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Ducks first round pick on the verge of demanding trade after two straight healthy scratches

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Tom Banks
November 20, 2025 (2:01 PM)

Photo credit: The Hockey Writers

Pavel Mintyukov has shown promise in Anaheim, but after two straight healthy scratches, it appears he’s on the way to requesting a trade.

The Anaheim Ducks are off to a red-hot start in 2025/26, and with Joel Quenneville behind the bench leading this young core, there’s plenty of optimism that they can be a Stanley Cup Playoffs team this year as their rebuild appears ready to come to an end.

However, it’s not been perfect for everyone this season, as former first-round draft pick Pavel Mintyukov has been a healthy scratch for the team’s last two games, leading to questions about the future.

Mintyukov reportedly on the verge of requesting a trade

Now, in his last written 32 Thoughts piece, NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman has detailed the frustration from Mintyukov, revealing that he is considering asking for a trade from the Ducks.

The 21-year old defenseman began his career in impressive fashion back in 2023/24 after being selected with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, posting 28 points in 63 games of his rookie campaign, following that up with 19 points a season ago across 68 games.

However, he’s struggled to produce this season, posting just 3 assists in 18 games, and with the team focusing on the likes of Jackson Lacombe and Olen Zellweger as the future, it’s left him as the odd man out.

Sure, Mintyukov has never put together a dominant scoring season at the NHL level, but at 21-years of age with 149 NHL games already under his belt, he would make an attractive trade piece for the Ducks, so we will wait and see where this goes moving forward.

Previously on House Of Hockey

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Ducks first round pick on the verge of demanding trade after two straight healthy scratches