The Ducks winning the first overall pick would give their rebuild a massive shot in the arm

The year is 2005. The NHL had just come off an entire season cancelled by a lockout. COVID-19 wasn’t leading people to ridiculous debates on the merits of masks.

This was the Sidney Crosby sweepstakes. A young center from Nova Scotia had as much hype surrounding him as LeBron James did before entering the NBA Draft. We all know now that a struggling Pittsburgh Penguins franchise won the lottery to select Crosby and move towards three championships in seven years. The selection, along with Evgeni Malkin at number two the year prior, injected a desperately needed surge into a team that would become one of the NHL’s best for more than a decade.

History rarely remembers those who finish second, and this is certainly the case for those outside Anaheim Ducks fandom. The Ducks lost the final draw and were rewarded with the second overall pick in the draft. The consolation prize was Bobby Ryan, who would go on to be one of the best goal-scorers in Ducks history. Not bad for being the runner-up.

But let’s be honest: while Ryan was a great piece for Anaheim in the following years until his trade to the Ottawa Senators in 2013, he wasn’t the type of foundational cornerstone to build an entire team around like Crosby was for Pittsburgh.

Let’s be clear: Alexis Lafreniere isn’t expected to be Sidney Crosby. While he is generally considered to be the best prospect out of the QMJHL since Crosby, he isn’t considered a generational talent. Likely superstar? Absolutely. But Crosby, Ovechkin, McDavid, Gretzky, Lemieux; these are the generational players who have the greatest individual impact on teams.

Lafreniere is closer to Auston Matthews in terms of ceiling. And who wouldn’t want that? Matthews is arguably one of the top five players in the game today. Anyone who takes Lafrienere will get a player who can instantly make them better.

With the Ducks in the middle of a rebuild (it’s a rebuild, not a retool, it’s time to stop kidding ourselves), winning the franchise’s first ever top pick in the NHL Draft Lottery on Friday would inject such a large dose of steroids into the team that Barry Bonds’ head might explode. A team that has questionable long-term high-end prospects outside of Trevor Zegras would instantly take the next step towards building a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.

This team has some good prospects. They have players that will likely play in the NHL for a long time. But, last year’s pick notwithstanding, it’s not a guarantee that they will be the kind of players to lead Anaheim back to a championship. And while first overall picks, including Lafreniere, are not guaranteed to pan out, the chance that they will are much greater than any other outcome.

Imagine a world where top line center Trevor Zegras finds a narrow seam in transition to find the tape of Alexis Lafreniere on his wing before ripping a puck past a goaltender. Imagine this being a regular occurrence. Or imagine a Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane situation in Chicago, where both drive play on their respective lines causing matchup nightmares for teams. And in the event they need a burst of offense, uniting them on the same line to overwhelm opponents.

Anaheim fans have been fortunate over the past decade to have consistently supported playoff contenders. But it’s also been agonizing at times supporting a team that has never been able to make the necessary leap into glory. Coming so close and failing takes a lot of years off a fan’s life.

Now, after two rough seasons, the Ducks have a chance to get a potential franchise player. With Corey Perry gone and Ryan Getzlaf beginning his age-related decline, the need for a new player who can do much of the heavy lifting in working back towards cup contention is greater than ever. They have plenty of supporting and complementary pieces. Maybe Zegras is one of the star pieces? Lafreniere is almost certainly one of those star pieces.

Winning the top pick tomorrow will not automatically make the Ducks cup contenders. There is still plenty of work to be done, especially on the blueline. But it would be the single biggest move the Ducks could make and would speed up the rebuild by potentially two or three years at least.

Even if they don’t get the chance to draft Lafreniere, picking Quinton Byfield or Tim Stutzle would have a significant impact on the team. If they remain where they are or even slide back a spot or two, they will still get a good, impact player. But the addition of Alexis Lafreniere would undoubtedly revitalize the prospects of a team that has frustrated scores of fans who have not experienced their team undergoing a true rebuild. The sheer size of the fanbase in Anaheim may not compare to that of Toronto or New York or Boston, but the intense passion for their team rivals that of any in the NHL.

If the lottery balls fall Anaheim’s way tomorrow, the excitement and future of hockey in Orange County will get a Disneyland firework-size explosion.