Anaheim Ducks defenseman Pavel Mintyukov (21) was a surprising name that popped up in the NHL’s national media sphere last week. Though his game was coming around after a less-than-ideal start to the season for the third year blueliner, where he’d only managed three points (0-3=3) in 18 games while struggling to adapt to a new coaching staff and system, he was scratched for three consecutive games, following the return of Ducks’ captain Radko Gudas and the emergence of rookie Ian Moore, who’s advanced defensive habits pleasantly surprised most.
Immediately following the Ducks' 4-3 win over the Boston Bruins on Wednesday, Mintyukov’s second consecutive healthy scratch, premier NHL insider, SportsNet’s Elliotte Friedman, dropped a sizable news nugget in his “32 Thoughts” column, stating Mintyukov “would like to be moved if he’s not going to play.”
It may have been a bit surprising, but perhaps understandable given that Mintyukov, along with fellow young Ducks left shot defenseman Olen Zellweger, fell victim to a logjam on the Ducks’ blueline a year ago, forcing the pair to alternate healthy scratch assignments for large portions of the season. It potentially impacted the duo’s development, as their offensive limitations were hindered by a fear of being sent back to the press box for the next game should they make a mistake. Mintyukov served as a healthy scratch for 14 games in 2024-25, only tallying 19 points (5-14=19) in 68 games.
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Insider Chris Johnston chimed in during Thursday’s iteration of “Insider Trading” on TSN.
“He’s been scratched for a couple games this week. He’s not happy about that, as we wouldn’t expect any player to be,” Johnston said. “There has been dialogue between the Ducks management and his agent, Dan Milstein, about, if this continues, I think he’d prefer to be somewhere else where he can play. We’re not at the stage where this is a full-blown ‘he’s being traded,’ but if he’s watching a lot of games, it’s something to keep an eye on.”
Friedman expanded his thoughts on Mintyukov and the Ducks during his “32 Thoughts” podcast on Friday morning.
"Now, I will say this. I had a couple people that didn’t like (that) it came out while Anaheim’s doing really well,” Friedman said. Like, ‘Anaheim’s going really well. This isn’t the time for this.’ And I was like, ‘Okay, fair. I completely understand it, but it is out there.’
“So, number one, I think (ducks general manager Pat Verbeek’s) going to kind of say, ‘Hey, I’ll do this on my time.’ They’ve had a lot of young players who are really popping right now, to their credit. They’ve done a really nice job, but, at different times, some of these players have had issues with their ice time. And he’s always said, ‘I’m not giving you the easy way out. You’re going to earn your ice time.’
“That’s kind of his philosophy. No easy way out. Earn it. Now, maybe this is different. I don’t know. We’ll see in the future. But I do know that he won’t be pushed into doing anything. That’s for sure.”
On paper, it seemed as though the Ducks hiring Joel Quenneville as head coach over the offseason would have been a perfect fit for a player like Mintyukov. Through the preseason, Quenneville reiterated to his players not to be afraid to make mistakes, to play freer, and to use their instincts. Mintyukov didn’t exactly seize that opportunity as Zellweger had through the first quarter of the season.
The Ducks lost their matchup on Thursday against the Ottawa Senators 3-2, and Quenneville decided to insert Mintyukov back into the lineup in place of Moore and on the left side of Gudas for the Ducks’ next game on Saturday against the Golden Knights. Before the game, after morning skate, Quenneville was asked about what he needed to see from Mintyukov and answered by highlighting the importance of having a stable of NHL-caliber defensemen well over six players deep.
“I just think you got seven D over the course of a year, everybody’s gonna get stretches where you’re playing and not playing,” Quenneville said. “You got to make some tough decisions sometimes, and that’s where he is. I thought he was making some progress from the start of the year to where we’re at today. He’s killing penalties, coming off a good game in that area. I think offensively, there’s something there. I think he can add to our game, and his game. I think he’s been okay.”
Quenneville expanded when asked about the messaging to Mintyukov during these moments and how he’s responded.
“He’s kind of quiet. I think everybody’s different in their demeanor. Nobody wants to not play,” Quenneville said. “That’s where it’s at, but we try to encourage him (to) take advantage of days where you’re not playing. You got to put some work in and keep yourself game-ready and watch the game, and try to put yourself in positions where you can see yourself handling the different players in the game and different areas of the game you can improve upon. Next time you get in there, let it work.”
The Ducks defeated the Knights 4-3 in OT on Saturday, and Mintyukov turned in what was likely his best single-game performance since his rookie season. He played 21:15 TOI, good enough for third among Ducks defensemen, including 18:55 at 5v5 and 1:08 shorthanded. When he was on the ice at 5v5, the Ducks held a 23-16 shot attempt advantage, a 10-7 shots on goal advantage, and a whopping 79.31% (.89-.23) of the expected goals share.
He wasn’t much of an offensive factor with the puck on his stick, but he wasn’t hesitant to jump into a play or rush from the far side, often leaving the opposing defenders to struggle when sorting out their assignments. On the defensive side of the puck is where he thrived in this game. He made a positive impact on breakouts and regroups, often evading opposing F1 pressure. He read developing plays and was a disruptive force in the neutral zone, perhaps his greatest strength as a player. He was mistake-free in his coverage assignments and perfectly displayed textbook gaps and active sticks against the rush.
During his postgame media scrum, Quenneville was asked about Mintyukov’s return to the lineup, and in classic Quenneville fashion, remained even-keeled and concise.
“I thought he was good with the puck. I thought he was handy killing plays,” Quenneville said. “I thought he was quick with the puck. I thought his play selection was good, gap was way better, and I think that pair played a lot of key minutes.”
For several who watched closely, Mintyukov displayed many of the traits that elevated him to the tenth overall selection in the 2022 NHL Draft, where he represents Verbeek’s first-ever pick as an NHL general manager, and those are traits he flashed during his rookie season as well. It was an encouraging return to form for the skillful defender, who is now 150 games into his NHL career and just a day shy of his 22nd birthday.
Not all development is linear; some players ebb and flow, and some will take longer to solidify into the player they’re going to be in the NHL for their careers. Mintyukov was one of four defensemen selected in the top ten of the 2022 NHL Draft, along with Simon Nemec, David Jiricek, and Kevin Korchinski. Of the four, Mintyukov has the most experience and success at the NHL level.
All four players have struggled to earn full-time and consistent NHL minutes. Reports of Nemec’s and Jiricek’s displeasure surfaced to varying degrees over the past year. Nemec is only now receiving top-four minutes in the New Jersey Devils’ lineup, and much of that is likely due to injuries on their blueline. Jiricek was traded from the Columbus Blue Jackets to the Minnesota Wild, where he now resides on the AHL/NHL bubble (currently in the AHL). Korchinski played his entire rookie season in the NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks, but has only played 16 NHL games since, and has spent the entire 2025-26 season so far in the AHL.
All that to say, Mintyukov’s situation isn’t unique, especially when evaluating comparable players in his own draft year. His frustration is also understandable given the logjam situation he went through in 2024-25. If performances like Saturday’s become the norm for Mintyukov, he’ll have accomplished one of two things in short order: 1) Solidified his spot in the lineup and will make positive impacts for the foreseeable future, or 2) Drove up the acquisition cost for inquiring teams in search of a potential trade. There would likely be no shortage of interested teams, as Mintyukov’s potential is that of a top-four defenseman and a 200-foot menace.
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