Anaheim Ducks reportedly heavily pursued two top free agent forwards
The Anaheim Ducks reportedly heavily pursued two of the top free agent forwards on July 1st and made big offers to land them, but ultimately missed out.
As they look to take the next step in their rebuild, the Anaheim Ducks and General Manager Pat Verbeek were looking to make a big slash in the free agent market earlier this month.
Anaheim wasn't able to land any of the big fish in the market on Canada Day, but signed some depth pieces in Jansen Harkins and Carson Meyer in the days that followed. However, according to Eric Stephens of The Athletic, the Ducks made big offers to two of the biggest names in free agency on July 1st.
In an article on The Athletic, Stephens shared that the Ducks made offers to both Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault, but were unsuccessful in signing either players, as they went to the Nashville Predators.
The Ducks' inability to land a top-six forward may hurt them next season, especially if they're wanting to take that next step and potentially be able to push for a wild card spot in the Western Conference. Even if they did sign someone like Stamkos or Marchessault, it would've been tough to push for the playoffs given how almost every team in the Pacific Division got better this summer, aside from Calgary and Vegas.
Pat Verbeek is going to have some big decisions to make in the coming months including on the futures of Trevor Zegras and John Gibson in Orange County. Both players have been linked with moves out of Anaheim, but nothing has materialized as of yet. If Verbeek is able to trade one of both of them, it could land them a decent return and someone who can come in and help the team right away.
Source: Eric Stephens/The Athletic
Anaheim Ducks took big swings in NHL free agency, but made no contact
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