As promised, here is Part 2 of the Anaheim Ducks mailbag. I’m a little shocked and a smidge saddened by there being no jersey questions among all those submitted. Wasn’t it a rite of passage with this?

Guess that’s what happens when you finally make changes to a jersey that countless people long asked for. Now that I’ve opened that door, feel free to weigh in below if you must. (I’ll say I think it looks better in person. I’m down with the orange. Getting warmed up to it for the helmets. I don’t know if I’ll get there with the pants, but we’ll see).

There were a lot of questions I didn’t get to. Feel free to put those in storage and ask next time. I do hope to have another mailbag before the season opener.

Note: Submitted questions have been edited for clarity and length.

Hit us with your honest take on Trevor Zegras. This is a big year for him coming off an injury-riddled disappointment season and struggling at the Worlds. The media trade speculation is never-ending. Two years left on his bridge deal before restricted free agency. Is the 80-point breakout coming? Or will he disappoint and his days as a Duck are numbered? — Drew H.

I’m curious about your thoughts on Pat Verbeek’s handling of the Zegras situation. Personally, I think it’s been abysmal. Allowing Greg Cronin to have such a double standard when it came to “holding players accountable” there was a clear double standard in how Zegras was handled. Plus, though I agree with Verbeek that no one is untradeable, I think he could have been way better in calming this storm. I love that Verbeek chose a direction because I felt like that’s something Bob Murray struggled with the last few years of his tenure. However, for me, he and Cronin are doing their best to chase arguably our best young player (definitely most marketable) out of town. Thoughts? — Larry C.

I agree that this is a big year for Zegras. I’d even call it a crossroads-type of season where the 23-year-old’s future could go in three ways. 1) This could be a year of “vengeance” where he busts out and has the kind of clapback season at his naysayers that establishes himself as a true force, a star-level featured player and one that is an essential piece for the Ducks. 2) A year where he stays healthy and puts up points to build value but not necessarily convince management that he’s the piece they need to win big with. 3) He settles in as more of a 60-point type which makes him a complementary player and not a leading one.

I think Verbeek hasn’t come out with the kind of vehement denial that you and others would like to see because doing so would box him into a corner and might leave a foolish look if he “went back on his word” and trades him. It’s a tricky spot for a GM to be. Fans aren’t the only ones who can read between the lines. Players and fellow executives do too. Before last season, I asked Cronin if he looked at Zegras as his “pet project.” He didn’t share that sentiment directly but obviously he had a goal of making Zegras a more well-rounded player. As to the thought of running him out of town, I do see that he’s still in the “Orange Country” rebranding videos — though he hasn’t been emphasized nearly as much as he was two years ago.

I’ve always enjoyed covering Zegras back to meeting him at the 2019 draft and having a great, lengthy conversation with him at Boston University. I think his naturally extroverted personality is needed in an NHL that still leans much more to the stodgy. I do feel it’s time for him to be known more as a dynamic player — perhaps a franchise-leading one — than a personality.

Ducks GM Pat Verbeek with Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell at the 2024 NHL Draft. (Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)

Can you offer insight into the lack of updates and announcements from Verbeek? Either through team-owned channels or the media attempting to get any word from him? If you compare his transparency to a GM in a similar situation like Mike Grier, Verbeek is very lacking. Grier has readily offered up quotes and added insight to almost every transaction, whereas Verbeek hasn’t really been heard from since the draft. Where is Verbeek and what does he do on a day-to-day basis? Seeing as he missed his targets during free agency, I’d think he’d compensate by being more open and transparent. — John E.

Hopefully, this comes across as an explanation rather than a defense of him. Verbeek has been helpful and communicative when I’ve needed him. And he has answered questions at season ticket holder events, which haven’t always been open to media members in the past. But he’s cut from that Steve Yzerman cloth in that he won’t give you a lot if it doesn’t serve a good purpose for him. He made it clear from Day 1 that he wouldn’t be an omnipresent GM in the media like others may be.

Verbeek is a scout at heart, and he is often on the road during the season while also attending key events on the U18 and U20 schedules. I don’t have a breakdown of his daily or weekly schedule, but I will seek time with him before the season fires up. As to Grier, it makes sense to be more accessible during this Sharks rebuild. You want fans to understand and, to an extent, embrace what’s a difficult process to endure. Perhaps Verbeek will see your question and keep that in mind.

Given your exposure to the extensive network of writers/journalists and TV analysts in your community, what are some of the common themes you’ve discussed with your colleagues that are needed for the Ducks to get “off the floor and on the board” in terms of making progress from basement dwellers in the standings to the point where they are contending for a playoff spot at the end of the year? — Michael K.

Given that Verbeek tried but failed to land the big fish he was going for, does he still see this team competing for a playoff spot this year like he expected? — Eldrida R.

I think the expectations are universal in that the Ducks must take a noticeable step forward next season. Put it this way: It’s great to have top-five draft picks, but at some point, that needs to end in conjunction with natural upward movement in the standings. You can talk about building a winning culture, but wins are at the base of that. Does that mean playoffs should be expected for next spring? I don’t think so and I don’t think management is expecting that kind of leap. But it’s high time for the Ducks to play consequential games in March and April.

A true franchise player, if not a burgeoning NHL star, needs to emerge. Better defense and greater consistency from game to game must occur. The lineup needs to be deeper. And the Ducks can’t be as undisciplined as they were last season. The “big, bad Ducks” of the Stanley Cup era could afford to do that because they had stars, a great supporting cast and terrific role players. Leadership ran through the roster. This group does not have all those elements. They hope to be building toward that.

Any news on who the top candidates are for becoming the next captain? Do you think Verbeek goes with an older guy for a few years or will he look for a young guy who will hold the position for a while? — Collin

Since the Ducks have hinted at assigning a captain this season, who is the most likely candidate and who is the dark horse candidate to get the “C”. — Shane R.

That will be a topic once camp starts and if the Ducks stay to their word, I think one will be named right before the season opener. My belief was that they wanted to see if someone from the younger group would emerge as a choice. I don’t think someone like Troy Terry or Mason McTavish has been ruled out and maybe either of them or Leo Carlsson could be that one day. But with the way Cronin has encouraged some within the room to be more vocal and take a greater leadership hand, I could see where Radko Gudas or Alex Killorn would merit consideration.

With Adam Henrique dealt away and Jakob Silfverberg back home in Sweden, the Ducks should not only have their first captain after Ryan Getzlaf but two new full-time alternates. Some like Terry and Cam Fowler have worn the “A” regularly or in place of those who were injured or unavailable.

Do you foresee Beckett Sennecke or Stian Solberg getting a nine-game trial to start the year? — Trent M.

What is the development path for Sennecke and Solberg given they signed their entry-level contracts? Straight to the AHL? — Tom V.

I don’t see either getting a nine-game trial. Solberg is expected to play for Farjestad in the SHL. Sennecke will get a good look in camp, but he’ll be bound for another OHL season. I can see Solberg becoming a fan favorite as he’s got personality with his physical play. When I asked him at the draft if players often retaliate against him, the Norwegian said, “Of course. When you hit a guy, people get mad. I just like it that way.” And Sennecke already feels like a live wire off the ice.

My guess is Sennecke, who won’t turn 19 until Jan. 28, will be back in Oshawa and possibly get his nine-game trial to start 2025-26. And that season could be like what the Ducks have done with Max Comtois, Mason McTavish and Tristan Luneau — keep them around the team and have them play a few AHL games before sending them to world juniors duty and then deciding to keep them in Anaheim or return them to junior. Solberg can be eligible to play in the AHL next season. Sennecke won’t be.

Do you have any news on where we will be able to watch Ducks games next season? I saw Dallas launched its own free service. — Adam E.

I checked in with them and they’re still in negotiations with potential carriers. National rights holders in the U.S., ESPN and TNT, figure to announce their schedules at the end of August or the start of September so we’ll see how many appearances the Ducks will make on both. ESPN+ will carry games outside the SoCal market. I know the Ducks have monitored what teams like the Vegas Golden Knights and San Diego Padres have done and imagine they’ve talked with the Stars about their new broadcast deal. Bally Sports hasn’t earned many fans, but it’s believed they aren’t ruled out as a landing spot. Announcements on a main regional carrier usually come out around the start of September camp.

Why add Brian Dumoulin to an already overloaded group of lefty defensemen? How do you see that group of six shaking out? — Alan L.

Alan, I think Dumoulin was brought in to help improve the defending quotient when it comes to the blue line. The 32-year-old had a sneaky good season for Seattle, and I think it helped the Kraken didn’t play him as often as Pittsburgh did when he was, at his peak, a strong top-line partner alongside Kris Letang. Dumoulin, who can be flipped at the deadline, might also be a good safety net in case Olen Zellweger or Jackson LaCombe have a rough go in camp or at the start of the season. I think these seven will break camp: Pavel Mintyukov, Fowler, Gudas, Luneau, Dumoulin, Zellweger/LaCombe, Urho Vaakanainen.

How do you decide which of the hundreds of questions you’re going to answer? — Michael L.

That’s a good one. Some might not mind a mailbag running in upwards of 5,000 words, but we’ve seen metrics that show many readers tend to drift away once stories or posts reach a certain length. If there are numerous questions centering around a single topic, I try to go for the best two or three examples and give an all-encompassing answer. But I do like variety and feel those work best in a mailbag. I will say that it’s best to be more concise and try not to ask the five-to-eight questions inside of “one.”

(Top photo of Trevor Zegras: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)