With Anaheim’s 2023 2nd overall pick expected to make his debut tonight, we decided to do a quick run around to see how the AC Staff is feeling heading into one of, if not outright, the biggest games of the year. What do they expect tonight and what does this portend for the rest of the year? Let’s get to it!
So, we find ourselves here with Leo Carlsson ready to make his debut, and the understanding is that he’s going to be here for the whole year. So the first question is, did you think this would happen? Did you think he’d hit the league in his D+1 year?
UCLAMaltese: I was absolutely shocked when I heard that Pat Verbeek sound byte came out that Leo was going to stay up with the Ducks. I thought, alongside the majority of Ducks fans, that Leo was going to get the McTavish treatment, playing 9 games to start the season then get sent back to the SHL. Especially with how I saw the contract shaking out (Killorn’s money off the books by the time Carlsson needs his first extension), I thought that it made the most sense to let him dominate in Örebro before staying full time in Anaheim. Obviously, this means he’s made quite the impact in the preseason and during camp, so it’s a welcomed surprise for Duck fans this year.
Josh Gane: The Ducks organization has been notorious for their patience with their rookie prospects and almost never having them play their entire draft season in the NHL so I definitely did not see this coming when Leo was drafted. After watching him during the Rookie Faceoff games and camp, it became evident he would most likely make the team. It’s been said many times but he just has a presence about him when he’s on the ice.
GeoFitz4: I’m not surprised at him at least starting in the NHL this year. He had a really solid season in the SHL last year. While the SHL obviously isn’t the same caliber as the NHL, he’s still spent most of the last two seasons playing professionally against men, not to mention a pretty good showing at the World Championships in the spring. It’s certainly worthwhile for the Ducks to get him a taste in the NHL now and see how he does. If he shows well right away, continue to get him that experience in the big leagues. If he struggles or shows he needs some work, ship him down the road to San Diego and let him learn some of those lessons while playing top line minutes every weekend in the AHL. The Ducks don’t need to rush with him as they’re unlikely to be a playoff team, but instead need to make the best decisions possible so that over the next 2-3 seasons when the team is more ready to take steps towards the playoffs, he’ll be rounding into form as a top line player.
EddyVanJones: I honestly expected Carlsson to get the 9-game trial and then be sent back to Sweden. A NHL/AHL split just didn’t see like it would make sense or would be something that Carlsson would be interested in with the option of going back to Sweden lingering in the background. I think both options are great and honestly it’s still on the table, the Ducks do have time to evaluate him over the next 9 games and see if he’s ready to stay all season.
Justice for Rusty: Yes and no. I thought he would get a handful of games, a half-dozen or so. But after that I expected him to be headed back to Sweden or down to San Diego where he could continue to develop both physically and emotionally. The fact that Verbeek, a guy who has consistently stressed patience, thinks he’s ready to be on the main roster for the whole year is a hell of a compliment to the young man.
What is it you are hoping to see from him tonight? Does he have to score to make his debut a success or are there other outcomes that would make the night a success?
Malty: I just want to see glimpses of “Holy s*** this kid is legit.”. I don’t need him to score, I don’t need him to center up a pass for Terry for his first primary assist of his career (book that happening btw), I just need to see the start of a franchise type player. We’ve got to keep in mind that this is a teenager, he’s nowhere near being fully developed as a player, but if he just shows he’s a 200 ft center, and can truly lead a top line in the NHL, it’s a resounding success.
Josh: I would love to see him reunite with Zegras and Terry for the first line. I love Rico but what the ZLT line produced in the preseason was magical. I’d like to see him get at least 15-17 mins of ice time. I don’t think he needs to score to have a successful debut. A success in my opinion would be to see him immediately make a difference on both ends of the ice. Does he make Zegras and Terry better? Is he in the right positions defensively and on the breakout? Things of that nature will tell a lot to me about what we can expect this season.
Geo: I just want to see a solid, responsible game from him. He doesn’t need to score, but that certainly would be nice in his debut to get that one out of the way. Defense and decision making is always a question mark for young players. So I’m looking for him to be strong on the puck, in position in the defensive zone, and making smart plays when he has the puck. He doesn’t need to beat the world on every shift, just be solid.
Eddy: He’s being given an excellent opportunity right out the gate to center the top line and top power play. I don’t think he necessarily has to put up points to make his debut a success, but he needs to not look like a passenger in those situations. That’s a long winded way of saying he just needs to look like he belongs. Comfortable on the puck, making plays at both ends and not looking out of his depth.
J4R: Moments. To me, that’s all you can really ask for from young players, especially young players who’s elite prospect status is predicated on their intelligence and decision making ability. If he can keep his big mistakes to a minimum and dominant a handful of one-on-one matches over the course of the game, I will be a very happy guy.
After tonight, Anaheim has another weekend back to back, playing at Arizona on Saturday then returning home to face off against the bruins. Do you think he plays both games this weekend? If not, which game is he more likely to play in?
Malty: I do think for his development that he shouldn’t play back to backs yet. The last thing we need to do is shell-shock the kid and gas him out, and see it backfiring on his personal confidence and development. That being said, it’s a weird “rock and a hard place” choice between the Yotes and Beantown. An away game vs a team that still employs scumbag Troy Stecher, or a home game where a certain rat can pester the kid. My choice: Let the kid play at home, get him some fan love even if we lose 5-1.
Josh: Goodness NHL, could you create a more wonky schedule to start the year? I think he plays both. He’s young and has the freshest legs. I’d like for them to give him that experience and see what it’s like so he can better prep for the next back to back.
Geo: If you’re going to play him, play him. He’s already had some games watching from the pressbox. That was an opportunity for him to see the game from the sky. Now it’s time for him to experience it from the ice. I would say he should get at least 4-5 games before any change is made in his status. By then, the coaches will have seen enough to know if he needs to step back for a game and take another look from up top, or if he’s just not ready and needs to go to the AHL instead.
Eddy: I think a lot could depend on how he looks tonight and how he feels recovering from the minor injury he suffered in practice. I hope he plays in both, but Pat Verbeek did have that cryptic quote commenting on they don’t know how many games he’ll play in the NHL this season. Let’s lock in that he’ll play both games, but if he only plays one I’d expect it to be Boston on Sunday
J4R: I don’t think he gets both games. I could actually see him playing in Arizona since he’ll be making his debut in front of the home crowd tonight already. Let him go toe-to-toe with Cooley and Co and see how he handles an away crowd. That being said, I am not going to be all that upset if he does play in all three games, though what that means for how he’s handled going forward will be interesting.
When was the last time you think there was this level of excitement around a prospect’s debut for Anaheim? Is it Zegras? Bobby Ryan?
Malty: Without a doubt the last time I was this excited for a prospect to be called up was Zegras, but that’s much more of a personal infatuation. I remember watching that 2019 draft with my family of Kings fans and watching this kid just fall. The second we picked him I told anyone and everyone around me that “this kid is the next one”. With that came his first call up (where he kinda sucked), but seeing his game develop in real time and getting to be correct on this take I had sat upon for 2 years is something I’ll cherish forever. If anything, because of the time we had to wait on Zegras, his debut may still be more exciting than tonight.
Josh: It has to be Zegras, maybe less. Zegras really made a name for himself during the world juniors and is much more of a personality. From the hockey standpoint Leo definitely is being hyped as a potential great coming in #2 overall in this year’s draft but I love how “under the radar” he is to start the season. The NHL fawning over Bedard and Fantilli is probably a relief.
Geo: Definitely Zegras for me.
Eddy: The last three first round picks prior to Pavel Mintyukov all had varying levels of excitement for their Anaheim Ducks debut. I think the hype around Carlsson’s debut sits behind Zegras and just above McTavish and Drysdale. Zegras had the flashiness of his play style that I think really got people excited to a whole different level for his debut. Before those recent picks though it had to be Bobby Ryan, although that was tainted with some disappointment of missing out on Sidney Crosby.
J4R: It’s got to be Zegras I think. The just pure exhilaration around his debut a few years back because of the insane skill and creativity he had shown at every level up until that point made him a real Must See Prospect of a caliber we don’t see very often, in Anaheim or elsewhere.
We’ve already seen Pavel Mintyukov’s debut, and we very well could see Tristan Luneau’s debut tonight as well. Is this season going to be full of debuts or are we likely going to see a pause on them until after the deadline?
Malty: I think we’re in for 3 more debuts this season past Leo. Tristen making the big club should mean that he gets slotted in pretty soon (probably tonight?), but I still see him getting his 9 games then getting sent back to Gatineau since you have that extra year of CHL available to you. After him I believe the first defensive injury will lead to an Olen debut, and if not we should expect to see him after the trade deadline passes. I guess my last “bold” prediction is that I still am a hard believer that Nathan Gaucher is coming sooner rather than later for Anaheim. If any one of Jonesy, Henrique or any other forward gets shipped out, I have to imagine you get this kid a shot, even if it’s just for 9 end of season meaningless games. But it is so nice to see the youth movement in Anaheim get some love for this fanbase that has been waiting for these picks to come up.
Josh: I think we will see a couple more (Zelly and Captain Goch) before the end of the season but barring any health issues (knock on wood) I do think the debuts slow down until after the deadline.
Geo: To me, it looks like they’re getting the debuts out of the way early in the season and I think it’ll slow down until the deadline and then probably pick up again after some moves could shorten the roster a bit. For both Mintyukov and Luneau, I won’t be surprised if they end up headed back to the OHL and QMJHL respectively before they get to 10 games played, particularly Luneau. Like with Carlsson, the team needs to make the best decisions that will have these players contributing to the team’s success starting in 2-3 years. For both defensemen, it all comes down to what kind of role they’ll play and what kind of minutes they’ll get. So far, Mintyukov is playing 18 minutes a night, but if that falls and him or Luneau are only playing 10-12 minutes a night, then the team should be moving them back to the CHL to play big minutes down in Juniors. The team should also be looking at some more of their slightly older prospects over the next 6 months, particularly the players from the 2018 to 2021 draft classes. Even if not ready yet, at least give them a taste of the NHL. I’d hope at some point this season to at least see a game or two from Gaucher, Zellweger, Pastujov, and King, assuming they’re performing well in San Diego as the year goes on.
Eddy: We’ll definitely see a few more before the season is over. Tristan Luneau seems next in line and Olen Zellweger will likely play his way into a debut at some point. Outside shots for Nathan Gaucher, Sasha Pastujov and Tyson Hinds later on in the year depending on their play in San Diego. I’ll throw and interesting what-if type scenario in here as well. If Gibson is traded and Calle Clang has a solid year in San Diego, I could see him getting one start in the final stretch of the season.
J4R: Assuming it isn’t forced due to injuries, I think that ultimately we start to see some of the young guys in March and April once Verbeek has moved a few of the older guys and expiring contracts out. That being said, I can not wait for Nathan Gaucher to get his call up. He has the chance to be the Ducks’ first real SOB/PITA center since Kesler.