The Anaheim Ducks finally pushed their way back into meaningful hockey.

After years of rebuilding, waiting, selling, developing, and asking fans for patience, Anaheim looked like a team ready to take the next step. They had young stars up front, a growing core, a playoff appearance to build on, and a blue line that suddenly had real veteran weight to it.

But now comes the hard part.

Radko Gudas, Jacob Trouba, and John Carlson could all hit free agency this summer. And if all three walk, Anaheim’s defense does not just lose three names. It loses bite, leadership, playoff experience, penalty-killing minutes, right-shot depth, and a huge chunk of the identity that helped turn the Ducks from rebuilding team into a club that started to look dangerous.

That is why this is such a fascinating offseason for general manager Pat Verbeek.

Because on one hand, losing all three would sound brutal. On the other, it might also be part of the plan.

Let’s start with Gudas.

Gudas is not just another pending free agent. He is the captain. Anaheim gave him the “C” because he brought something this young team badly needed: edge, accountability, presence, and a willingness to drag teammates into the fight. He is not a pretty player. He is not a modern power-play quarterback. He is a throwback, a punishing defender who makes opponents keep their heads up and makes young teammates feel a little taller.

But Gudas is also 35, turns 36 soon, plays a brutally physical style, and battled injuries down the stretch. That matters. As much as Anaheim may love what he represents, the Ducks also have to ask a cold question: how much hockey is left in that body?

Gudas did not slam the door on Anaheim. In fact, he sounded like a player with real attachment to the team. He said he had a “soft spot for Anaheim” and made it clear he would be open to staying. That is important. But being open to staying and finding the right contract are two very different things.

If the Ducks bring Gudas back, it likely has to be in a reduced role. He cannot be paid or used like the player Anaheim needed two years ago. He would be more of a veteran stabilizer, a bottom-pair presence, a captain who can still set the tone without being asked to carry the blue line every night.

Then there is Trouba.

Of the three, Trouba might be the most interesting. His exit from New York was messy, but Anaheim gave him a reset. He played meaningful minutes, brought physicality, killed penalties, and found chemistry with Jackson LaCombe. That part matters a lot, because LaCombe looks like one of the biggest pieces of Anaheim’s future.

Trouba himself admitted extension talks around the deadline “didn’t get very far.” He also said, “We’ll see where it goes,” which is about as honest as a pending free agent can be. There is no guarantee here.

But Anaheim has a real reason to want him back. Trouba is younger than Gudas and Carlson, still plays a heavy game, and can handle tough defensive assignments. He is not perfect. He can be overaggressive. He can be expensive. And if the market for right-shot defensemen gets wild, someone may offer him more than Anaheim should be comfortable matching.

That is the danger.

This is not just about whether Anaheim likes Trouba. It is about whether Anaheim likes him at the number free agency might create. If teams are desperate for right-shot defensemen, Trouba’s price could climb quickly. Anaheim has cap space, but cap space disappears fast when Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Pavel Mintyukov, and Olen Zellweger all need new deals.

And then there is John Carlson.

Carlson was the loudest “we are serious now” move Anaheim made. Trading for him was not a rebuild move. It was not a cute deadline experiment. It was a statement. The Ducks paid real assets to bring in a Stanley Cup-winning defenseman who had spent his entire career in Washington.

Carlson gave Anaheim exactly what they were looking for: minutes, poise, offense, power-play ability, and credibility. He immediately became one of the most polished players on the back end. He also helped younger defenders by taking pressure off them.

But Carlson is 36. He has already had a long, decorated career. He may want to chase another Cup. He may want to be closer to the East Coast. He may want term. He may want money. Anaheim may want him, but only at a number that does not damage the next phase of the build.

Carlson said he “loved it here” and is “open, for sure.” That keeps the door cracked. But open does not mean done.

So what happens if all three leave?

The Ducks would suddenly have a very different defense.

The right side would likely have to be rebuilt around younger options like Drew Helleson, Ian Moore, and Tristan Luneau. That sounds exciting, but it is also risky. Young defensemen do not always develop in a straight line. Giving them opportunity is important, but throwing too much responsibility at them too soon can backfire.

Anaheim also has young left-shot defenders in Mintyukov, Zellweger, and LaCombe. That is a lot of talent. But talent alone does not make a contender. The Ducks need balance. They need someone who can play hard minutes. They need someone who can settle a game down. They need someone who can protect a lead in April, not just look good in October.

That is why losing all three veterans would be a culture test.

Gudas is the captain. Trouba is a tone-setter. Carlson is the polished veteran winner. Remove all three, and the Ducks become younger, faster, maybe more flexible — but also easier to play against if they do not replace that edge.

Still, this may be exactly where Verbeek wants to be.

The plan moving forward appears to be flexibility. Anaheim has cap room. Anaheim has young NHL talent. Anaheim has prospects. Anaheim has trade chips. Anaheim does not have to panic. The Ducks can try to keep one of the three, maybe Trouba, while letting the others walk. They can explore the free-agent market. They can trade for a right-shot defenseman. They can open a spot for Luneau. They can decide whether Mintyukov or Zellweger is part of the long-term solution or part of a bigger trade.

That is the beauty and danger of this offseason.

Anaheim is no longer just collecting prospects. The Ducks are building a real team. That means the decisions get harder.

Keeping all three veterans probably blocks young players and eats cap space. Losing all three probably creates a leadership and toughness hole. The sweet spot may be keeping one, maybe two at the absolute most, then using the rest of the summer to reshape the blue line around LaCombe and the young core.

The Ducks have finally reached the stage where “future” is not good enough anymore.

Now they have to build the present.

And if Gudas, Trouba, and Carlson all leave Anaheim at the same time, fans should not view it only as a disaster. It would be a massive loss, no doubt. But it would also be a signal that the Ducks believe the next version of their team is ready to arrive.

The question is whether that next version is ready to win.

Because Anaheim has waited a long time to matter again.

This summer will show whether the Ducks are building something sustainable — or whether they are about to remove too much of the veteran backbone that helped them finally turn the corner.