Anaheim Ducks eliminated: Three things they should do in the offseason

The Anaheim Ducks have officially been eliminated from Stanley Cup playoff contention. They’ve had one of the worst losing seasons in the history of the franchise. The good news for the Ducks is that most of this season has been self-perpetrated. There’s still a huge pool of young talent in Anaheim. Out of any bottom feeder in the Western Conference, the Ducks are positioned to be contenders again shortly.

The Anaheim Ducks have been eliminated from the playoffs, here are three things they should do in the off-season.

Make a wise selection

The Anaheim Ducks' putrid record this season has guaranteed a selection that should be in the top three of the NHL draft. The top three this year means that the Ducks will be able to select out of three names that are certain franchise cornerstones for years to come.

Everyone knows the talent that Connor Bedard has, but Adam Fantilli of Michigan has been electric in the NCAA as well. Leo Carlsson has a lot of talent as a forward in the Swedish Hockey League. The Ducks would be in a good position to pick any of those names and add them to the young talent they already have.

Continue to develop young talent

Smart scouting in recent seasons has led to the Ducks having one of the best young talent pools in the entire league. They have some of the best top-end young talent across the board, whether on the blue line or at forward. Trevor Zegras is the franchise right now, and thinking about what he could turn into in 3-4 years is a scary thing for GMs across the league.

Not only do the Anaheim Ducks have the benefit of Zegras, but they also have a good young prospect like Mason McTavish. Troy Terry has been in the league for several seasons, but there’s still another level of game that he can achieve. Finally, Jamie Drysdale offers all of the possible upsides on defense for the Ducks' future.

Assess certain player’s futures with the team

The Anaheim Ducks have several veterans on their team that they will have to assess their futures for. The Ducks weren't able to sell off Kevin Shattenkirk at the deadline. He’ll walk in free agency. Jakob Silfverberg is coming up on the last year of his contract next season. If he isn’t a part of the Ducks' long-term plans, he could end up on the trading block.

John Gibson is still at the height of his powers in the NHL as one of the best goaltenders. He’s signed for the next five years. The Ducks may have to determine if Gibson is still their goalie of the future. If he isn’t selling off while Gibson is still a top tier goaltender, that might be the smartest thing to do. Especially with the quality scouting the Ducks have.