Ducks rumors: The veteran forward who could be an offseason casualty to shed salary

The Anaheim Ducks are fresh off their most successful season in almost a decade, returning to the dance for the first time in eight years before upsetting the Edmonton Oilers in six games.

Although it ended in disappointing fashion — a six-game loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in Round 2 — it was a huge step forward for a young and talented roster.

The hope in California is that this is the beginning of legitimate Stanley Cup contention, but general manager Pat Verbeek has his work cut out for him this summer to make that true. Despite having nearly $41 million in cap space, the Ducks have a plethora of young players who are going to need new contracts.

Because of that, veteran forward Frank Vatrano has become an obvious trade candidate, as The Hockey News’ Patrick Present opined on Wednesday.

“One player who was once projected to be a key depth piece during the early stages of the Ducks’ build is veteran winger Frank Vatrano,” Present wrote.

“Vatrano entered the 2025-26 season coming off back-to-back-to-back 20-goal seasons, including a 37-goal, 60-point campaign in 2023-24 that earned him an All-Star appearance. …He experienced difficulty carving a role for himself on the 2025-26 Ducks’ depth chart, sustained a shoulder injury in Dec, and left the team for a period of time due to personal reasons.

“He finished the year averaging just 11:49 TOI/G in 50 games played, scored just nine points, and was scratched for every game of the Ducks’ 12-game playoff run to the second round. It’s understandable to question his future with the Anaheim Ducks.”

By all accounts, it was a miserable campaign for Vatrano, and he’s set to make a shade over $4.5 million for each of the next two seasons. That’s a tough pill to swallow for Ducks management, who will likely try to trade the Springfield, Massachusetts native.

That will be easier said than done, as Vatrano’s trade value is maybe the lowest it’s been in his career. His role diminished greatly under head coach Joel Quenneville’s direction, and it’s hard to see him returning in 2026-27 either way.

If Verbeek can’t find a trade partner, a contract buyout could be an option.

Anaheim has a group of young RFA who will need lucrative new deals: Cutter Gauthier, Leo Carlsson, Pavel Mintyukov and Olen Zellweger. Those four all are key pieces of the future, and Vatrano is not.

The post Ducks rumors: The veteran forward who could be an offseason casualty to shed salary appeared first on ClutchPoints.