5 Questions with The Sporting Tribune’s Derek Lee ahead of Kings-Ducks matchup

Tonight is the regular season finale for the Los Angeles Kings and the National Hockey League as a whole. For the LA Kings and the Anaheim Ducks, specifically, who happen to square off tonight, their next few weeks look vastly different.

Los Angeles is headed to the playoffs and currently sit in the Top 3 of the Pacific Division, while Anaheim is headed for the offseason and currently sit at the bottom of the Pacific Division.

Ahead of tonight’s matchup, Rink Royalty caught up with The Sporting Tribune’s Derek Lee, who covers the Anaheim Ducks to see how Ducks fans are approaching the regular season finale. Check out his articles here.

Question No. 1: I saw a report saying a win for the Ducks and Blackhawks tonight could secure the last spot in the league for the Blue Jackets. Do Ducks fans want them to win tonight or are they battling for last place?

Frank Seravalli released an article today entitled “2023 NHL Draft Lottery Odds: Which teams have the best chance to select Connor Bedard?” And in his description about the report, he notes that if the Anaheim Ducks and the Chicago Blackhawks win tonight, then the Columbus Blue Jackets would solidify the best odds to land the highly-coveted prospect.

It was this report that led me to ask Derek Lee the aforementioned question, and this was his response:

“I think the general consensus is a loss tonight would be a “win” for the franchise. Securing the best odds for the first overall pick could go a long way toward accelerating the rebuild. At worst, they would fall to third overall if they finish dead last, so a top talent would still be available to select in that case.”

Los Angeles really needs this win, if they do not want to face the Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, that possibility is also contingent on whether or not Seattle and Edmonton win tonight. So, a lot would have to go right for that scenario to come to fruition. But, from the Ducks’ perspective and the Kings’ perspective, it would be better for both teams if the Kings come home with a win tonight.

Question No. 2: How do Ducks fans feel about Connor Bedard? Do they like him? Or do they see Trevor Zegras as the center of the future in Anaheim?

Lee’s response: “Bedard is one of the reasons—maybe even the sole reason—why fans have been willing to stomach all of the losses this season. If the ping pong balls fall the right way and you get him, it’s great. At this point, I don’t think anyone is too concerned on who plays center because the possibility of drafting Bedard is still up on the air. Once that becomes clearer, then maybe you start thinking about that.”

The Blackhawks, Ducks, and Blue Jackets are in a battle for last place, particularly this season unlike any other because the availability of Connor Bedard changes the potential of a franchise overnight. As Derek said, potentially the only reason why Ducks’ fans have been able to handle all of the losses this season is due to the possibility of landing Bedard.

If the ping pong ball does fall in Anaheim’s way, then the Ducks could very well have a Connor McDavid-Leon Draisaitl situation on their hands much like Edmonton does right now.

Question No. 3: A lot of people would love to see the Ducks go back to their old retro jerseys with the hockey mask and crossed sticks. Do Ducks’ fans feel the same way?

A: “Many fans would welcome the return of the Mighty Ducks logo (and the jade and eggplant color scheme as well). How feasible that is as a full-time option, I’m not sure. Team owners Henry and Susan Samueli seem pretty intent on pushing the orange theme—Orange County and all—and the addition of oCV!be in 2024 will only add to the orange emphasis.”

Unfortunately, for hockey fans as a whole, it doesn’t sound like the Anaheim Ducks will be donning the jade and eggplant Mighty Ducks jerseys full-time. The heavy lean into Orange County sounds like it is only to become more evident with the addition of the OCV!BE community that will be installed, centralized around the Honda Center, the home ice arena of the Anaheim Ducks.

Question No. 4: John Klingberg signed a 1-year deal to play in Anaheim last offseason in what I assume to be not what he had hoped for, but the market for him seemed to crash. Was he always someone they were going to deal at the deadline, or was his play on the ice trending him that way?

A: “The minute Klingberg signed that deal, the plan was always going to be to deal him at the deadline. The only way I think there would have been a possibility of keeping him around is if the Ducks somehow made a Kraken-esque run to the playoffs and Klingberg was at the forefront of it. The initial deal that sent him to Minnesota felt slightly underwhelming, but I think the play of Nikita Nesterenko has eased concerns for the time being.”

Prior to signing a one-year deal with the Ducks, defenseman John Klingberg was, reportedly, offered an eight-year contract extension with the Dallas Stars that was worth an average annual value of $7 million dollars a year. The only reason he didn’t accept that offer was that he was firm on not taking anything less than $8 million dollars AAV.

Once he turned that down, the market for his services was not what he anticipated as he ended up settling for a one-year contract with Anaheim for $7 million dollars. According to Derek Lee, the intent of the Ducks’ front office was never to keep him on the roster all season.

After half a year of John Klingberg, the Ducks sent him to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for defenseman Andrej Sustr, a 2025 fourth-round pick, and the rights to prospect Nikita Nesterenko. To help make the deal work financially, Anaheim retained 50 percent of Klingberg’s $7 million salary in the deal.

Seems like John Klingberg bet on himself, and it didn’t pay off financially but worked out well for Anaheim. The best-case scenario for him is that he re-signs in Minnesota on a multi-year deal.