The Quack Attack is Back: Are the Ducks the Real Deal?

Heading into the 2025-26 NHL season, no one expected the Anaheim Ducks to be on the trajectory that they are. For a team that finished 25th in the league just last season, the fact that they currently sit atop the Pacific and fourth in the entire league with an 11-5-1 record feels unbelievable. It's obvious things are working for Anaheim thus far, but is this hot start sustainable?

Cutter Gauthier (left) and Leo Carlsson (right) (Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images)

The short answer is yes. This Ducks team has shown that they can hold their own against top teams, with two wins against the reigning Stanley Cup Champion, the Florida Panthers, already. And if this isn't impressive enough, how about this: they also beat the 2025 President's Trophy recipients (the Winnipeg Jets), in a 4-1 convincing fashion that saw rookie Beckett Sennecke score, along with a two goal performance by Leo Carlsson.

In fact, in just his second full season, Leo Carlsson is cementing himself as not only a key part of the Ducks, but also a name to watch in the league as a whole. His 26 points have him tied for third-place in the league for points (just one point behind, you know, Connor McDavid). Against the Colorado Avalanche on November 11th, Carlsson recorded his 100th career point in just 147 games played, making him the youngest player in franchise history to achieve the milestone. The fact that the young forward is in conversations like this only proves that he's a player Ducks fans might want to invest in a jersey of.

Speaking of young players to buy jerseys of, though, Cutter Gauthier is another young Duck making his presence felt. With 21 points on the season so far, he's making a name for himself outside of the controversy that came out of his trade from the Philadelphia Flyers to Anaheim. (But we won't get into that!)

Leo Carlsson scored the overtime winning goal in the Ducks 2024 home opener against the Utah Hockey Club (Mammoth) (Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Newcomers that have been acquired from elsewhere have also excelled for the Ducks, with Chris Kreider being a prime example: his trade from the New York Rangers to join former teammates Jacob Trouba, Frank Vatrano, and Ryan Strome in Anaheim was huge for the team. Kreider, a 34-year-old forward, is averaging a point per game following a season where he struggled greatly to end his tenure as a Ranger - this is not only hopeful to see, but proves that the Ducks seem to have gotten it right this season.

While the team's offensive lines have obviously been excelling, the defense has made huge strides as well. Another former Ranger, Jacob Trouba, has shocked fans with his best start to a season in recent memory: so far, he has registered 12 points in 17 games, including an overtime winner against the Vegas Golden Knights on November 8th. Trouba has consistently found himself towards the top of the postgame impact charts and is tied for fourth in the league in plus-minus with a +15 (and he's the only player in the top five that is not on the Colorado Avalanche, so he gets extra... points from us!)

Jacob Trouba with Leo Carlsson after scoring his overtime winner in the Ducks 4-3 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on November 8, 2025 (NHL)

These factors mixed with the solid goaltending of Lukas Dostal are setting the Ducks up for success this season. Ryan Strome is also finally back in the lineup - he made his season debut against the Detroit Red Wings on November 13th, where he tailed an assist. It's evident that the Ducks' offense is going to improve with the addition of Strome, as they have more depth in the lines again, and looking at this full lineup and its stats, the Ducks are starting to look really scary. (In the good way, of course!) Subsequently, it's not crazy to say that this could be the season that ends Anaheim's seven-year playoff drought.

We can't make completely accurate predictions, but we do know one thing: The Quack Attack is Back.

Edited by Caitlyn Wagner