It’s time for the next installment of former Anaheim Ducks vying for a Stanley Cup this postseason. In the previous edition, we covered some honorable mentions, which were players who suited up for the Ducks in their careers but didn’t play many games for the club. We also took a look at the first five on our list, which included Simon Benoit, Sam Steel, Patrick Maroon, Ilya Lyubushkin, and Kevin Shattenkirk.
Related: Ranking the Best Former Ducks in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs (Nos. 15-11)
We’ll start to see some impact players in these next five as we start to get closer to the top of the list. All five names had varying levels of success in an Anaheim Ducks uniform and currently find themselves in great situations as the first round of the playoffs starts to take some shape. Let’s get into it.
10. Sam Carrick, Edmonton Oilers
While Sam Carrick won’t blow anybody away with skill or speed, he brings value to his team with his physical play, compete level, faceoff ability, and desire to play in the hard areas. He will pay the price for his team. He fits the very definition of a player who earned his spot in the lineup through nothing but hard work and perseverance. It was a long road for Carrick, who didn’t earn a regular role with the Ducks until 2021-22 as a 29-year-old. Even still, he has never played more than 64 games in a season. However, he comes to work with grit and a work ethic that players can really learn from. During his Ducks career, especially this season, we saw him earn all-situations minutes, including in close games, and was praised by Ducks head coach Greg Cronin on a number of occasions.
Carrick arrived in Edmonton with Adam Henrique at the 2024 trade deadline. The Oilers were a deep and well-oiled machine (pun intended) already, so Carrick’s minutes, and role, have lessened. Nevertheless, he is one of a few “sandpaper” type players in the Oilers lineup, along with Corey Perry, Evander Kane, and others, who will scrap and get their hands dirty. That, in itself, has value this time of year.
9. Andrew Cogliano, Colorado Avalanche
Andrew Cogliano did some of his best work in a Ducks sweater. Acquired via trade in 2011, Cogliano played seven full seasons with the club from 2011-2018 before being traded at the deadline during the 2018-19 season. With his speed, defensive awareness, and two-way skill, he was a critical piece of a core group of players that drove the Ducks during their five-year run as a Stanley Cup contender in the mid-2010s. Notably, he, Ryan Kesler, and Jakob Silfverberg formed a dynamic shutdown line that was often tasked with playing against the Western Conference’s toughest opposition.
Perhaps most impressive is Cogliano’s extraordinary ability to stay healthy. He missed just two games in his entire Ducks career. Those absences were not injury-related but rather a two-game suspension that broke his 830-game ironman streak. Staying healthy in a sport like hockey is an underrated and ever-important talent, and Cogliano seems to have mastered it. He hasn’t played a full season since, but he has put together two straight campaigns of at least 75 games for the Colorado Avalanche, who are looking strong in their first-round series against the Winnipeg Jets.
8. Josh Manson, Colorado Avalanche
Like Cogliano, Josh Manson was a critical piece of a Ducks team that was always in the Stanley Cup conversation from 2013-2018. Manson was the physical bruiser of a Ducks defensive unit that included Hampus Lindholm, Brandon Montour, Cam Fowler, and others. His best season in Anaheim was 2017-18 when he had seven goals and 30 assists and finished a superb plus-34. It was the best season of his career and the only time he has eclipsed 35 points.
Manson was dealt to the Avalanche at the 2022 trade deadline, joining former Ducks teammate Cogliano. The Avs, of course, won the Stanley Cup, and Manson played a big part with eight points in 20 playoff games. Injuries limited his first full season in Colorado in 2022-23, but he rebounded with 76 games in 2023-24 and appears ready to play another big role in the Avalanche’s 2024 playoff run. He has a goal and two assists thus far in the series.
7. Kyle Palmieri, New York Islanders
Kyle Palmieri began his career in a Ducks uniform but was dealt before he ever hit his prime as a player. He became expendable given the arrivals of Rickard Rakell, Silfverberg, Nick Ritchie, and Kesler in the preceding years and never got the chance to prove his ability, which he has gone on to do for the New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders in the seasons since.
He has recorded six seasons of at least 44 points and has generally hovered around a half-point-per-game for most of his career as a top-six forward. He has been a steady contributor for the Islanders in the playoffs, including their current first-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Islanders staved off elimination on Saturday afternoon (April 27) with a Game 4 victory. He has a goal and an assist in the series thus far.
6. Corey Perry, Edmonton Oilers
This is where the ranking starts to get tough. Corey Perry is a Ducks franchise legend and has delivered memories for fans that will last generations. But this is a present-day ranking of former Ducks, not a ranking of their playoff careers while members of the Ducks, which is why he lands just outside the top-5.
Perry has adapted admirably following his decline as an elite and fearsome goal-scorer in the NHL. Instead, he’s leaned more into his tenacity, leadership, small-area skill, and acumen as a veteran leader and agitator to remain an effective player. His role with the Oilers is his smallest yet as a pro, but when he gets his opportunities, he usually is causing havoc and making the right play with an eye toward capturing his second career Stanley Cup.
A Handful of Impact Players in the Middle-Five
So, we have some hard-nosed grinders, a top-six forward, a big, physical defenseman, and a former franchise legend in the middle-five of our countdown. All played key roles for the Ducks then and continue to play big roles for their current teams now. Who will appear in the top five? Stay tuned for the final reveal, and let us know your thoughts on the list so far in the comments below!
