The Anaheim Ducks have missed the playoffs in the past six seasons and are one of several teams previously near the bottom of the standings looking to climb out of the gutter and play more meaningful hockey down the stretch in the 2024-25 season.
Most of their future core gained valuable experience in 2023-24 and are already in the roles they project to maintain as the team transitions toward contention, so their road there could be less bumpy.
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The projected forward core rightfully garners a sizable amount of attention with Leo Carlsson (19), Mason McTavish (21), Trevor Zegras (23), and Cutter Gauthier (20) constructing a formidable top-of-the-lineup in Anaheim for the foreseeable future.
The Ducks sent Jamie Drysdale to the Philadelphia Flyers in a trade to acquire Gauthier and selected Beckett Sennecke with their third overall selection in June’s NHL Draft, further bolstering their projected core up front.
The Ducks now have six recent top-10 draft selections in their organizational depth chart, but only one of them is on the blueline; Pavel Mintyukov.
Mintyukov (20) played in 63 games during his rookie season, scoring four goals and 28 points while averaging 18:51 TOI per game.
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Mintyukov was second on among Ducks blueliners with 122:21 TOI on the power play and added 61:19 on the penalty kill, good enough for sixth on the team among defensemen.
Throughout the 2023-24 season, the Ducks were plagued by injuries to players they hope to rely upon heavily in the future and Mintyukov was no exception. He missed 19 games in his rookie season and suffered two significant injuries; a separated shoulder in Jan., knocking him out of the lineup for over a month, and a bone bruise in late March, causing him to miss the team’s final eight games.
When healthy, Mintyukov was a difference-maker on the Ducks’ blueline in his first season in the NHL. From opening night, he was poised beyond his years and faced little-to-no adjustment period, seamlessly translating what makes him a special player to the highest level of the sport.
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Simply put, Mintyukov dictates tempo and influences every play when he’s on the ice. He eliminates neutral zone threats regularly, either timing his pressure on outlets perfectly to force turnovers or seal the wall against a rush. He baits puck carriers into mistakes with an influential stick, luring them into thinking they can make a high-percentage play before he swiftly eliminates that perceived option.
Once the puck is on his stick, he consistently looks to turn up ice as quickly and efficiently as possible to keep opposing defensive structures on their heels. He finds the most optimal way to influence offense on the rush, either leading with the puck on his stick or selecting desirable lanes without it.
In the offensive zone, he isn’t hesitant to operate lower in the zone than traditionally seen with defensemen, even offensively-driven ones. He’ll pull pucks off the wall and into dangerous ice and if he’s forced to the perimeter, he will move the puck and find ways to get open again as a passing option. He trusts his instincts and abilities to get back into position when necessary and not hinder his team as a liability.
The area he’ll likely hope to improve upon in his sophomore season will be low in the defensive zone. While he can cut through a forecheck when breaking out, the high-pressure man-to-man system the Ducks run in defensive zone coverage often led to critical misjudgments from Mintyukov last season. With further comfortability and added strength, boxing out opponents in front of the net and winning board battles could become easier.
Mintyukov already reads the ice at an elevated level in the NHL. He has all the makings of the Ducks’ future No. 1 defenseman when the team is ready to contend, can be trusted to eat minutes, playing in any situation if required.
Unlike with the projected forward core where if one member should falter, another is there to support and lessen the potential negative impact, Mintyukov will be expected to fully maximize his potential and become the team’s most impactful defenseman when their sustainable contending window opens.
The Ducks rebuild could rely on Mintyukov’s development, but he seems ready and willing to welcome the challenge with open arms
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