, but it did re-home Gibson to a place where he can both get starts and get a fresh start.

Zegras was shipped to Philadelphia after roughly a year of intermittent discussions with the Flyers. The not-so-star-studded return was a second-round draft pick (which became center Eric Nilson), a future fourth-rounder and fourth-line center Ryan Poehling. Zegras had a year left on his contract and the Ducks owned his restricted free-agent rights for next year, but they settled for a modest package ostensibly to remove Zegras from limbo after two injury-plagued campaigns.

With Zegras departing between Kreider and Granlund’s arrivals, the Ducks’ top nine effectively added one player. For a team that has finished last in the league in goals of every kind across the third-longest playoff drought in the NHL, that’s likely not enough of an augmentation to move the needle without some larger-than-foreseeable steps forward from the Ducks’ talented but inconsistent young core.

Two members of that core, forward Mason McTavish and goalie Lukáš Dostál, are still without contracts. Both are restricted free agents. There was some brief unsubstantiated hubbub (much like the ephemeral Troy Terry trade rumors) about one or the other signing an offer sheet, until Dostál filed for salary arbitration, as GM Pat Verbeek predicted. McTavish has no arbitration rights, but Verbeek assured fans that both players would be signed without significant delay.

“We’re working on that, we’re starting to work on that stuff a little harder now. We wanted to get through free agency,” Verbeek said on July 1. “We’re going to work to negotiate a deal long before (Dostál’s arbitration hearing), and then Mason, we’ll do the same thing. We’ve got some time now to really get after it and get both those players under contract.”

Yet Granlund, 33, opted to join the Ducks for three seasons, catapulting himself to the top of a list of free-agent signings that hasn’t had a lot of pop or sizzle since Scott Niedermayer’s arrival in 2005.

That timeline might be fitting since the Ducks turned back the clock with the hire of coach Joel Quenneville, who will be 67 when the puck drops on the season opener and won Stanley Cup titles in 2010, 2013 and 2015 with the Chicago Blackhawks.

“After things didn’t work out in Dallas and they didn’t have any room for me, I had to go in a different direction, and Anaheim suited me well,” Granlund said via teleconference from his native Finland. “The team is going in the right direction with all the young talent and the good veterans they have. With Coach Q coming to the team, he knows what winning takes and we’re trying to (establish) those habits.”

Another consecrated figure from the past and a fellow Finn, Ducks legend Teemu Selänne, helped sway Granlund to make the move.

“As an organization, he said only good things about how well they take care of you and about the team, how much talent there is, how it’s going in the right direction and all that stuff,” Granlund said.

Rick Dhaliwal of the Donnie & Dhali podcast reported that Granlund received an offer that was greater in terms of total dollars – $24 million over four years rather than $21 million across three from the Ducks – but that Granlund turned it down.

That pact suited both team and player nicely, Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek had shared Tuesday at the team’s practice facility in Irvine.

“Term is probably more valuable and more important than the money,” Verbeek said. “It’s something that really works for us, and I’m glad that it really worked for him. Both of us are coming out ahead.”

Granlund said he felt Southern California was a fantastic place to settle, more so since there were direct flights from LAX to Helsinki, a couple of hours from the Päijät-Häme region where his two sons and ex-wife live for most of the year.

“It was only a little bit before free agency started when we knew it wasn’t going to happen in Dallas. Everything fell into place pretty quickly,” Granlund said. “I was thinking about what would be the best option for me not only as a hockey player but as a dad. Anaheim picked up pretty quickly and I’m more than happy with my decision.”

Granlund and his ex-wife Emmi divorced two years ago but have maintained a co-parenting relationship, she told the Finnish publication Ilta Sanomat.

For Granlund’s part, that resolution ended a period of tumult not only away from the ice but at the rink, where he struggled during a 2022-23 campaign split between Nashville and Pittsburgh. After being dealt to San Jose in the Erik Karlsson trade, he put up a 60-point season for the Sharks and a 66-point effort last year split between the Bay Area and the Lone Star State.

“A couple of years ago, I made some changes in how I wanted to prepare for the season. A lot of things were happening in my life, so I kind of got a clean slate in San Jose,” said Granlund, who was traded to Dallas on Feb. 1 along with defenseman Cody Ceci, who has since joined the Kings, in exchange for a first-round draft pick and a conditional third-round pick. “I really put everything into being a better player and that really paid off. I’ve been playing the best hockey of my life for the past two years and I really feel my best years are ahead of me.”

Granlund’s contributions have covered a broad spectrum, as he has become known for his detail-oriented game as much as his lacrosse-style goal in 2011 for Finland against Russia. He also played in rebuilding situations like San Jose’s and for short-list Cup contenders like Dallas after developing a high level of trust in Nashville and Minnesota previously. Capable of playing all three forward positions and in all situations, Granlund has also worn letters at the professional and international level.

“[In terms of leadership ability], you either have it or you don’t. You can learn and kind of grow into it, but for me, I’ve always been trying to do the right things and the little details to kind of set an example,” Granlund said. “I never really think about it, you try to set the right example, you try to make everyone else better and help everyone, but the example you show every day is, by far, the most important thing.”

Having played most of the past two seasons in the division and all of them within the Western Conference, Granlund said he was aware of the strides the Ducks had made last year under former coach Greg Cronin and was excited about where they could go under Quenneville.

“There’s a lot of talent. They play really fast hockey. It was kind of fun to watch,” Granlund said. “With the talent they have, it’s only going to get better, and they have some really steady veterans, so I think it’s a good mix.”

Sennecke went from 68 points to 86 points in seven fewer games during the Ontario Hockey League regular season. Then, he exploded for nearly two points per game during a run to the J. Ross Robertson Cup finals.

The 19-year-old said he “got stronger throughout the season,” working on a training regimen the Ducks gave him to ensure he could “compete at a higher level.”

“I got better at puck protection, I was able to keep guys on my hip to create more time and space with the puck,” said Sennecke, adding that he was trying to better balance the power of his shot and the quickness of its release.

Sennecke has a number of potential paths for next season, which could see him spend the entire year back at the junior level, a full campaign with the parent club or some sort of interstitial approach. The Ducks limited center Leo Carlsson’s workload in Year 1 and had Tristan Luneau on a plan that would have played the defenseman in the NHL, AHL and World Juniors before returning him to the junior ranks (it was disrupted by a knee infection).

“That’s up to the coaching staff and the GM. I’m just trying to come in here and prove myself, to show them what I can do to the best of my ability,” Sennecke said.

The Ducks could opt for a track similar to Luneau’s, giving Sennecke an early-season cup of coffee with the main squad, a conditioning stint in the minors and then a chance to compete for gold with his peers. Last season, despite his draft standing and early excellence, Sennecke was not named to Team Canada, which disappointed by failing to medal.

So, did that motivate him to deliver down the stretch?

“A little bit, but it was another situation that was out of my control,” Sennecke said. “There’s not much I can do except go out there and show them what I can do on the ice. That’s what my response was.”

Sennecke was also suspended multiple times during the season, including once for a slew foot. His physical play factored into not only his two-way game — he blew up one of the OHL’s toughest players in New York Islanders first-rounder Kashawn Aitcheson and then scored a goal in a playoff matchup — but also into his leadership style.

“I don’t ever go out there and intentionally try to hurt someone. I’m a competitive player, and there were just a couple times where I made a mistake,” Sennecke said.

Knowing Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek, a little blurring of lines was likely seen as a feature rather than a bug. Verbeek drafted another skilled but physical prospect this year, snatching up towering center Roger McQueen at No. 10 overall.

“I played with him at U17s,” Sennecke said. “I was talking to him before the draft a little bit, because he was aware where Anaheim was picking and I had a feeling like they were going to pick him because he’s their type of player.”

While Sennecke ascended the draft board rapidly, McQueen fell from a surefire top-five selection due to a back injury that cost him most of his season and complications that cut his playoff participation short.

McQueen’s, however, wasn’t the deepest plunge year over year. Winger Émile Guité may well hold that title, and if he can level out his efforts, he could hold another: that of the fifth round’s biggest steal.

Guité won the Sidney Crosby Trophy as the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League’s rookie of the year in 2024, but saw his production decline from 57 points to just 30 in his all-important draft year.

He said that he played through a series of nagging injuries that have been ameliorated by working with physical therapists back in Quebec, and that he also faced greater scrutiny from opponents.

“People knew that I had a great first season, so they were on me more, watching me closer,” Guité said. “That said, I just need to play better, play more intensely and more competitively.”

Guité said in addition to injury prevention and strength training, he felt he had made strides in his defensive game to complement the offensive flash he showed as a rookie.

“Last season, I had a tough start and it went to my head. It was hard mentally and hard physically; I had some ups and downs,” Guité said. “It was a rough year, but I’ve learned and I’m super excited to get started with this team.”

Granlund, 33, split last season between the San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars. He compiled 22 goals, 44 assists and 66 points. He managed to stay level despite a massive swing in circumstances, having been dealt from bottom-dwelling San Jose to contending Dallas, which reached the conference finals.

He had previously played for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Nashville Predators and Minnesota Wild, the franchise that drafted him ninth overall in 2010. Internationally, he has represented Finland and medaled at most of the major tournaments, including two World Championship gold medals and an Olympic bronze alongside former Ducks legend Teemu Selänne

Granlund is capable of playing in all situations as well as lining up at center or either wing position and adds scoring punch to a team that finished 30th in the NHL in goals last season.

“He’s a very versatile player. He was really good on faceoffs last year,” Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said. “He can kill penalties, play the power play and he can really go up and down the lineup. I thought he had a really good playoff.”

Verbeek said “the beauty” of Granlund was that he didn’t need to have his role set in stone, though his comments about faceoffs suggested Granlund would be used as a center primarily.

At any position, he provides new dimensions to the Ducks, Verbeek said.

“He’s what I’d consider a hard-worker, he goes to the hard areas, something that we needed more of,” Verbeek said. “He’s not afraid to be a net-front presence guy. He’s a guy who hangs onto pucks in the corners for more puck possession. He’s a very smart hockey player.”

The Ducks missed out on the biggest names in free agency despite owner Henry Samueli’s guarantee of a blank check, as the frenzy of multiple signings when free agency opened was tempered by a free agent class thinned by teams making pre-emptive moves to keep top talent.

In addition to their solid second-tier player signing, the Ducks rounded out their coaching staff.

They added two assistants to Matt McIlvane’s staff with the San Diego Gulls, the Ducks’ top minor-league affiliate. Dave Manson, the father of former Ducks defenseman Josh Manson, and Michael Babcock, the son of former Ducks coach Mike Babcock, will join McIlvane.

At the top level under newly hired Joel Quenneville, they brought in New Jersey Devils assistant Ryan McGill to run the penalty kill, as he did in Newark to the tune of the league’s second-best PK last year. Verbeek said he would be “ecstatic” if the Ducks could approximate that success with their heretofore anemic shorthanded group.

While Tim Army, the Ducks’ “eye in the sky” during games, remained with the staff, they’ll have another set of peepers with Andrew Brewer. He worked as an assistant for the Toronto Maple Leafs and then as a video coach, including time under Quenneville, for the Florida Panthers.

Their biggest hire, however, was former Edmonton head coach Jay Woodcroft, who will be tasked primarily with turning around a perpetually hapless power play.

Woodcroft, who will turn 49 in August, coached the Oilers for parts of three seasons, including two playoff runs that saw them reach the conference finals and the second round, respectively. He is from the coaching tree of former Kings bench boss Todd McLellan, having worked with McLellan in various capacities during three different stops: Detroit, San Jose and Edmonton.

Now, he will be operating under another big-ticket coach, four-time Stanley Cup champion Quenneville.

Woodcroft guided the Oilers to consecutive second-place finishes in the Pacific Division, including a 50-win season in his only full campaign as head coach. He was fired after a 3-9-1 start to the 2023-24 season. His replacement, Kris Knoblauch, stewarded the Oilers to consecutive Stanley Cup Final series, losing both.

He interviewed with the Ducks during the coaching search that produced Quenneville and was reportedly a candidate for other head coaching vacancies. With him joining Quenneville’s staff, the Ducks now have two figures on their bench with more NHL playoff head coaching experience than their outgoing staff – Greg Cronin plus assistants Rich Clune and Brent Thompson – combined.

They had previously spared plenty of expense when it came to coaches, letting Dallas Eakins coach out four futile years and retaining one of his assistants, Newell Brown, for Cronin’s first season at the helm.

Now, they’ve made significant investments. Although coaching salaries are seldom made public, it’s possible that they now have both the highest-paid active head coach and highest-paid active assistant coach. Quenneville commanded $6 million per year in his previous stop (Florida), where he was barred from seeking NHL employment for three years due to his role in the 2010 Chicago Blackhawks sexual assault scandal. Woodcroft brings considerably more cachet than most assistants.

“We really focused in on quality, quality coaching, and I feel very fortunate that we got the guys that we got. Mixed in with Joel, I think we’ve got an outstanding staff,” Verbeek said.

A qualifying offer is tendered for the purposes of retaining a restricted free agent’s negotiating rights. The Ducks’ two most notable RFAs, goaltender Lukáš Dostál and forward Mason McTavish, are sure to earn well above their qualifying offers ultimately.

They were among the eight Ducks to be tendered qualifying offers. NCAA free-agent signing Tim Washe, who inked a free-agent deal and played two games at center after winning the national title with Western Michigan, was also a lock to be qualified, as were forward Sam Colangelo and defenseman Drew Helleson.

Prospects Jan Myšák (center), Calle Clang (goalie) and Judd Caufield (winger) were also qualified.

A trio of RFAs were not offered contracts, two of whom were regulars in orange last season. In addition to prospect Josh Lopina, neither forward Brett Leason nor center Isac Lundeström were tendered.

Leason was a waiver pickup from the Washington Capitals whom the Ducks thought could be an impact player on their third line. He was, intermittently, but found himself in and out of the lineup in what appeared to be an ongoing series of wakeup calls.

Lundeström, a 2018 first-round pick, recovered from a torn Achilles tendon two years ago and was a trusted player last season under Greg Cronin. Yet he was likely squeezed out by the acquisition of former Philadelphia Flyers center Ryan Poehling in the Trevor Zegras trade, as Poehling offers more size and scoring prowess.

The Ducks will enter the free-agency period with the second most available salary cap dollars in the league and effectively the most given their newfound willingness to spend on coaching and player personnel alike.

That might not be the advantage it seems as the free-agent market shriveled on Monday. Mitch Marner went to Vegas in a sign-and-trade agreement, while Brad Marchand (Florida), Aaron Ekblad (Florida) and Ivan Provorov (Columbus) all re-upped with their respective clubs.

They haven’t made the playoffs in seven years and the crescendo of construction equipment leading up to the opening of O.C. Vibe next to the Honda Center is nearly at its peak. They’ve gone all-in on the coaching staff with the hire of Joel Queeneville (and soon Jay Woodcroft) while giving General Manager Pat Verbeek a mandate to push hard for the postseason.

Much of Verbeek’s tenure has been defined by selling off, at the trade deadline unilaterally and even in this very offseason. Former cornerstone Trevor Zegras was traded to Philadelphia for fourth-line center Ryan Poehling, picks and even more cap dollars. Career Duck John Gibson was dealt to Detroit for another goalie, Petr Mrázek, and picks, a day before the Ducks re-signed Ville Husso as their No. 3 netminder with the cash saved in the Gibson swap. Even when the Ducks made an addition via trade, that of Jacob Trouba, a departure soon followed, that of Cam Fowler.

The Ducks did make a straight addition with the acquisition of Chris Kreider, a former 52-goal scorer who scored just 22 last year, and from the sound of things, they plan to make more via free agency and/or trades. Given that the only team with more cap space is San Jose and they likely won’t spend near the ceiling, the Ducks could dish more dollars than any other team potentially.

“I’ve been looking for more improved scoring. That’s the one area, I’d like to add goals to our lineup,” Verbeek said on Friday’s NHL draft broadcast. “So, certainly, we’ll look at trying to do that. Getting Poehling has helped our bottom six and shored that up. We’re looking, probably, at defense as well.”

Goaltending

One area where the Ducks have been bustling but will soon cease activity altogether is in net. Once they dole out their unrestricted free agent dollars, a major focus will be re-signing restricted free agent Lukáš Dostaál. He became their unequivocal No. 1 goalie after the Gibson trade, if not before with his stellar play last season.

Mrázek gives the Ducks an option to play “at least 30” games behind Dostál, Verbeek said, with Husso waiting in the wings in the event of an injury to either roster goalie. Both Dostál and Mrázek are Czech and have a rapport already.

“The cool thing is that Lukáš and Peter were teammates at the World Championships, they’re very familiar with one another, they’re good friends,” Verbeek said via teleconference on Saturday. “Peter’s very competitive. Having that relationship, they’re going to push each other real hard and they’re going to be a good tandem.”

Defense

The Ducks have a deep bunch of young defensemen behind two veterans on the right side, captain Radko Gudas and Trouba, that just got even deeper since their nine Day 2 selections at the draft included four more rearguards. Restricted free agent Drew Helleson (right defense) needs a new contract and the Ducks’ surplus of young defenders means that a D-for-forward swap could materialize. Overall, all six roster defenseman after the trade of Brian Dumoulin in March are still under either contract or team control for next season, and Verbeek has made it clear that additions on defense are a peripheral priority outside of adding scoring punch.

Dumoulin, whom Verbeek considered keeping at the deadline, will likely be available once again as a free agent, with Florida Panthers blue-liner and former No. 1 overall pick Aaron Ekblad headlining the FA class.

Bowen Byram, who ironically was developed largely by former Ducks coach Greg Cronin in Colorado, could be a trade piece in play. Yet the Ducks have three rostered left defensemen, plus their four picks and a first-rounder last year, Stian Solberg, and would likely only make a significant acquisition under ideal circumstances.

Forward

The Ducks lacked quality power-play components and seemed to be overextending much of their forward group in terms of responsibility, even last season after the arrival of Cutter Gauthier, who finished fifth in Calder Trophy voting. The addition of Kreider may have been offset by the subtraction of Zegras (ironically, the two are close friends) and now Verbeek can get down to further business with nearly $40 million in cap space.

Some of that is earmarked for Mason McTavish, another core piece and pending restricted free agent, but most of it can go toward upgrades from the open market or through trades. Forward is also where this 2025 class shines, with Toronto’s Mitch Marner, Winnipeg’s Nikolaj Ehlers and Vancouver’s Brock Boeser at the top of a list of sparkling possibilities.

While Marner seemed increasingly destined for Vegas, a 28-year-old 100-point scorer with Selke quality defense on the wing is a rare commodity on the open market and will make teams pull out all the stops. Vegas appeared to be the favorite to land his services, but both Southern California clubs were positioned well to pursue him. Boeser’s on-again, off-again talks with the Canucks appear to be off at a critical juncture, with the Ducks valuing a right-handed shot who has a 40-goal season on his résumé. They will have to contend with, at a minimum, serious efforts from the Edmonton Oilers and Boeser’s hometown Minnesota Wild. Ehlers will also have his fair share of suitors, while veteran options like Brad Marchand and former Ducks Hart Trophy winner Corey Perry were still not sure to hit the open market as of Sunday.