Anaheim Ducks

The Anaheim Ducks' regular season isn't set to kick off until Saturday, and the trade deadline is nearly five months away. However, it's not too early for general manager Pat Verbeek to consider adding players in-season who could help the franchise long-term.

Usually, the list of trade targets is purely hypothetical at this point in the season, but Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Timothy Liljegren could end up on the trade market sooner than later.

According to Jonas Siegel of The Athletic, Toronto was willing to entertain trade offers before the 25-year-old went to arbitration during the offseason. He has done little to solidify his standing with the team since.

"The Leafs were open to trading Timothy Liljegren in the summer as the threat of arbitration loomed," Siegel wrote on October 4. "They eventually brought him back on a two-year deal. He has already fallen down the depth chart and maybe even out of the opening night lineup."

Indeed, Liljegren was a healthy scratch for Toronto's opener against the Montreal Canadiens, and the speculation surrounding him has not dissipated.

"Sounds like Toronto is working to find a landing spot for Timothy Liljegren. He's down the depth chart, not a situation anyone is happy with," Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman wrote on Wednesday.

As Friedman noted, neither Liljegren nor the Leafs are likely pleased with the way things have unfolded. The 17th pick in the 2017 draft was expected to be, if not a centerpiece player, at least a regular contributor.

Yet after seeing an increase in playing time each of the past four seasons—Liljegren averaged just under 20 minutes—the former AHL All-Star appears to be back in a pure depth role.

That's probably not where the Swede expected to be at this point in his career, and Toronto probably doesn't love the prospect of paying $3 million annually to a spare defender over the next two seasons.

Now, as Bleacher Report's Lyle Richardson recently noted, it's probably too early in the year to actively shop Liljegren because "They'll need to keep him as insurance in case injuries sideline a right-shot defenseman like Chris Tanev and Jani Hakanpää for a lengthy period."

However, that doesn't mean Liljegren won't be available well ahead of the trade deadline. If he is, Anaheim should be very interested.

The Ducks are clearly in a reloading stage. They won just 27 games last year and haven't been to the postseason since 2018. However, Verbeek hasn't limited his rebuilding efforts to the draft alone.

Though Anaheim did little in free agency, it tried to make a splash move, according to The Athletic's Eric Stephens.

"The Athletic learned from league sources that the Ducks made big offers to Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault, both of whom ultimately signed in Nashville. The Ducks took their swings. They just didn't connect," he wrote on July 1.

While targeting Liljegren wouldn't amount to a home run effort, it would make a ton of sense. He's been held back by limited opportunities more than poor play in Toronto, and he's still young enough to become a building block for a team such as Anaheim.

The Ducks have a reliable right defenseman in Radko Gudas, but it could provide Liljegren with opportunities early and often. With $20.6 million in cap space available, Anaheim can certainly afford to take a flier on a former first-round pick entering his playing prime.

The unknown, of course, is what Toronto will want in return. The Ducks aren't exactly loaded with desirable trade chips they're looking to unload—though David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported in June that Trevor Zegras could be available, albeit at "a very high price."

Anaheim also has a first- and two third-round picks in next year's draft—its second-rounder went to the Philadelphia Flyers in the Cutter Gauthier trade—though a Round 1 selection would be far too steep for Liljegren alone.

However, the Ducks should target Liljegren if and when he becomes available and make a serious push to land him. Verbeek is trying to build a young team that has enough upside to become a perennial contender in the not-too-distant future.

Liljegren, who has flashed promise in a limited role, fits that plan perfectly.

It's a new era in Anaheim.

The Anaheim Ducks showcased their new rebranded look on the ice on Thursday at the Upper Deck NHLPA Rookie showcase.

Ducks rookie Cutter Gauthier was the featured player as he was shown possessing the puck mid-stride as well as celebrating after a goal. The new uniforms feature a throwback to the team's "Mighty Ducks" logo as well as a switch to orange as the dominant color. The old Ducks logo is featured on the shoulders of the jersey.

In addition to orange, the scheme also features some black, white and gold. This is the Ducks first rebrand since 2005, when the team changed from the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. That era of the team was based on the Disney movie The Mighty Ducks and featured a white, green and purple color scheme.

The 2005 rebrand switched to black, orange and gold but the orange was more of an undertone. Now, orange takes over as the main color.

The Ducks have not reached the postseason since 2018 and have been at the bottom of the NHL for the last several season. However, players like Gauthier, Leo Carlson, Olen Zellweger and 2024 No. 3 pick Beckett Sennecke represent a bright future and a rebrand around the young talent shows that improvement is coming soon.

The Ducks will officially debut the new look in the regular season on Oct. 12 against the San Jose Sharks. The first look at the home jerseys in action will come on Oct. 16 against Utah.

The flood of NHL offseason activity has slowed to a trickle, and few notable names are still available in either the free-agent or trade markets. However, one big domino has yet to fall in the form of Columbus Blue Jackets wing Patrik Laine.

Laine, the second overall pick in the 2016 draft, notified Columbus that he'd prefer a change of scenery in the spring. However, he entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program in an effort to focus on his mental health in January, which made trade talks difficult—teams were unable to contact Laine directly while he was in the assistance program.

On Thursday, though, the 26-year-old was cleared from the program which means teams can now contact him to discuss potential trades.

"It's expected that more clubs will also express interest now that Laine has been cleared," The Athletic's Aaron Portzline wrote.

The Anaheim Ducks, who haven't made the playoffs since the 2017-18 season, should be among those interested teams. After some rebuilding years, now is the perfect time for Anaheim to add a veteran with the combination of experience, talent and upside that Laine possesses.

While Anaheim made a couple of veteran additions this offseason (Jansen Harkens, Carson Meyer), Laired would help address the wish list of general manager Pat Verbeek.

"I'd like to find another top-six right winger," Verbeek said at the Ducks' 'Ducks Migration' event in March, per Patrick Present of The Hockey News. "You need a variety and we don't have enough right-hand shots in our lineup."

While Laine certainly wasn't a top-six wing during his time in Columbus, he's flashed that sort of potential before. He's a creative shot-maker who racked up an impressive 138 goals in his first four seasons with the Winnipeg Jets.

Now, Laine missed most of last season with a shoulder injury and is still recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, but he'd be worth the gamble for a Ducks team looking to open its playoff window this season.

At only 26 and under contract for two more years, Laine could become a long-term investment for Anaheim if he can return to form.

The Blue Jackets, of course, are going to remain patient in trade negotiations. Laine is one of the most valuable trade chips left this offseason, and general manager Don Waddell is looking to make a "hockey trade," according to Portzline. Presumably, that means retaining little to none of Laine's salary—which will be $8.7 million in each of the next two seasons.

However, the Ducks have the pieces necessary to get a deal done.

With $21.7 million in cap space, Anaheim just so happens to be one of the few teams that could absorb Laine's salary outright. The Ducks also have a deep pool of prospects and a reasonable amount of draft capital—they have one first- and two third-round picks next year, plus first-round picks in 2026 and 2027.

Portzliine told TSN 690 Montreal on July 15 (h/t Lyle Richardson of the Hockey News) that he believes that Columbus would prefer picks and prospects to a roster player.

The final hurdle to cross could be Laine's 10-team no-trade clause, which may or may not include Anaheim. That's something Laine may be willing to waive, however, if it means getting out of Columbus.

"The idea is that new Jackets general manager Don Waddell and Laine's agent want to work on this together to find a new spot for the player," The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun wrote back on June 12.

The Ducks could provide Laine with a fresh start and an opportunity to rebuild his game without much scrutiny in a smaller market. This could be the rare trade that delivers a win to all parties involved, if the Duck can pull it off.

At this point in the offseason, it should be a huge priority for Anaheim.

The Anaheim Ducks are returning to their classic duck-billed goalie mask logo for the 2024-25 season.

The Ducks unveiled new jerseys that pay homage to the team's origins as the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in a Wednesday post on Instagram.

The uniforms featured a similar logo when the team first joined the NHL as a Disney-owned franchise in 1993, following the release of The Mighty Ducks the year prior.

The Mighty Ducks wore the duck-billed mask logo with a jade and eggplant color scheme from their inaugural season until Disney sold the team to owner Henry Samueli in 2006.

The franchise marked the ownership swap by changing the team name, adjusting the colors to feature orange accents, and donning a new logo featuring a "D" shaped like a duck's foot.

After the newly-christened Anaheim Ducks went on to win the 2007 Stanley Cup, the team kept the web-footed "D" as part of their logo.

The symbol became the team's primary logo in 2014 and remained through the 2023-24 season, per NHLUniforms.com.

The new uniforms maintain orange as a primary color, but return to the duck-billed mask as the team's main logo and bring the jade-and-eggplant scheme back as accents.

The Ducks' rebrand extends past their uniforms. The team recently applied to trademark the phrase "Orange Country," which will be used to brand merchandise during the upcoming season, per The Hockey News' Derek Lee.

The team is also preparing for the 2026 first-phase opening of OCVibe, the $4 billion mixed-use development that is expected to be built around the Honda Center in time for the 2028 Summer Olympics, per James Zoltak of VenuesNow.com.

The Duck also aren't the only California team rebranding for the 2024-25 season. The Los Angeles Kings have also shared that players will be debuting new uniforms this fall.

The Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks will debut "modernized" versions of retro logos on new uniforms next season, according to hockey branding site Icethetics.

The Ducks will feature a new version of the Mighty Ducks logo, while the Kings will wear a black-and-silver logo reminiscent of the Wayne Gretzky era "with a new crown design inside," Icethetics reported.

The Kings responded encouragingly to the post:

Icethetics reported that both uniforms should be revealed by the time the 2024 NHL Draft begins June 28.

The Ducks wore versions of the Mighty Ducks logo from when they were founded by The Walt Disney Company in 1993 until 2006.

The team changed its name and logo for the 2006-07 season and promptly won the Stanley Cup.

The franchise has since stayed away from the Mighty Ducks branding as the team's main logo, although the Ducks have used the design on alternate and Reverse Retro jerseys.

The Kings marked the arrival of Gretzky from the Edmonton Oilers by changing their colors to black and silver, with a primary logo emphasizing the word "Kings" in a crest, prior to the 1988-89 season.

Los Angeles continued wearing silver and black through Gretzky's seven and a half seasons with the team before adjusting the logo and color scheme again in 1998. (Uniform history details h/t NHLuniforms.com.)

The Kings now reportedly plan to combine the Gretzky era black-and-white crest with the bejeweled crown logo worn by players during the team's inaugural 1967-68 season:

The Kings wore versions of this crown from their inaugural season, all the way through the 1978-88 campaign:

A jersey change this summer would mark the first main-logo rebrand for the Kings since 2021, and the first for the Ducks since 2014.

These Southern Californian clubs won't be the only team getting a jersey rebrand before the 2024-25 season.

The club formerly known as the Arizona Coyotes will mark its first season relocated to Salt Lake City, Utah, with a sweater that says "UTAH" across the front, according to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. Pagnotta expects this jersey to debut at the NHL draft.