The Ducks’ 2025-26 season has been over for just over a month and with the 2026 NHL Entry Draft just around the corner, it feels like a good time to start recapping this past season for each player in the organization.
Today’s edition of ‘By the Numbers’ will feature players who wore Nos. 1-10 this season.
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Dostál entered the 2025-26 season as the unquestioned starting goaltender after John Gibson was traded to the Detroit Red Wings during the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. In the second year of his six-year contract extension that he signed in July 2025, Dostál appeared in 56 games (55 starts), putting up a 30-20-4 record with a .888 SV% and 3.10 GAA. He eclipsed his career high in games played for the third consecutive season and had the first 30-win season of his NHL career.
The Ducks’ season fell largely on Dostál’s performances, as he carried them through several winning streaks and also endured a couple of losing streaks. He missed time in September (during preseason) and December with two separate injuries: a sprained ankle and a broken finger.
Dostál revealed the extent of his injuries during an interview with Czech news outlet iSport. Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek had revealed during a preseason interview with Ducks Stream that Dostál suffered the sprained ankle (simply referred to as a lower-body injury at the time) while walking down his stairs at home. Dostál said during his interview with iSport that a shot broke the front joint of his middle finger in his catching (left) hand.
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“At the beginning of the season I sprained my ankle,” Dostál said (translated from Czech) “And halfway through the season a shot broke the front joint of my middle finger. I played with it for a while, the pain was manageable and it gradually healed. Still, I managed to play over seventy matches, which is also an important indicator for me that I can handle it physically.”
It’s unclear to what extent Dostal’s finger injury healed, but he did appear to have issues catching the puck cleanly during the Ducks’ playoff series against the Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights. His playoff performances had plenty of peaks and valleys. He allowed less than three goals in just three of the Ducks’ 12 playoff games and had a save percentage over .900 in only four of those games. However, the Ducks lost two of those four games.
While his playoff performances weren’t as consistent as one might have hoped for, it’s easy to forget that this season was the most games that Dostál has ever played in his professional career. 56 regular season games on top of 12 playoff games plus four games at the Winter Olympics in the middle of a jam-packed NHL schedule.
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“Next year is gonna be kind of easier, especially after my first year being No. 1,” Dostál said. “So that’s going to be definitely easier to adjust some of your preparations. Some of the things that I actually told Sudsie (director of goaltending Sudarshan Maharaj) and (goaltending coach) Peter (Budaj), I always like to do a lot of things, but maybe, sometimes, it’s better to slow down a bit. So it might be something that I might focus on for next year, sometimes to take a little bit more rest. Mentally, physically, you can be just a little bit more rested so you can be sharper in those games. In some of the games I knew that some goals slipped in that shouldn’t happen. That’s definitely going to be the goal for next year to keep that consistency.”
LaCombe built off his breakout season from last season as a sophomore, setting another career high in points (58) and appearing in all 82 games for the Ducks in 2025-26, one of three Ducks to do so this season. Before he even began the season, he was rewarded with an eight-year, $72 million contract extension. The contract made LaCombe the highest-paid player in franchise history.
Playing the role of No. 1 defenseman, LaCombe was the primary point option on Anaheim’s top power play unit up until John Carlson was acquired from the Washington Capitals in March. LaCombe had 14 power play points in 66 games prior to Carlson’s arrival and had three power play points in the 16 following games. With Carlson expected to hit the open market and likely head back east, LaCombe is primed to fill the point option on the top power play unit once again.
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LaCombe spent most of the 2025-26 season paired with Jacob Trouba, who is a pending UFA. Head coach Joel Quenneville leaned heavily on the pairing down the stretch and especially once the playoffs rolled around. With Carlson on his way out, Trouba will become the primary UFA target for general manager Pat Verbeek to re-sign. What ballpark Trouba’s number falls into could affect whether he returns or departs. During his exit interview, Trouba said that Verbeek and he had preliminary discussions at the trade deadline about an extension but that it “didn’t get very far.” LaCombe has shown he fares well playing alongside more of a defensive-minded partner like Trouba or Radko Gudas before him. If Trouba also departs, Verbeek would be wise to seek out a similar partner for LaCombe, whether via trade or free agency.
You’d be hard-fetched to find someone who was more of a team player this year than Moore. Not only did he flip-flop between forward and defense throughout the season, but he happily conceded his No. 74 to Carlson when he arrived from the Capitals, switching to No. 3. Moore said that he chose 3 because he wore it while playing for the Chicago Steel in the USHL.
After making his NHL debut and playing in three games at the end of the 2024-25 season, Moore broke camp with the Ducks to start the 2025-26 season. He didn’t make an appearance until the fifth game of the season, filling in as a seventh defenseman/fourth line forward hybrid. He received consistent playing as a defensemen for most of November before being healthy scratched for five consecutive games at the end of that month. When he was re-inserted into the lineup, it was as a fourth line winger.
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Moore continued to fill this role for a majority of the rest of the regular season, making sporadic appearances on the backend. Carlson’s acquisition relegated Moore further to forward duties, but a late-season injury to Gudas opened the door for more opportunities on the blue line. However, an inadequate performance while playing on his off-side against the San Jose Sharks on Apr. 1 shifted him back to forward full-time for the rest of the season.
Apr 28, 2026; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Anaheim Ducks defensemen Ian Moore (3) waits for the play to begin against the Edmonton Oilers in game five of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
The fourth line featured Jeff Viel, Tim Washe and Moore to start the Ducks’ 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs run, as this unorthodox line kept Connor McDavid at bay for most of the six-game series. But injuries to both Gudas and Helleson required Moore to jump back to defense, where he was paired with Olen Zellweger, who had played infrequently following Carlson’s acquisition and Tyson Hinds’ promotion from the AHL. The Zellweger-Moore pairing held their own during the latter stages of the series against the Golden Knights, though the Ducks fell in six games.
Moore should without a doubt return to the blue line in permanent fashion in 2026-27. While his work as a winger is admirable, his intelligence and skills shine brighter as a defenseman than as a forward. Targeting offseason additions to bolster the forward depth should be a priority for Verbeek this season. A defenseman shouldn’t be one of the first options to fill in at forward, no matter how smart he is.
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With the right side of Anaheim’s defense currently in flux, an opportunity has developed for Moore to stake his claim at a full-time role. Helleson and Tristan Luneau are also competing for regular roles, which makes for plenty of competition.
Gudas has served as the Ducks’ captain for the past two seasons. He joined the team in the summer of 2023, signing a three-year deal. He provided a steady partner for LaCombe, who was in his first full season as an NHLer and was one of their better players during rookie head coach Greg Cronin’s first year at the helm.
After being named captain prior to the 2024-25 season, Gudas was unable to replicate his form from the previous season, often finding himself out of position and having to take a penalty to prevent prime scoring opportunities. During his 2026 exit interview, he revealed that a lingering ankle injury had affected him for the past few years and was exacerbated by a sprained ankle that he suffered late in the 2025-26 regular season.
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Some of Gudas’ decline can be attributed to age. He recently turned 36 and his style of play doesn’t cater well to decreased physical attributes. He was never the quickest or fastest skater, but being out of position on a regular basis can rear its ugly head, especially as a defenseman. There are still some positive elements that Gudas possesses, though. His knack for giving opponents a hard time in front of his goaltender’s crease is something that the Ducks lacked, especially in their series against the Golden Knights. They may not bring him back (he is a pending UFA), but they do need someone who can fill a similar role as a crease clearer.
For as polarizing as his Ducks career has been to this point, Gudas joined the organization at a crucial point in their rebuilding process. His teammates have spoken glowingly of him, especially his younger defensive compatriots. He owned up to his ill-advised knee-on-knee hit on Auston Matthews and faced the music (despite suffering a sprained ankle just a few games before) when the Toronto Maple Leafs faced the Ducks again a couple of weeks later. If he’s unable to find a role with an NHL team next season, whether with the Ducks or another organization, a return to Czechia to finish out his professional career––similar to what former Duck Jakob Silfverberg is currently doing––appears likely.
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