As a rebuilding workforce, the Anaheim Geese have loads of storylines surrounding them that received’t contain remaining scores and standings placement. Expectations for the membership aren’t excessive after a 27-50-5 report in 2023-24 prolonged their franchise-long playoff drought to 6 seasons, however the future remains to be vivid. Because the youth motion continues in Anaheim, listed here are 5 storylines to observe all through the season, together with an thrilling new rookie, a much-needed rebound marketing campaign, and a altering of the guard between the pipes.
Cutter Gauthier’s Rookie Season
Geese followers have witnessed a number of high-profile rookie campaigns in recent times and the 2024-25 season shall be no completely different. Anaheim acquired Cutter Gauthier from the Philadelphia Flyers in January in trade for Jamie Drysdale and he’s set to have a large position of their prime six in his first full season within the NHL. The 6-foot-2 energy ahead brings with him a devastating shot that helped him notch 38 objectives in 41 video games for Boston School final season. The Geese have struggled to place the puck within the web, deploying a bottom-10 scoring offense each season since their final playoff look in 2017-18. Gauthier was introduced in particularly to handle this subject.
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A highly-anticipated rookie season comes with potential {hardware}, so Gauthier shall be trying to seize the Calder Memorial Trophy because the league’s prime rookie. Betting companies are common in giving him the fourth-best odds on the award behind Matvei Michkov, Logan Stankoven, and Macklin Celebrini. The best a Geese’ participant has completed within the Calder vote was second place, twice: Trevor Zegras in 2021-22 and Bobby Ryan in 2008-09.
Trevor Zegras’ Bounce-Again Marketing campaign
Between contract negotiations dragging into coaching camp, a head coach who cherished to make an instance out of him, and a pair of great accidents that held him out of the lineup for 51 video games, Trevor Zegras acquired a full serving of Murphy’s Regulation final season. When he was wholesome sufficient to be on the ice, his manufacturing was all over — two factors in 12 video games from Oct. 14 to Nov. 7, 5 factors in eight video games from Dec. 23 to Jan. 9, and eight factors in 11 video games from March 26 to April 18. To finish a nightmare season on a constructive notice, he completed the season on a five-game level streak.
As a playmaker and level producer, Zegras not solely wants a rebound season, however he must discover a increased gear. Being a 60-point participant in his early 20s on a rebuilding workforce is spectacular, however there’s extra expertise round him than ever. His 65 factors had been tied for seventy fifth league broad in 2022-23 — not precisely the place a workforce’s prime scorer ought to rank. This may very well be the season he turns into a point-per-game participant.
Frank Vatrano and the Commerce Deadline
Even when the rebuild is nearing its conclusion, the Geese have to be sensible with their property. With the playoffs in Anaheim nonetheless an extended shot, the 2025 Commerce Deadline will give the workforce an opportunity to flip expiring contracts for futures. Frank Vatrano is Anaheim’s highest-profile pending free agent. The 30-year-old winger set career-highs in objectives (37) and factors (60) final season and figures to web the Geese a strong haul on the deadline, particularly if his manufacturing continues into this marketing campaign. Newcomers Robby Fabbri and Brian Dumoulin are additionally unrestricted free brokers after this season.
Whereas the Geese have probably the most wage cap area within the league, sensible asset administration shall be paramount over the following few years. Gauthier, Zegras, Mason McTavish, Leo Carlsson, Pavel Mintyukov, Olen Zellweger, and Lukas Dostal will want new contracts earlier than the beginning of the 2027-28 season, so the abundance of cap area is extra of an phantasm for now. We’ll have a greater thought of the wage cap’s numbers and every participant’s worth within the coming years, however this diminishes the chance of a splashy commerce.
Mintyukov, Zellweger, and the Protection
The Geese have boasted one of many strongest defensive prospect pipelines and the system is starting to bear fruit on the NHL degree. Mintyukov and Zellweger determine to have distinguished roles as Anaheim’s prime two left-handed defensemen, with 23-year-old Jackson LaCombe and 20-year-old Tristan Luneau additionally prone to play large minutes as nicely.
How the defensive lineup is organized shall be attention-grabbing. Every of the aforementioned defensive prospects profile as puck-moving offensive defensemen, with Mintyukov possible having the very best two-way ceiling. The Geese buying and selling as much as draft Stian Solberg in July suggests physicality will even play an enormous position on this blue line, and we may see a mix-and-match of playstyles amongst companions. A “thunder and lightning” pairing like Zellweger and Radko Gudas, the place Zellweger primarily carries play from zone to zone and Gudas performs the conservative stay-at-home position, may work to get probably the most out of every skillset.
Is Gibson or Dostal Quantity One in Internet?
The times of John Gibson being Anaheim’s workhorse goaltender seem like a factor of the previous. After a seven-season run of beginning no less than 63% of video games inside a season, he was given simply 44 begins — nearly all of a season, however his fewest share of begins since being in a tandem with Frederik Andersen in 2015-16. Lukas Dostal, in his first full season within the NHL, had a slight edge over Gibson in save proportion, and goals-against common, and seize yet one more win in six fewer begins.
With Anaheim’s sights set on the longer term, this can be the season Dostal sees the sting in begins. In all chance, that transition nonetheless seems to be like a 1A and 1B break up, however it could be important. The Geese have been in a position to depend on strong goaltending because the inception of the franchise, from Man Hebert to Jean-Sebastian Giguere, to Jonas Hiller and eventually to Gibson — Anaheim’s eras may be neatly outlined by their backstops. A pivot to Dostal would coincide with what needs to be the tail finish of the rebuild and a brand new, youth-led period in Southern California.
How these storylines play out will vastly influence Anaheim’s rebuild. Whereas we’ve these to sit up for, the season will convey lots extra. Whether or not it’s an damage, a late-game benching, or a heated second with an opponent, there shall be no scarcity of speaking factors surrounding the Geese.
