1 overall pick.Īdding him to a core that already has Zegras and Mason McTavish would do a lot to change the long-term outlook here. Michigan's Adam Fantilli is the odds-on favorite for that slot, and in most years he would probably be a high-level No. The good news is that, unlike the 2005 class, there is a likely superstar and franchise talent ready to go No. This year, they fell short of landing Connor Bedard. It was the 2005 draft where they narrowly missed out on a chance to land Sidney Crosby and instead walked away with Bobby Ryan.

The bad news for the Ducks is they didn't land the top pick in the NHL draft lottery, losing out on a potential franchise-changing player for the second time in franchise history. Getting him locked in through his prime years and buying out some free agency years should be at the top of the team's wishlist. But Zegras is still only 21 years old and already the team's go-to offensive star and one of the league's most exciting players. Terry has turned out to be an excellent player for the Ducks but is probably already in the prime of his career and not likely to get much better than he already is. The question for the Ducks will be whether or not they go all-in and give them long-term deals with cost certainty, or if they go with shorter bridge deals. Two of those players are Zegras and Terry, who also just happen to be restricted free agents this summer.

The 2022-23 season was miserable for the Ducks, but there is still some real talent here to build around and a couple of significant cornerstone pieces already in place. John Cordes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images 1.

Nhl 17 next roster update