Jacob Trouba’s Performance RAISES Eyebrows as Anaheim Ducks Fall to Los Angeles Kings

Jacob Trouba’s Performance RAISES Eyebrows as Anaheim Ducks Fall to Los Angeles Kings

[Music] Well, tonight was not the duck’s night. And is there a person to blame for tonight? Maybe not one, but there’s definitely someone we need to be worried about. That more on this episode of Locked On Anaheim Ducks. [Music] Your Locked On Ducks, your daily podcast on the Anaheim Ducks, part of the Locked On podcast network, your team every day. Hello and welcome every Thanks for making Locked on Anaheim Ducks your first listen every day. Part of the Locked On podcast network, your team every day. Today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Download the FanDuel app now by visiting fanduel.com and win $300 in bonus bets if your first $5 bet wins. I’m Kyle Carr. I’m a lifelong Anaheim Ducks fan. I’ve spent multiple years covering collegiate sports, including college hockey. And here on Locked on Ducks, as we do every day, we are talking about the Anaheim Ducks. And today was the third preseason game for Anaheim. And unfortunately, it did not go so well. They took on the Los Angeles Kings tonight at the Honda Center. And I’ll get into how the game went as a whole later in the show, but for now, I have to get into just how rough Jacob Trouba’s play was tonight. It was abysmal. Trouba was minus3 tonight. Uh the score was three to nothing LA. So if that tells you how he did, I don’t know what does. Uh took three penalties tonight and he played 18 minutes and 32 seconds, one of the higher ice times of the Ducks roster tonight, but still just was not playing very well. Uh he did lead the team in blocked shots with three, but overall just had a rough night. I I I was not impressed with how he showed up tonight against the LA Kings. He was paired up with Pavl Mchikov tonight and the two of them struggled all night. Um it just seemed like they were not in sync whatsoever and Trouba especially was quite out of it tonight there. There was just a lack of of quick playmaking decisions for for Truba. He just seemed to be caught out of position a lot tonight. uh struggling with being unable to tie guys up, not really doing well in board battles. Couple of times where he’d he’d win the puck and he’d kind of have some time to, you know, either reverse it or make a decent strong pass and he’d just kind of half pass it up the boards and then it would go right to a Kings player and continued the the offensive press by LA. uh wasn’t really strong in the puck or or making the smartest clears, couple icings here and there, getting penalties cuz he’s behind the play. It was just a tough night for him and I was kind of looking forward to seeing him really show a strong showing tonight. I I know it’s the preeason and you got to take things with a grain of salt, but I still was thinking that he would have a a little bit better of a performance coming into tonight’s showing. Um, looking at the pairing of him and Mikov, I just I don’t know if it was because of the new systems and sort of this freedom for these younger guys like Mikov and Zelwigger to really get engaged in the offense and and kind of join the rush or if if the moment calls for it going down and kind of being engaged in the offense. And you saw Mikov do that a lot tonight. He he was one of the more active defenseman in regards to being in the offensive zone, but it it felt like Trouba almost couldn’t read off of him very well tonight. And there are a couple times where Mikov’s trying to battle and he ends up getting either the puck stripped from him or the 50/50 puck ends up away from him and Trouba just isn’t there to really cover his six. It felt like he wasn’t really working well on the blue line tonight. wasn’t really keeping pucks in the zone and maintaining that offensive zone time like we saw against Utah from the defenseman that night. Tonight it was just kind of one and again there was a couple opportunities there where they’d have multiple shots or multiple attempts uh because their shot count was pretty low and I’ll get into that a little bit later. But the the pressure from the defense along the blue line was not there and whenever it’s they did pinch it seemed like it was always the wrong time and the they wouldn’t hold the puck strong against the boards and it end up slipping through to the LA Kings winger who’s already exiting the zone and rushing down and there’s a lot of odd man rushes tonight. Um, a lot of those oddman rushes did come during Trouba and Mikov’s time on the ice. Luckily, the score was only three to nothing and that really came in later in the game. Uh, when Lucas Doall was in, yes, he gave up that first goal. It was kind of a weird one. Um, but once Cal Kale Clan came in, it he he kept him in it. But this game could easily have been a much higher scoring game by LA if it wasn’t for the goalenders tonight because the defense in front of them was was very very rough. And the top example of that was Jacob Trouba tonight. and to be minus three to have three penalties called on you tonight and really just kind of have a pedestrian showing. I I don’t think that’s a good image for him to be really painting himself into. I saw a ton of people online saying, “Get this guy off of our team.” You heard uh um Posasha from Spitt and Chicklets when Trouba was announced to be coming over to Anaheim. He said it’s he’s gonna be a detriment to the team and that his under the hood numbers or whatever show that he’s a liability. And tonight was kind of a perfect example of that. And I’m hoping it’s just kind of the preseason getting into shape. Not really going 100% in the preseason game tonight. But it was a very scary look for Trouba. And I I I don’t know if he’s going to be having solid minutes this year if that’s the kind of performance he’s going to be putting up. And again, it’s preseason. Take it with a grain of salt. There’s going to be some mixups here. I’m I’m going to get into what I feel like the rest of this preseason is going to look like from kind of the Quinnville coaching line pairing combination stuff later. But I don’t think you need to be overtly concerned as a fan of how tonight’s game went. But I think there is a bit of concern when it comes to Trouba’s overall game and his overall performance. And watching what was on the ice tonight and the product that he brought, I don’t want to write him off right now. I don’t want to say that it’s, you know, his time in Anaheim’s going to be running up or it’s going to be, you know, downhill sledding for him here. I just cannot give my stamp of approval on tonight’s performance for him. and to to be the veteran guy out there and to kind of take off from how he was doing last year. I felt like he was kind of solid, but had his moments. And this is not the the initial look that I was hoping to see. And I’m I’m sure he wasn’t very proud of himself either, but it is a concern in how off he was tonight. And I I hope it doesn’t carry on any further and and and the cobwebs are coming off and things are gonna get better. And this is just that kind of mix of getting used to the new systems and then also not really taking the preseason fully uh 100%, you know, putting everything on the line in in in the game tonight. So, that’s my my uh synopsis there on Jacob Trouba and his effort tonight. Definitely stood out as the the most concerning player tonight. And with that minus three, three penalties, it just didn’t look good. And I I would like to see a stronger performance because I think that Trouba and Mchov can be a good pairing when they both work uh well and they are both locked in. But tonight was a concern. So, we’ll get into kind of what the rest of the team looked like after this. And there there’s some good things and some bad things, but we’ll get into really what stood out after this. The NFL season is here and FanDuel is making sure you’re ready for kickoff with a can’tmiss offer. Right now, new customers can bet just $5. And if your bet wins, you’ll get $300 in bonus bets to use across the app. I love using FanDuel because I can get engaged with all the sports that are going on right now and it kind of just helps me keep track because I’m playing along with everything out there and especially with the NFL, they only play so many times a week and it gets you just locked in on that Sunday. So check out FanDuel. Are you ready to play? Download the FanDuel app now by visiting fanduel.com to get started. That’s fanduel.com to place your first $5 bet. Now, looking at tonight’s game and how it went as a whole for the Ducks, uh it was tough. the the optics did not look good tonight and as of right now the Kings just have the Ducks number in this preeason in the rookie face off they they hemmed them down to one goal. They hemmed them down to one goal on Sunday and then no goals tonight. They get the shut out. So definitely a little bit of a concern considering the Kings are kind of that bubble team for the playoffs this year. And you know, most predictions have them at that third in the Pacific type position, possibly that fourth. But if the Ducks are going to have a hard time against the Kings, then their push to the playoffs this year is going to be a struggle. if this is going to be the constant against teams that are a little bit more rated towards the the top of the pack. Yes, there are growing pains. Yes, this is the preseason. They’re getting used to these systems, but tonight just looked a little tough. It seemed like the the Kings just had their number and the Ducks were almost flustered. Uh like they just seemed out of sync and a step behind the entire game. And even when they did have their flashes of good moments, it was immediately shut down or at least fairly quickly shut down by the Kings and kind of turned right back around on them. Uh it was a fast game back and forth. A lot of a lot of moments where there was no shots on net from both teams and both teams were going kind of just back and forth playing a hard physical game. not really like in a hit along the boards or big open ice hits or any like checking like that. It was more just like the the the little battles, the little physical battles and um those little stick battles, board battles, that kind of stuff. Not really any major hits. I think there was really the the the most insane collision or almost collision was between Ross Johnston and Sam Kangelo. So, uh, almost some friendly fire there. But then looking at the shots on Sunday against the Kings, the Ducks had 27 shots total, and that was 10 in the first, 10 in the second, seven in the third. But then looking at tonight, uh, Wednesday’s game, the Ducks only had 14 shots total. They had four in the first period, three in the second, and seven in the third. So, at least they came and finished strong, but extremely extremely scary numbers there in the first and second period to only have a combination of seven shots in two periods. Not a way to win a hockey game. Now, looking at the lines that were in play tonight, the forward groups, we had Cutter Goce with Leo Carlson and Troy Terry as the first line. Then we had Chris Kryder, male Granlin, and Alex Khorn in that second line. And then we had Nikita Nestero, Ryan Pelling, and Sam Kandro as that third line. And then Ross Johnston, Tim Wer, and uh Yiggor Sedorov for that fourth line. And then on the defense, Lome and Helison, who did look great tonight as always. Menchikov, Trouba, the struggling pair, and Soulberg and Leno, the surprising pair. And then, of course, Dostall in net, and followed by Clang. Dostall did take a hit in the head. Kind of a weird upper body collision in the second period, and Clang did come in. However, it was a schedule change anyway. So, it just happened to line up that Dost got hit. So, there was a little bit of concern like, oh no, Dost got hit in a preseason game. what is going on here? But it wasn’t because of that. It was a planned change. It just coincidentally happened basically right after the hit. And I’m sure it kind of accelerated when they were going to put Klang in cuz you know, he got hit. Might as well just take him out anyways. But it wasn’t a concern. Dostall was good. He’s he’s looking good. The the penalty kill for tonight because the Ducks did take the first penalty of the game. So we got to look at the penalty kill units first and that was Granland and Khorn and Lome and Helison was a unit. Then there was Carlson Goce and uh there was um I think it was bouncing between Soulberg and Leno uh with Trouba because Mikov was in the box and then there was Appelling Kangelo and Lome and Trouba uh to kind of finish out that first penalty kill. And then in the power play when the Ducks did get uh a couple penalties, which is a bummer too tonight with how low the shot count was and getting shut out, the Ducks did have quite a few power play chances tonight and they just weren’t getting anything through. So I I would have liked a little bit more from the power play, but those units tonight were Krider, Carlson, Terry, Granlin, and Lome. and then Kangelo, Korn, Neestoeno, Goce, and Mchikov. So, pretty decent looking units, but they just couldn’t get anything tonight. And that was throughout the whole team. Five on five, four on four, five on four, four on five. There was actually some of the best chances of the night were when the Ducks were short-handed. So, I it was one of those weird games where it’s almost like, yo, like, let’s just take the the penalty and uh instead of getting a power play, let’s just be short-handed and we might actually score. But chemistry just wasn’t there tonight. And all almost amongst all the lines, it it was kind of a teamwide issue tonight. Uh Carlson and Terry were having a heck of a time trying to get anything going. They were not connecting tonight. the chemistry just wasn’t there between them. Uh Gochce had some close chances and had had a couple of moments with Carlson, especially when they were on the penalty kill together. There was a couple times where they almost scored uh some shorties and they even when they were five on five, they they had a few moments, but it just seemed like there was a beat off. And I’m not trying to blame Terry or Carl. Neither one was really to blame. It just wasn’t there between them tonight there. There it just wasn’t happening. And then Granlin, Krider, Colornne, I felt like they were getting beat on the board battles tonight. Uh they were just kind of behind getting to those 50/50 pucks. Not really a bad performance or a great performance from them, but the the line that really stood out to me and and sort of took off and got really progressively better throughout the game was Netoeno, Pelling, and Kangelo. I felt like they were the the the names you heard most tonight uh throughout the call. I I think Kangelo was creating a lot of chances. Netoro, they were working really well in the board battles. Their forche was great. I I really like this unit and if they slide in as a fourth line for the Ducks this year, I I think they’re going to spread that depth extremely well for the Ducks and they they will slot in really well for the fourth line considering how well they did as the third line. It’s it’s a great combo between those guys and the more that they work together, I think they’re really just going to get together uh and and really start cracking in on the scoring because Kangelo was so close tonight. Nestero had a few and uh Pelling was just working the center position for them really well. He did great in the faceoff when they were out there as well. So, I I’m I’m excited to see this line. I think that’s going to be a line we see in the regular season, possibly opening night on that fourth line. But in regards to kind of where the rest of the team was, um, Leno and Soulberg, they were a surprisingly good pair tonight. I felt like they held their own defensively really well, but they could use some work on the blue line. And the Kings just were faster. They maintained offensive zone time. The Ducks struggled breaking out the puck with possession. A lot of dump and chasing kind of occurred tonight. And you know, is this a cause for a concern or is this just growing pains? What is really going on? Uh I’m gonna break into what I think the rest of this preseason is going to look like and where the concern meter should be right after this. So, I’m gonna just put it out there right off the bat. Was tonight a cause for concern or is tonight just growing pains? Tonight was just growing pains. This is not a cause for concern at this time. It is just the preeason. It’s the third game, second game technically with mostly NHLers out there. And it was a combo night. It was kind of a I I felt like tonight was a trial and error experimental type night for Coach Quinnville. I I I felt like he he set up the lines tonight to kind of test some theories, see what he could get and uh possibly mixing up with Terry with uh Goce and Carlson and trying to see where Granling could slot in with some of these other wingers and uh testing out the third and fourth lines on on who he can bring up and kind of getting uh Cedar off a a test out there tonight. And Ross Johnson, obviously, he’s he’s going to be a guy that just needs to get those reps and kind of get his physicality back in. Uh didn’t feel like he was as much of a pest tonight as he could have been. Uh but overall, it really felt like Quinnville was just testing the waters, putting things out there, seeing what sticks, and I I really don’t see him being overtly concerned with what happened tonight. I don’t think he’s obsessing over the results of these preseason games. I don’t think he’s looking at the score and, you know, having a meltdown or or freaking out or panicking or anything like that. I think he looks at the score and he looks at the overall game and I think what he’s really focusing on is how they implement the the speed throughout the game and then creating consistency and really just doing what he the the coaching staff is asking of the players. I think he is more concerned about implementing the new systems, doing what he is trying to to get through to these players and not overtly worried about the offense production and and scoring right now. And, you know, the overall the the defensive breakdowns and and defense tonight, it wasn’t terrible. It wasn’t god awful. It was just a couple of mistakes that got capitalized on and it it seemed like they just were struggling with connecting on the breakout and really maintaining positive possession into the offensive zone. That was kind of the bigger crutch tonight. But they weren’t, you know, floundering in the defensive zone. they weren’t uh overtly, you know, struggling or or getting badly beat out there. Yes, the score could have been a lot higher if it wasn’t for the goalenders tonight, but it wasn’t a nightmare nightmare of a night, if that makes sense. It seemed like this was a a night of guys still getting used to different pairings together and the new lines and the new systems and focusing on that zone type defense and and locking things down. the the first goal that was scored, it was a little bit of a defensive breakdown as Mikov was battling with kind of a 5050 puck that it was sort of a giveaway, sort of a 50/50. And as Trouba covered down the on the two-on-one, he takes the shooter, not the pass, and Crider just can’t get back to cover that the the guy who receives the pass, and it it goes in. Uh kind of a weird angle on Dost Stall. So unfortunate on that one. The second one was just a crazy redirect from the high slot that just snuck past Clang. And then the third one little tough. uh Mikov basically the the the play should have been broken out and then they they the Kings keep it in and ends up coming down behind the net and the Kings player throws it just like kind of weird behind the back towards the side of the net and Mikov gets stuck in front of the net and Trouba just cannot tie up uh a I believe it was Adrien Kempe that was coming down or was it uh FIA all uh uh Fiala. Yeah. So FIA he was Mitch Trouba just can’t tie it up and his stick is just perfectly right there uh which sneaks right behind Kale uh Clang. So unfortunate goals. Um defense could have done a little bit better but it was just Trouba and Mikov who got lit up tonight. It just, you know, when it rains, it pours and that was just kind of how it was for them. When with Lome and Helison, I thought that they played extremely well. There was a couple times where even they were getting a little um worked out there, but these are all things that are going to come together. And I think the more that is focused on just doing what the coaching staff is asking, implementing these systems and working on what he wants out of the game, which is uh speed and physicality and building from that defense up and all of it’s going to come together. And the more repetitions, the more implementations, I think we’re going to see a steady increase in offense. I mean, we look at the game against Utah 6 to1 and then to come to this 3 and 0. The roster was slightly different, but not that much different. So, the discrepancy there, that’s something that’s going to be ironed out throughout this preeason, and the consistency is going to get more and more locked in. Then as the consistency grows and the confidence and the muscle memory between the team really grows and Quinnville really figures out who works together and gels well together, that’s going to get more ironed out. And then slowly more and more all this going to come together and we’re going to see a wellfinished product. Maybe not opening day of the season, but by the time we get to American Thanksgiving, I think you’re going to have a real real taste of what the identity of this Ducks team is. And I think it’s going to be a a competitive team. I I see where the direction that Quinnville is trying to take this team and where Jay Woodcraftoft is taking these the special teams and we’ve got Bob McK all these guys are all these new coaches are implementing their their game plan and you get a glimpse and a taste and you’re seeing it and it’s it’s there. It’s just not fully realized. It’s kind of like baking a cake. You can see the ingredients. You see everything mixing in the bowl. You see everything getting put into the baking sheet. And then you see it getting put into the oven. You’re just waiting for that cake to fully bake. And right now, I feel like we’re in that mixing stage. We We’ve got the ingredients. We’re mixing up the recipe and we’re just figuring out which recipe gives us the best cake once it is baked and we’re going to get there very soon. So, not a big major cause for concern after tonight. I think there’s going to be a lot more fun uh preseason hockey coming up. The Ducks are going to be playing the Kings two more times, I think, in the preseason, which is absurd. And then they’re going to be playing pretty much right off the hop uh in the regular season. So, there’s going to be a lot of uh uh resentment and uh competition between the Kings and the Ducks this year just from the preseason alone. So, expect a lot of good things. Do not write the Ducks off after tonight’s performance. Do not expect a major setback in from tonight’s performance. But, you know, also expect that because they had a good game against Utah that things are going to be extremely well. It’s it’s the preseason. Everything is just coming together and we’re going to be seeing a lot of ups and downs the next couple of weeks. So, ride the wave, enjoy it. Once we get more into the regular season, then we’ll kind of figure out if there’s a need for concern or not around this team. But in regards to that, I am done for you tonight. Thank you for making Locked On your first listen every day. For your second listen, go find Locked On Fantasy Hockey. Steel Rooden and Phillip Living Stone provide daily fantasy tips to give you the edge over your leaguemates, all while making you a smarter hockey fan. Find Locked On Fantasy Hockey on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts. Part of the Locked On Network, your team every day. Go like and subscribe to the Locked on Ducks YouTube. And as always, I am Kyle Carr. Be good out there.

Ducks stumble in preseason clash against Kings. Is Jacob Trouba’s performance a cause for concern?

Kyle Kjer breaks down the Anaheim Ducks’ lackluster showing at Honda Center, highlighting Trouba’s minus-three night and the team’s offensive struggles. The analysis covers lineup decisions, special teams woes, and standout performances from the Nesterenko-Poehling-Colangelo line. Kjer also explores Coach Quenneville’s preseason strategy, emphasizing player development over wins.

Will the Ducks’ new systems gel in time for the regular season? Tune in for expert insights on Anaheim’s path forward and key players to watch.

0:00 Intro: Ducks lose preseason game to Kings
2:05 Jacob Trouba’s concerning performance
6:43 Analyzing Trouba’s struggles and implications
11:19 Overall game analysis and shot totals
14:23 Ducks lineup and special teams units
20:32 Growing pains, not cause for concern
25:38 Defensive breakdowns on Kings’ goals
29:13 Outro: Preseason expectations and next listens

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