Ducks acquire Hagelin, goalie Khudobin
They get speedy winger from Rangers for Etem and draft choice. Trade with Carolina sparks intrigue.
Location, location, location. Draft tables are arranged according to playoff finish — meaning the conference finalists, Anaheim and the New York Rangers, were in the same neighborhood at the NHL’s entry draft in Sunrise, Fla.
Ducks General Manager Bob Murray checked in Friday with the Rangers and found out speedy winger Carl Hagelin might be available because the Rangers were uncertain they could sign their soonto-be restricted free agent July 1.
“My ears perked up a little bit and I said, ‘Ooh. We could use that speed and tenacity, the way he plays,’ ” Murray said.
They worked at a deal and by Saturday morning the Ducks had yet another Swedish player in the fold as Anaheim acquired Hagelin and two draft picks from the Rangers in exchange for youngster Emerson Etem and one draft choice.
If the Kings were the dominant news story on Day 1 of the draft — getting power forward Milan Lucic from the Boston Bruins — their Southern California rival, the Ducks, were in the spotlight with two trades on Day 2.
Before the Hagelin deal, Murray added another bit of intrigue to the fascinating goalie saga in Anaheim, getting goalie Anton Khudobin from Carolina for defenseman James Wisniewski, who was a healthy scratch during the playoffs.
With Hagelin, the Ducks may have acquired a replacement for the soon-to-be free agent Matt Beleskey and will be saving about $5.7 million because of the other trade. Howev- er, that fact was almost ignored. Instead there were immediate questions about the two talented goalies on the Ducks’ roster, Frederik Andersen and John Gibson. Murray had to quickly douse speculation Gibson was soon to be traded. He was just as emphatic when asked about Andersen’s future.
“It’s funny. I make a deal and everybody obviously assumes that one of the two of them is going,” Murray said. “Everybody should look at what went on last year, the . . . storms that were created with injuries to these two guys and the different ways we tried to fix it didn’t work.
“This way, we’re covered right now. I have no idea how it will play out at the start. But I’ve got the back end covered now.”
The trade for Khudobin came down before the Kings and Ducks started drafting Saturday. The Kings, who traded their first-round pick in Friday’s deal for Lucic, se- lected six players in the second through seventh round, starting with defenseman Erik Cernak of Slovakia. They took three forwards, three defensemen and no goalies.
The Kings’ head of goalie development Kim Dillabaugh was hired as goalie coach by Philadelphia General Manager Ron Hextall.
Anaheim added six more draft choices Saturday, taking four forwards, one defenseman and one goalie. Murray said he wasn’t necessarily done making moves, especially because center Nate Thompson will be out five to six months after shoulder surgery; Murray called the injury a “bad one.”
For Etem, Murray thought a change of scenery might provide a spark for the Long Beach native, who was often inconsistent.
“I’m not going to speak for him, but I think he felt pressure at times,” Murray said. “He can get away, relax and go play hockey.”
Hagelin undoubtedly will get a chance to play with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, giving him an opportunity to become a top six-forward again.
“Anaheim has an extremely good offensive core,” Hagelin said. “They score a lot of goals and have some big players up front. I think with my speed, I could hopefully help out. Again, I played with some pretty skilled players with the New York Rangers when I played with [Brad] Richards, [Ryan] Callahan and [Marian] Gaborik. “I’m ready for a challenge.” Among other draft-day moves involving the rest of the league, Dallas acquired goalie Anti Niemi from San Jose for a 2015 seventh-round pick, Minnesota agreed to terms with goalie Devan Dubnyk on a sixyear contract, and Vancouver traded goalie Eddie Lack to Carolina for a 2015 third-round pick and a 2016 seventh-round draft pick.