The 2025 offseason was the busiest in Pat Verbeek’s tenure as general manager of the Anaheim Ducks. He overhauled the coaching staff, shipped out a pair of long-time roster pieces (Trevor Zegras and John Gibson), brought in a trio of forwards (Chris Kreider, Mikael Granlund, Ryan Poehling), ran his fourth NHL Draft process with the Ducks, got some important piece of business done early (Lukas Dostal extension), was part of another important piece of business lingering well into training camp (Mason McTavish extension), and just when it seemed like the table was set and pencils were down, he inked the Ducks’ number-one defenseman Jackson LaCombe to the largest contract in franchise history (eight years, $72 million) just a week before the puck was set to drop for the Ducks’ regular season.
After an up-and-down rookie campaign in 2023-24, LaCombe (24) burst on the scene in 2024-25, tallying 43 points (14-29=43) in 75 games and leading the Ducks in TOI (22:18/G), playing in all situations, taking advantage of the opportunities afforded, and becoming the Ducks’ top defenseman of the present and future.
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When he was drafted six years ago (39th overall in 2019), LaCombe was always seen as a smart, smooth-skating project of a defenseman with what could one day become an NHL frame. He’s now a finished product, or close to one, and is hitting his prime right as the Ducks are hoping to turn the corner on their elongated rebuild.
Signing a contract like that has the potential to negatively affect a player in LaCombe’s situation, where he is still in the early stages of his career. It places a great deal of pressure on players, perhaps leading them to feel like they have to perform to a certain standard or impact games with every movement. That hasn’t been the case for LaCombe thus far.
LaCombe is now 150 games into his NHL career, the long extension is signed, and now that his role is clearly defined, there is an air of poise and assuredness surrounding his approach, both on and off the ice.
Through the Ducks’ first two games of the season and though he’s yet to find the scoresheet, it should come as no surprise to see LaCombe’s name atop the team’s TOI chart, averaging 26:20 TOI per game. He also leads the team in power play TOI (6:34) and is second in penalty kill TOI (6:28), just three seconds less than leader Radko Gudas (6:31).
“It means a lot for sure,” LaCombe said ahead of the Ducks’ home opener against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday. “For me, I’m trying to take full responsibility for that and just come to every game playing the best I can. We have so many good players that anyone can play anywhere, so I’m just trying to do the best I can.”
During those minutes, one would be forgiven for wondering if LaCombe was breaking a sweat. Visually, he seems to be teetering on the line between poised and casual during his shifts, seeming to barely take effortful strides when defending or on the attack. However, that statement isn’t meant to accuse him of playing lackadaisically whatsoever. Quite the opposite, in fact.
“I think that’s always kind of part of my game, growing up and stuff, but I think as you play more, you kind of learn the speed of the game and the pace, and you read plays differently,” LaCombe. “Having that calmness and poise is something I want to have in my game, and I wanted to work on it all summer.”
LaCombe has achieved a level of seemingly effortless yet effective skating, reminiscent of only the most elite to ever play the position. He’s using his ability to dissect plays, both on the offensive and defensive sides of the puck, to his advantage, blending it with his comfort and calmness to positively impact the game in every zone.
When defending, he is anticipating and sealing walls on the strong side, while never losing a race to a loose puck when retrieving. With just one or two strides, he can get to the front of the net and has become adept at boxing out opponents and taking sticks away.
On the attack, he’s as aggressive as ever when joining rushes off-puck to make himself an option and keep opponents on their heels. With the puck, he’s become proficient at shielding the on-puck defender with his 6-foot-2, 205-pound frame while maintaining possession and advancing pucks North, consistently in search of the most optimal play.
While maintaining a sense of the competitiveness that had allowed him to seize control of the number-one defenseman spot in Anaheim, signing a massive, record-setting contract only seems to have enhanced LaCombe’s self-assurance and composure. If he continues to impact games while displaying this collected brand of hockey and can consistently produce on top of it, he will continue to invoke shades of elite defensemen of the past and present like Scott Niedermayer, Niklas Lidstrom, and Miro Heiskanen
Author Disclaimer: I’m not alluding to LaCombe one day becoming a hall-of-fame defenseman, but simply stating what his play style is becoming reminiscent of.
