NHL Rumors: Why the Anaheim Ducks Are Drawing a Hard Line on Pavel Mintyukov Trade Talks

Sometimes in sports, it feels like the clock’s ticking loudest when a team’s doing well — and yet, that’s precisely when whispers start to swirl. Take Pavel Mintyukov and the Anaheim Ducks, for example. Here you have a young defenseman, a 10th overall pick with serious talent and speed, suddenly on the outside looking in as other players grab the spotlight and the minutes. It’s a tough pill, especially when the team’s cruising, but you better believe there’s talk — talk of dissatisfaction, of being edged out. Still, from where I’m standing, the Ducks aren’t about to cave under pressure or rush into decisions just to quiet the noise. Head coach Pat Verbeek plays it the way he always has: no handouts, no freebies — you’ve got to earn your ice time. This isn’t just about one player or one season. It’s about a culture of accountability, grit, and timing. And Mintyukov? Sure, there’s interest out there, but trust me — Anaheim’s holding their cards close, not going to be pushed into anything. Because in the end, they know it’s not just about rushing moves, it’s about making the right ones.

LEARN MORE

The Anaheim Ducks won’t be pushed into anything with Pavel Mintyukov

Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman on 32 Thoughts: The Podcast – The Struggling Edmonton Oilers episode, on Pavel Mintyukov‘s unhappiness in Anaheim.

** NHLRumors.com transcription

Friedman: “Mintyukov, same deal. Now I will say this. I had a couple people that didn’t like it came out while Anaheim’s doing really well. Kind of same deal with Lambert, but because I was the guy who reported Mintyukov, I had some pushback to that with me. Like, Anaheim is going really well, this isn’t the time for this. And I was like, okay, fair. I completely understand it, but it is out there.

NHL Rumors: Brad Lambert Get Permission From the Winnipeg Jets to Find a Trade Partner

And, you know, so I just wanted to mention that. You know, Mintyukov was the 10th overall pick in 2022. He’s a really talented young kid. He made this team very quickly. But you look at it right now, he’s gotten beaten out.

Like Jackson LaCombe is now a $9 million defenseman. He’s not playing ahead of him. (Olen) Zellweger has done, Zellweger has been a great partner for (Jacob) Trouba. Trouba has been one of the tremendous early-season stories, and Zellweger is playing a very big role there. And Ian Moore, who is the kind of the guy who’s beaten out Mintyukov right now, he’s played really well for them. And he scored the winning goal the other night in the second game that Mintyukov sat out.

So they’ve got a winning hand right now, but I think that’s that’s the realism of what we’re dealing with now in the NHL, the kids, they want to play faster. They don’t have much patience, as maybe they used to, or were forced to, to have for the American Hockey League.

….

Just like I can see it with (Pavel) Mintyukov. Mintyukov is a young defenseman who could move the puck. There’s going to be interest in him.

…

In Anaheim, I don’t know how, what to make of this, because Verbeek, the more he gets pushed, the more gets his back up. So, number one, I think he’s going to kind of say, ‘Hey, we’ll do, I’ll do this on my time.’

And you know, I’ll say this too. They’ve had a lot of young players who are really popping right now, to their credit. They’ve done a really nice job, but at different times, some of these players have had issues with their ice time. And he’s always said, I’m not giving you the easy way out. Like you’re gonna earn your ice time. That’s kind of his philosophy: no easy way out, earn it.

NHL Rumors: Montreal Canadiens, Alexandre Texier, and the Milan Arena

Now, maybe this is different. I don’t know. We’ll see in the future, but I do know that he’ll he won’t be pushed into doing anything. That’s for sure.

Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? Rumor roundups and hot topics from around the league. We’re also posting some stuff on Instagram.