On the ice, the Anaheim Ducks are as scorching hot as they’ve been at any point in the last eight-to-ten years. They come into Tuesday’s matchup with defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers riding a three-game winning streak, having won five of their last six games, and they currently sit atop the Pacific Division standings, if sorted by points percentage (.682) with a 7-3-1 record.
Game #12: Ducks vs. Panthers Gameday Preview (11/04/25)
Takeaways from the Ducks 4-1 Victory over the Devils
They’ve scored 40 goals in their first 11 games (franchise record), they’re the only teams in the NHL with five players averaging at least one point per game (Leo Carlsson, Troy Terry, Cutter Gauthier, Mikael Granlund, Chris Kreider), and their future is as bright as any in the NHL, having players aged 21-and-under tallying 16 goals and 38 points, leading the NHL in both categories.
The NHL and the national media had the Ducks on the tip of their tongues on Monday, with a trio of items piquing the interest of those who follow the team to varying degrees.
Lukas Dostal Named NHL First Star of the Week
After signing a sizable contract extension in the offseason, the Ducks’ now franchise goaltender has taken the reins as the undisputed number-one starter, put the team on his back through a leaky transition period defensively, and earned honors of being named the NHL’s top star of the week for the week between Oct. 27 and Nov. 2.
Last week, Dostal posted a 3-0-0 record against the Florida Panthers, Detroit Red Wings, and New Jersey Devils, combining for a .949 SV% (91-95) during that stretch and saving 8.9 goals above expected. He battled through late defensive reads and puck management issues in front of him during the Ducks’ 3-2 shootout win over Florida, faced seven Detroit power plays in their 5-2 win on Halloween, and multiple shots off Devils’ sticks following lateral movement.
Dostal not only stood up to every challenge and didn’t surrender any goals that could be classified as “soft,” but he has elevated his game management impact, recognizing when his team needs a whistle, when opponents are changing, and cleverly placing rebounds in the corners or netting.
He’s started nine of the Ducks' first 11 games, so he will likely need rest at some point. However, the Ducks are about to face a gauntlet of contending teams on their schedule in November. If he keeps up this caliber of play, he could find himself on Vezina ballots come the end of the year.
Panarin Ruminations
Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek has reportedly taken some significant swings in the last few years when it comes to building his roster. In the summer of 2023, he was reportedly interested in acquiring Alex DeBrincat from the Ottawa Senators, who was ultimately traded to the Detroit Red Wings. The next summer in free agency, he reportedly offered the duo of Jonathan Marchessault and Steven Stamkos more term and AAV than they ultimately signed for with the Nashville Predators.
Verbeek managed to sign Mikael Granlund, one of 2025’s top free agents, to a three-year contract that carries an AAV of $7 million. The Ducks are projected to have roughly $40 million in cap space heading into the 2026 offseason. However, a chunk of that will ultimately be designated to a handful of core pending RFAs (Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Pavel Mintyukov, Olen Zellweger). However, the hot start to the season indicates the Ducks may have finally turned the corner out of their rebuild and could finally be true players for the most high-profile players on the trade or free agency markets.
Likely Hall of Fame winger Artemi Panarin (34) is in the final year of his contract with the New York Rangers, which carries an AAV of $11.5 million. Premier NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reported on his “32 Thoughts” podcast on Monday morning that both Panarin and the Rangers’ preference is for him to remain in New York, but that didn’t stop Friedman from wondering if there was a fit for the talented winger in Anaheim with the Ducks.
“Someone asked me, ‘Could you see the Ducks looking at a guy like Panarin?’ First of all, I think Panarin wants to be in New York,” Friedman said. “I was watching the Ducks, and I was thinking about that. For a guy like Verbeek, I wonder if he’d worry about, ‘would that affect any of my good young players? Not necessarily, but Verbeek could decide that with Joel Quenneville, who did Panarin break into the NHL with? Quenneville in Chicago. Just a thought.”
TSN’s Darren Dreger appeared on Edmonton’s “The Nielson Show” and offered his thoughts on Verbeek and the Ducks.
“I think that Pat Verbeek isn’t done,” Dreger said. “He’s a crafty general manager. I think when the time is right, when the opportunity is there, he’s gonna find a way to add.”
Ryan Getzlaf’s Unique Role with Team Canada ahead of Olympics
In March, Hockey Canada announced their management group, looking ahead to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. Part of that management group was future Hall of Fame center and Anaheim Ducks legend Ryan Getzlaf, named Canada’s “Player Relations Advisor.”
In July, they announced their Olympic coaching staff, and in August, they announced their orientation camp rosters. Getzlaf joins a star-studded group of managers and coaches, including Doug Armstrong, Julien BriseBois, Jim Nill, Don Sweeney, Kyle Dubas, John Cooper, Bruce Cassidy, Peter DeBoer, and Rick Tocchet.
Getzlaf sat down with Pierre LeBrun for his latest article in “The Athletic” to discuss his role with the Olympic staff, his current role with the NHL Department of Player Safety, and his potential future in NHL management.
“A player’s perspective,” Getzlaf told Lebrun when asked what he brings to that management room. “What it takes to be in that locker room. Some of those players have been there in the past, but it’s been a long time (for Olympic hockey). The players have changed. The mentality has changed a little bit. I’ve been able to sit in and give a point of view.”
In Getzlaf’s first year of Hall of Fame eligibility, the induction committee passed on him in favor of other former NHL players Duncan Keith, Alexander Mogilny, Zdeno Chara, and Joe Thornton.
Getzlaf played all 17 years of his NHL career with the Anaheim Ducks as the franchise’s leader in games played (1,157), assists (737) and points (1,019), and playoff games played (125), assists (83) and points (120). He captained the team from 2010 to 2022 and acted as a “Player Development Coordinator” for the organization from 2023 to 2024. Next, he has his sights set on a management role for an NHL team.
“I would like to,” Getzlaf told LeBrun about a future in management. “What role that is, I don’t know quite yet. But, yeah, that’s my ultimate goal is to be more involved on a day-to-day basis as far as a team goes. Or even the league. There’s different opportunities within the league.”
10 Stats from the First 10 Games of the 2025-26 Season for the Anaheim Ducks
Quack of Dawn: Ducks Morning Report - 11/01/25
