Jackson Lacombe and the Ducks blue line just got called out, and the timing couldn't be worse for Anaheim.
Steve Peters went at it Tuesday on the What Chaos! Podcast, days after the Ducks dropped a 6-2 decision in Los Angeles on Saturday.
"If you look at their top 6 defenseman, 3 of them are 23 years old that really don't have that resume in the NHL yet," Peters said.
He didn't soften it. "You know you need to defend in the NHL. I'm extremely concerned for a team that didn't defend."
Half a top six still learning on the job. How does that hold up against Pacific Division skill for a full season?
In the clip, Peters builds the whole case on one count: three of six defenders, all 23, none with an NHL résumé to lean on.
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Joel Quenneville's defensive structure faces Vegas on Friday
The results aren't helping the argument. The Ducks have lost three straight and went 1-3-0 over their most recent stretch.
Lacombe carries a $9,000,000 cap hit, 14th among NHL defensemen. That kind of money usually buys the guy who steadies everyone around him.
The money up front is bigger still. Leo Carlsson sits at $18,000,000, the highest cap hit in the league, and Cutter Gauthier checks in at $13,500,000.
Pat Verbeek built this roster from the front end back, and Peters just put the bill on the table. Elite forward money with three kids learning coverage in real time is a bad fit.
Three 23-year-olds in the top six is like handing new drivers the keys on the 405 at rush hour. Somebody's going to learn the hard way.
Joel Quenneville, hired in May 2025, now has to cover those gaps with structure instead of experience.
The schedule offers little runway. The Ducks visit Vegas on Friday, host Florida on Sunday, then welcome Edmonton the following Wednesday.
After that comes a Winnipeg and Calgary back-to-back on Friday, Oct. 9 and Saturday, Oct. 10, plus a four-game swing through both New York clubs, New Jersey and Philadelphia later in the month.
If Peters is right, the goals against will pile up long before Halloween. If he's wrong, those three young defensemen might be the reason Anaheim's forward bet finally cashes.
Is Steve Peters right to be extremely concerned about the Ducks blue line?
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