Monday, Feb. 3, marked the third anniversary of Pat Verbeek taking the reins and accepting the job as the Anaheim Ducks general manager.
Pat Verbeek speaks from Ducks training camp
He’s been the Ducks’ GM for three trade deadlines, drafts, and free-agency periods. He’s in the midst of his third full NHL season. In June 2023, he hired Greg Cronin as head coach. He has seen 136 games of what his team looks like under Cronin with his methodology and approach.
Over halfway through the 2024-25 season and at the NHL 4 Nations break, the Ducks have a 24-24-6 record.
With hindsight, let’s take a look back, reevaluate, and grade Verbeek’s significant transactions from the past year, his third calendar year as GM of the Anaheim Ducks:
March 6, 2024-The Anaheim Ducks trade Adam Henrique (50% retained), Sam Carrick (50% retained), and a 2024 seventh-round pick to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a 2024 first-round pick and a 2025 fifth-round pick
Patrick: A
Verbeek seems to do some of his best work around the deadline. Henrique was having a nice year (42 points in 60 games) when he was traded, but the salary ($5.825 million AAV) was going to be an issue, even with max retention.
Tampa Bay was involved in lessening the cap hit further, and every party seemed to walk away happy. The Edmonton first was one of only three 2024 first-round picks moved around the trade deadline, a tidy bit of business from Verbeek for an expensive expiring deal.
Derek: A
It was a nice bit of business for Verbeek to procure a first-round pick from the combination of Henrique and Carrick at full retention, with a little help from the Lightning.
June 28, 2024-The Anaheim Ducks trade the 31st overall pick (Ben Danford) and the 58th overall pick (Linus Eriksson) in the 2024 Draft to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for the 23rd overall pick (Stian Solberg)
Patrick: B
The pick acquired from the Oilers was traded nearly four months later at the 2024 Draft, along with the final piece of the 2022 Hampus Lindholm deal to Boston to move up eight spots and select Norwegian defenseman Stian Solberg.
Solberg fell a tad further than expected, causing Verbeek and Martin Madden to pounce. They view him as a highly competitive and physical yet skilled defenseman whose game can easily translate to the NHL.
Derek: B
The Ducks used the pick they had acquired from the Oilers mere months ago to trade up in the 2024 draft and select Norwegian defenseman Stian Solberg, a physical and smooth-skating defenseman who is…