ANAHEIM – Now and in the immediate future, the Ducks will continue to be held up by their three pillars – Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Ryan Kesler.

It is heavy lifting, especially when it’s a franchise that challenges for the Stanley Cup and sees itself continuing to do so. The Ducks have been on the doorstep of playing for it in two of the last three years, with Chicago moving on to hoist the Cup and Nashville now getting its first crack at it.

The pain of this latest Western Conference finals loss hasn’t subsided much among the Ducks as they gathered to clean out their lockers and have their exit meetings before separating for the summer. Losses will still sting. Missed opportunities will be lamented.

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Ducks Notes: Shoulder surgery to keep Hampus Lindholm, Sami Vatanen out for months But the final gathering also served as an initial look forward. Lifting the franchise to its elusive second Cup might come on the backs of The Big Three but better structural support is needed for those pillars as they continue to age.

It is time for the twentysomethings to take more of the load off the thirtysomethings. And that means Jakob Silfverberg, Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm, Rickard Rakell, Sami Vatanen and Josh Manson have to take on more leading roles. Franchise goalie John Gibson is in that mix.

“I told three of them this morning, ‘Hey, you made great strides this year. But it’s got to be even more next year if you want this team to go anywhere,’” Ducks general manager Bob Murray said. “Some of our young people have to take an even bigger jump than they made this year.

“And it’s not something that they’re incapable of, by the way. All of these guys are talented and capable.”

Does that mean some of them have to become the front-line players for the Ducks? Maybe. Some, such as Fowler, Lindholm and Silfverberg, are already that or will soon become such. Others, such as Rakell, Manson and Vatanen, have been around long enough to be considered core players.

Signs of wear and tear began to appear on The Big Three against Nashville.

“Right now, we need some of these young players to be part of our secondary leadership group,” Murray said. “It’s time for that to happen here and I’m quite encouraged by some things I saw this year from some of them. I think that’s naturally going to happen.

“And I think a couple of the older guys are going to welcome that. As you get older, and get into these grinds like we just went through – that was tough what we just did. They need some help, and I think they’re looking forward to it.”

That is how Manson sees it. It isn’t about replacing Getzlaf, Kesler or Perry as the players who drive the Ducks. It is about taking more ownership within the room and not leaving it to the ones wearing the letters.

“I think we have a pretty good core group of leadership here,” Manson said. “The best thing we can do is be leaders in our own way, just maybe be that second tier of leadership. You don’t need to go out of your way to do anything. But you step up in little ways. That just comes with time and feeling your way around the dressing room a little bit more.

“Like I said, we have a really good core group of leaders here. I don’t think it’s on us to step up any more than we have to or what we’re comfortable with.”

Some pieces will change among the Ducks as they do for all teams in the offseason. There is also an expansion draft, during which they’ll lose one player to the incoming Vegas Golden Knights. Much speculation will center on whom the Ducks can protect from being plucked away.

Shoulder injuries to Lindholm and Vatanen will require surgery and delay the start of their 2017-18 seasons, which could affect the summer planning for GM Bob Murray. Murray said he’s had conversations with Vegas GM George McPhee and trade offers to make sure McPhee doesn’t select one of his unprotected who could be on the table.

“There may be ways to do things with George where I can not affect too much,” Murray said. “Giving him something he may need. George is a very intelligent man, and I have a pretty good idea what he is going to try to do there. I can obviously help him with that a little bit.

“There’s certain players here there’s just no way I can afford to lose them.”

Getzlaf said he was impressed with how management created a system where young players that came up from the AHL’s San Diego Gulls “are coming up more prepared to play and play big roles.” It has left the longtime Ducks captain hopeful and happy that they’ve been able to rebuild on the fly.

“Everyone has their roles,” Getzlaf said. “The biggest thing on a team is you need to have guys fill into roles and grow with them, for that matter. They’ve done a good job at coming up the way they have. But we are going to need more from everybody. That’s the nature of it.

“We didn’t get it done this year. Going into next season, we’re definitely going to have to up what we need to do. Up our preparation. Hopefully we can all go through a training camp together and be ready to go when that puck drops in that first game.”