Ducks still on rebuilding trail at trade deadline
General manager Bob Murray wants to make a deal, and maybe a lot of deals.
He wants to continue overhauling the Ducks’ roster and Monday’s trade deadline is the next chance to do something about it. Or to be precise, he needs to continue overhauling the roster and the deadline is the next chance to do something about it.
The Ducks hoped this would be the season they started their course correction, perhaps challenging for a playoff spot after missing out for consecutive seasons. However, a third losing season, this one worse than the previous two, has added an extra sense of urgency to the rebuilding project.
Jobs could be on the line, Murray’s included. Ducks owners Henry and Susan Samueli have been patient while the rebuilding has been underway, believed to be on board with Murray’s plan. Or more specifically, they have maintained radio silence over the past few seasons and haven’t spoken publicly about the progress.
Or lack thereof.
Trade pieces
Murray has plenty of chips with which to bargain, and several could fetch all that he covets. The biggest question, one that has fueled plenty of speculation, is whether longtime captain Ryan Getzlaf, the last link to the 200607 Stanley Cup team, would agree to be dealt.
Such a trade once was unthinkable, but chasing another Stanley Cup championship elsewhere might prompt Getzlaf to waive his nomovement clause. He’s eligible to become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end and Getzlaf and Murray agreed to put off contract talks until then.
Beyond Getzlaf, there are plenty of others who could draw interest, including defensemen Cam Fowler and Josh Manson and forwards Adam Henrique, Rickard Rakell and Jakob Silfverberg. Trading Manson was a non-starter as recently as last season, but it’s now a possibility.
Goaltender Ryan Miller might also attract interest from some teams seeking a backup.
Murray was given the choice of including top prospect Trevor Zegras in a proposed deal that would have brought Pierre-Luc Dubois from the Columbus Blue Jackets to the Ducks, but that was a hard no. Dubois was dealt to the Winnipeg Jets for Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic instead.
So, that should give you an idea of where this could be headed.
Yes, for the veterans.
No, for the youngsters.
Positions of need
It’s not so much one position the Ducks need to strengthen, but a whole bunch of them. They need scorers and they need defenders. They need playmakers and they need play-deniers, if there is such a thing. They need to continue to get younger, cheaper, faster and more skilled. Yes, that’s a tall order.
Any deals Murray completes must include players in return in their early 20s who can fill a role and fill it quickly. Draft picks and prospects are fine, but Murray won’t give away quality veterans strictly to dump salaries and clear roster space. He wants some quality in return. This won’t be a fire sale.
It could make things difficult for Murray since every general manager in the league is looking for talented young players who won’t break the bank, creating as much financial flexibility as possible during the uncertain times caused by a pandemic that’s disrupted two seasons.
Release the Kraken
Ducks fans still fume over Murray’s trade of defenseman Shea Theodore to the Vegas Golden Knights before the last expansion draft. Murray wanted to prevent the Golden Knights from taking Manson in the expansion draft and flipping Theodore to them was the way to do it.
The Ducks still considered themselves Stanley Cup contenders in the summer of 2017, having reached the Western Conference final only a month before Murray dealt Theodore. The Ducks’ circumstances have changed and the Seattle Kraken are unlikely to receive a similar donation.
Like the Golden Knights, the Kraken must pick one player from each team – with the exception of Vegas – for a total of 30. The Ducks and the other existing clubs can protect seven forwards, three defensemen and one goalie or eight skaters divided up however they like plus one goalie.
Players in their first or second professional seasons also are protected as are unsigned draft picks. Zegras and fellow recent firstround draft picks Jamie Drysdale, Jacob Perreault and Brayden Tracey, each of whom has signed an entry-level deal, cannot be exposed in the expansion draft.
The Ducks’ potential list of exposed players will likely become clearer after Monday’s deadline.