With the All-Star break approaching, the trade deadline looms large and is about a month and a half away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We start our look around the league with the Anaheim Ducks.
At this point of the season, there aren’t many teams that are going to be sure-fire sellers. The Ducks are one of the exceptions. GM Pat Verbeek’s squad is right in the heart of a full rebuild and after a surprisingly good start, they’ve fallen off as of late and are well out of the playoff picture. Of course, they at least have some strong core pieces to build around and while they likely won’t be able to add any of those in the coming weeks, they should be able to add to their prospect cupboard and pick up an extra draft pick or two.
Record
16-30-2, 7th in the Pacific
Deadline Status
Seller
Deadline Cap Space
$35.446MM on deadline day, 0/3 retention slots used, 47/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.
Upcoming Draft Picks
2024: ANA 1st, ANA 2nd, BOS 2nd, ANA 3rd, PIT 3rd, SJ 3rd, ANA 4th, ANA 5th, ANA 6th, ANA 7th
2025: ANA 1st, ANA 3rd, ANA 4th, ANA 5th, ANA 6th, ANA 7th
Trade Chips
The likeliest Duck to move is Adam Henrique. It wouldn’t have been surprising to see him be dealt last season but an injury put an end to that fairly quickly. The 33-year-old is believed to be drawing strong interest already, understandably so in a center market that isn’t particularly deep at the moment. Henrique has been one of the top scorers for Anaheim this season with 15 goals and 15 assists in 45 games while being an all-situations player who also is winning over 53% of his faceoffs. This is the type of player who ticks off a lot of boxes for what a contender is typically looking to add at this time of season. At $5.825MM, the cap hit is going to be somewhat prohibitive, even with 50% retention so some creativity might be needed but there will be a strong market for the veteran that should net Verbeek a solid return.
When Frank Vatrano signed a three-year, $10.95MM contract with Anaheim back in 2022, it raised some eyebrows as he had only reached the 20-goal mark once. However, it proved to be a worthwhile move as he had a career year last season and should beat those numbers in the coming weeks to set new benchmarks. His value might not get any higher while whoever gets Vatrano would also have him for next year so if the opportunity is there to cash in, Verbeek could look to take it. Trevor Zegras was in trade speculation before he broke his ankle and while a move could be the eventual outcome, it feels like that might be more of a summer swap over trying to move him as he’s just coming back.
One possible under-the-radar candidate to move could be Isac Lundestrom. The center just came back from a torn Achilles tendon and has been quiet, producing at a similar level to last year, one that was a big step back. With Anaheim’s depth down the middle and a $1.8MM qualifying offer with arbitration rights looming, it’s fair to wonder if the Ducks might consider going in a different direction. If that happens, he could be moved for another young player in a change of scenery type of move.
On the back end, Ilya Lyubushkin might be the only one to move (with Jamie Drysdale having already been dealt). The 29-year-old was added as a rental player two years ago by Toronto and fit in well on their third pairing and it’s fair to think teams will be looking to add some grit once more. The return might not be the highest as he’s on an above-market deal but they should be able to pick up a draft pick and perhaps even beat the fourth-rounder they gave up to get him.
Then there’s John Gibson. The netminder has been in trade speculation going back a few years now and frankly, until one happens, he’s going to likely continue to be in that speculation moving forward. The 30-year-old has shaved nearly a full goal off his GAA this season while a .900 SV% on a rebuilding squad isn’t bad the way that stat is trending. However, a $6.4MM cap hit through 2026-27 will be an issue. Sure, the Ducks can retain 50% but in terms of real money, that’s more than $10MM in salary they’d owe to someone not playing for them. How much is that worth in a return? Couple that with a goalie market that has teams mostly bargain-hunting and it would be a bit of a surprise if a deal gets done although teams will certainly call.
Other Potential Trade Chips: F Sam Carrick, F Jakob Silfverberg (a $5.25MM AAV will limit his market though), G Alex Stalock
Team Needs
1) Young Wingers: With Mason McTavish, Leo Carlsson, and Zegras in the mix, Anaheim is set down the middle for a while. They have a young core group of defensemen and while odds are all won’t pan out, they should have a good core group. On the wing, however, it’s a bit thinner, even with the Cutter Gauthier acquisition. If there’s an opportunity to get a young winger in any of these moves, it would certainly help to shore up that portion of the prospect pool.
2) Draft Picks: While Anaheim has ten picks so far this season, they only have six for 2025 and between the two years, they don’t have any extras in the first or second round. Some rebuilding squads have a multi-year surplus of selections and the Ducks aren’t there yet. They can at least take a step in that direction before March 8th.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Gudas, Gibson, Henrique, Vatrano, And Killorn would all get Interest at the deadline.
Gudas and Killorn were brought in to mentor the younger guys. Don’t see them getting moved. Henrique and Gibson should absolutely. And if they get a good offer for Vatrano they should move him too. Clear space to extend McTavish and Carlsson.
As we get closer to the deadline Gudas will garner tons of interest! He would be a perfect fit in Dallas. Nobody is untouchable! Never forget Gretzky played for 4 different NHL teams and 2 WHA teams.
Henrique and vatrano will get moved, Gibson just depends if he still wants to be moved also he won’t bring much in return because of his contract. He probably just wants to be on a winning team just needs to stick it out. Lyubushkin is the other one that will be dealt I just don’t think he will fetch more than a 4th .
Not every team in contention just throws away multiple 1sts or 2nds like Toronto or Boston.
NHL Rumors….. How about finishing “what’s your team thankful ” series before you start another? You left off after you finished Tampa on Jan. 8th . Be nice if you got one done before starting another.