Radko Gudas found the welcome-back routine waiting in the Florida Panthers’ dressing room at Anaheim’s practice facility: knotted skate laces and a cup of water balanced in his helmet. The former Ducks captain took the prank in stride before Sunday’s reunion, when Florida visits Anaheim for the Ducks’ home opener at Honda Center.
“Those are the small things that make it more enjoyable,” Gudas said, smiling. He said he had a good idea which of his old teammates was responsible.
The 36-year-old defenseman spent the previous three seasons with Anaheim, wearing the captain’s “C” last year as the club reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2018. The Ducks eliminated the Edmonton Oilers in six games in the Western Conference First Round, then fell to the Vegas Golden Knights in six games in Round 2.
Gudas returned to the Panthers on a six-year deal signed July 1, rejoining the organization he represented from 2020 through 2023. Only three games into his new stint in Florida, he is already back in Orange County. “It’s definitely a little weird,” he said. “I was wearing orange just a few months ago.”
A veteran’s imprint remains on Anaheim’s blue line
When Gudas arrived in Anaheim, he stepped into a defense group that included young blueliners Pavel Mintyukov, Jamie Drysdale and Jackson LaCombe. Drysdale was later dealt to the Philadelphia Flyers in the trade that brought Cutter Gauthier to the Ducks, while Mintyukov and LaCombe have since agreed to long-term extensions.
LaCombe, who spent much of Gudas’ first Anaheim season as his partner, said the veteran’s value reached far beyond the bruising game for which he is known. Gudas helped an attack-minded young defenseman understand when to join the rush and when the smarter choice was to stay patient.
“He was important to everyone here during those three years, particularly the younger players,” LaCombe said. “He taught us a lot and treated us really well. It will be good to see him on the ice, but we’ll be competing hard, too.”
LaCombe said Gudas had a feel for game management and delivered instruction without taking away a teammate’s confidence. “Players like that are rare,” he said.
Gudas’ physical edge has made him one of the NHL’s more closely watched defensemen across a 15-year career. He has received five League suspensions, including a five-game ban after kneeing Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews on March 12. Matthews, a seven-time All-Star, sustained a knee injury that ended his season.
Florida coach Paul Maurice said the attention around Gudas’ biggest hits can obscure the larger picture. “The camera has caught him on some of those hits,” Maurice said, “but the vast majority of his game is that of a strong veteran defenseman who reads plays very well.”
Ducks coach Joel Quenneville, who worked with Gudas in Florida and again last season in Anaheim, described a far different personality away from the rink. Quenneville said Gudas is a committed family man whose wife and children were active in the local community, and said he expects the family is enjoying its return to Florida.
Quenneville does not see a need for Anaheim to alter its approach simply because Gudas is on the other bench. LaCombe, however, knows the Panthers defenseman demands awareness whenever he steps over the boards. The Ducks want to use their speed and make Gudas defend in space, though LaCombe acknowledged that is easier said than done against such an accomplished defender.
For Gudas, last season’s captaincy remains among the proudest moments of his career. He also sees a Ducks group built to stay relevant well beyond this weekend’s matchup. “They’re young, talented and fast,” he said. “They have the right ingredients early in their careers. They’re exciting to watch, and they’re exciting to play against.”
The Panthers and Ducks meet Sunday at 8 p.m. ET, with Prime Video, KCOP-13, SCRIPPS and TVAS carrying the game.
