Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Ducks Rumors

Panthers, Ducks Announce More COVID Protocol Additions

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Florida Panthers will not have Patric Hornqvist in the lineup this evening when they take on the Carolina Hurricanes, as he has entered the COVID protocol. Hornqvist joins Mason Marchment, Sam Reinhart, and Spencer Knight, stealing quite a few important names from the team’s regular roster.

The Panthers, among the league’s elite teams so far this season, lost their last game against the Dallas Stars in a shootout and have now called two points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for first place in the Atlantic Division. The team is not only without these key players due to COVID-related absences, but also names like Sam Bennett due to a suspension and Markus Nutivaara due to injury. Despite that, they will need to try to take down the red hot Metropolitan-leading Hurricanes.

Lucas Carlsson and Aleksi Heponiemi will both enter the lineup tonight, while Sergei Bobrovsky will take the net again, his fifth start since returning from the holiday break.

In Anaheim, the Ducks are facing their own COVID absences. Vinni Lettieri is the latest addition to the protocol, where he will join John Gibson, Hampus Lindholm, Derek Grant, and Sam Carrick. Ryan Getzlaf has technically left the protocol, but he’ll also miss tonight’s game against the New York Rangers as the team gets him back up to speed.

The Ducks have recalled five players ahead of the game. Benoit-Olivier Groulx, Jacob Perreault, Buddy Robinson, Greg Pateryn, and Lukas Dostal are all up from the San Diego Gulls. Perreault, still just 19, would be making his NHL debut when he hits the ice tonight (he is expected to play with Trevor Zegras and Sonny Milano). Selected 27th overall in 2020, Perreault has 18 points in 23 games for the Gulls this season as one of the few junior-aged players eligible to play in the minor leagues. That’s thanks to the number of games he played last season–27–during the OHL’s postponed campaign. The son of longtime NHL forward Yanic Perreault, he would be the 16th player from the 2020 first round to make his debut–the second for Anaheim, after Jamie Drysdale.

NHL Postpones Detroit/Anaheim Game To Sunday

at CDT | by 3 Comments

3:55 pm: The Anaheim Ducks added defenseman Hampus Lindholm and forward Vinni Lettieri to COVID protocol. With the announcement coming so quickly, it was likely the motivator behind tonight’s postponement.

3:50 pm: The NHL has postponed tonight’s game between the Detroit Red Wings and Anaheim Ducks to Sunday, January 9 at 7:00 PM CT.

In the statement, the league says the game was postponed due to COVID issues affecting Anaheim. Currently, the team has five players in COVID protocol – goalie John Gibson and forwards Ryan Getzlaf, Derek Grant, Sam Carrick, and Nicolas Deslauriers.

Trevor Zegras was previously in COVID protocol but was activated from the list today. However, after just one morning skate, he wasn’t going to play in tonight’s game as originally scheduled.

The postponement gives Anaheim a chance to regroup. Getzlaf was placed in protocol on January 2 and could be available by then. Gibson entered today, however, and likely won’t be available for that game.

Golden Knights Considering Acquiring Kesler's LTIR Contract

at CDT | by 5 Comments

  • The Golden Knights are considering the possibility of acquiring the rights to Ryan Kesler from the Ducks, notes David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period.  Kesler, who hasn’t played since 2019, carries a $6.875MM cap hit that is LTIR-eligible.  In theory, if Vegas moved out enough salary to bring Kesler in and remain in cap compliance with their current cap situation, he could then be added to their LTIR pool, enabling them to eventually activate Jack Eichel.  There’s precedent for teams acquiring injured players to boost their LTIR pool – Toronto (David Clarkson) and Tampa Bay (Brent Seabrook) – are recent examples and with Max Pacioretty and Alec Martinez both expected to return before the end of the regular season, Vegas may need to get creative to make the cap work when their players are healthy.

Latest On Anaheim Ducks GM Search

at CDT | by 3 Comments

The Anaheim Ducks are one of several teams around the league currently searching for a new general manager after Bob Murray resigned from the position in early November. In his place, vice president of hockey operations Jeff Solomon was named interim GM and ownership indicated that a “methodical, extensive search” would begin to fill the position.

Now, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that a search committee has been formed, which includes a few familiar names for Ducks’ fans. CEO Michael Schulman and president of business operations Aaron Teats will be joined by Scott Niedermayer and Paul Kariya on the committee, which will also include owners Susan Samueli and Henry Samueli.

It’s difficult to find two more beloved figures in franchise history than Niedermayer and Kariya. The pair of Hall of Fame players had huge impacts on the success of Anaheim, with the former leading them to the organization’s only Stanley Cup. Niedermayer won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2007 and raised the Cup for the fourth time in his career after averaging just shy of 30 minutes per game on the Ducks’ championship run.

Kariya meanwhile was the franchise’s first superstar, entering the league in 1994 after his stint with the Canadian national team. He scored 39 points in 47 games as a rookie but would find a running mate in Teemu Selanne the following year and never look back. In 606 games for Anaheim, Kariya would score 300 goals and 669 points.

Yesterday, when discussing the multiple GM vacancies around the league on The Jeff Marek Show, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet noted that unlike some of the other spots, Anaheim has some big roster decisions to make in the coming months. Rickard Rakell, Hampus Lindholm, and Josh Manson are all unrestricted free agents at the end of the season and could bring back big returns should the Ducks decide to trade them at the deadline, while captain Ryan Getzlaf is also on just a one-year deal with the team. Anaheim has been good enough to perhaps consider adding, not subtracting at the deadline, but that kind of a decision would certainly be one that–in an ideal world at least–should be made by the team’s next GM.

Why The 2022 Trade Deadline Could Be A Seller’s Market

at CDT | by 9 Comments

The 2022 NHL Trade Deadline is not exactly imminent. The delayed March 21 date this season is 11 weeks away and a lot can change in that amount of time. However, the end of the holiday trade freeze is the unofficial start to trade season leading up to the deadline. In the first few months of the season there have been ten trades completed, but outside of the Jack Eichel deal there have been very few moves of any substance. That may not change any time soon either.

An active trade deadline requires there to be identifiable buyers and sellers and they must be willing and able to deal. Buyers should not be an issue this season; the eight teams currently in a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference may be locked in, as nearly 100 percentage points separate the eighth and ninth team in the conference standings, while the Western Conference includes 13 teams with .500+ records. Therein begins the sellers problem though. Only three teams out west look like potential sellers right now, while there could be more teams willing to sell in the east but many are in a rebuild and don’t have much to offer, while others are merely lacking impact rentals. There are also a number of fringe teams that probably should be sellers, but are close enough to a playoff berth that would mean so much to their players and fan base that they may hold out.

The Athletic’s Eric Duhatschek notes another wrinkle that could limit sellers: five teams are currently operating with an interim GM. The Montreal Canadiens and Vancouver Canucks have hired new heads of their respective front offices in Jeff Gorton and Jim Rutherford, but neither has in turn hired his GM yet and seem unlikely to make major moves independently. This could take Gorton’s Canadiens, one of the most obvious sellers on paper, off the market. Rutherford’s Canucks hope to be in the playoff race, but he has already vowed that the team will either sell or stand pat this season and the longer it takes to hire a GM, the more likely it will be the latter. The Chicago Blackhawks, Anaheim Ducks, and San Jose Sharks are all operating with temporary GMs, all of whom have limited experience. Chicago and Anaheim fired their most recent GMs and have internal replacements for the time being, while San Jose GM Doug Wilson is currently away from the team for medical reasons. As Duhatschek points out, the likes of Kyle Davidson, Jeff Solomon, and Joe Will are not only new to the GM position, but lack the relationships around the league to make impact moves. So while the Blackhawks look like bona fide sellers and the Sharks and possibly the Ducks could get to that point, will they actually be willing to make trades?

The Seattle Kraken also fall into a category all their own. The NHL’s newest team was just put together in its entirety this off-season. Although they struggled mightily all season and do possess a number of expiring contracts, it remains to be seen if GM Ron Francis is ready to blow it up.

On top of all of this, the rental market among potential sellers is not strong. Of the top 20 impending UFA’s in per-game scoring this season, zero are on teams with sub-.500 records and just three are on teams not currently in a playoff spot. Expand that to the top 50, and only ten players are on sub-.500 teams: Phil Kessel, Travis Boyd, and Johan Larsson for Arizona, Vinnie Hinostroza for Buffalo, Chris Wideman for Montreal, P.K. Subban for New Jersey, Tyler Ennis for Ottawa, and Calle Jarnkrok, Colin Blackwell, and Mark Giordano for Seattle. Even if valuable defensemen like Ben Chiarot and Colin Miller or even a future Hall of Fame goaltender like Marc-Andre Fleury are considered, it’s not exactly an inspiring list for teams adding at the deadline. More importantly, it’s a short list for a potentially large group of buyers.

For those teams looking to make a meaningful trade this season, the conundrum is when to make a move. On one hand, with a small group of exciting targets it may be beneficial to make a trade early and possibly avoid the high prices of deadline bidding wars. On the other hand, the pool of sellers could also expand closer to the deadline and prices could drop if there is a flood of supply to meet the demand. Until that happens though – if it even does – there will be few moves to make early on and quite possibly right up to the deadline. Serious contenders should be prepared to pay up or sit tight this season.

Ryan Getzlaf Placed In COVID Protocol, Maxime Comtois Activated

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Anaheim Ducks placed captain Ryan Getzlaf in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol today, per a team tweet. They also activated forward Maxime Comtois from the list and swapped taxi squad bodies, recalling Greg Pateryn and sending Jacob Larsson down.

Getzlaf’s having somewhat of a resurgence for Anaheim this year, already getting more points than he had last year in 48 games. His 20 assists through 29 games are most on the team. He’s had great chemistry with Troy Terry, as evidenced by the latter’s 18 goals on the year.

With Getzlaf’s absence, Comtois likely returns to the lineup in a top-six role. That’s a good sign, showing that the team trusts him to improve on his singular assist through 14 games.

The team already had Trevor Zegras on COVID protocol, so it’s a lot of offensive firepower taken out of the lineup for Anaheim at the moment.

Pacific Notes: Oilers, Donato, Comtois

at CDT | by 3 Comments

The Edmonton Oilers are in a deep slide, exacerbated by a 3-2 overtime loss today to the New York Islanders. Now, Sportsnet’s Mark Spector reports two pieces of bad news on the injury front. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins returned to Edmonton to get his undisclosed injury looked at, and Spector says to assume he’s “out a while.” Additionally, he notes that goalie Mike Smith, who just returned from injury, is now day-to-day with an upper-body injury separate from the one that just kept him out for over two months. Smith’s struggled this year, the first of a two-year extension he signed this summer, posting a .897 save percentage in five games. It’ll mean more action for the 23-year-old Stuart Skinner, who’s helped buoy the team with a .916 save percentage through 10 games. They’ll also be in tough with Nugent-Hopkins for the next little bit, who only has three goals but is still on a great pace with 26 points in 30 games.

Other rumblings from around the Pacific Division on New Years Day:

  • Seattle Kraken forward Ryan Donato will return tonight after being activated from COVID-19 protocol. Donato last played December 18 against Edmonton, and he’s been a decent contributor for the expansion Kraken with eight goals and 13 points in 27 games. He’ll likely get back in on the team’s third line, playing left wing with Alexander Wennberg and Joonas Donskoi.
  • Some good news injury-wise — Anaheim Ducks forward Max Comtois is expected to make his return to the lineup tonight against Colorado. Comtois has played just once since suffering a hand injury on November 11. It’s been a tough year for him with just one assist through 14 games, but after his 16-goal, 33-point season last year, expect some bad shooting luck to turn around for him in a short manner.

Cam Fowler's Injury Not As Bad As Initially Feared

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

  • While the Ducks were concerned that Cam Fowler’s upper-body injury in Wednesday’s game could be a long-term issue, it doesn’t appear as if that will be the case. Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register relays that the blueliner traveled with the team for their two-game road trip that opens up tonight in Vegas which suggests that the veteran may not be out for long.  Fowler is having a nice season with 17 points in 33 games while leading the team in ice time at just over 23 minutes a game.

Trevor Zegras Placed In COVID Protocol

at CDT | by 2 Comments

Hockey fans will have to wait a little while for the next Trevor Zegras highlight, as the Anaheim Ducks have placed their dynamic playmaker in the COVID protocol. Zegras joins Max Comtois and Sam Steel, who were added to the protocol on Sunday.

It’s hard to find a more exciting player in the league right now, as Zegras constantly attempts–and often completes–passes that are rarely seen in the NHL. It’s not just his behind-the-net flip to Sonny Milano either, but routine plays he turns into outstanding chances for his linemates. With 25 points in 30 games this season he’s a big reason why the Ducks are tied for first place in the Pacific Division and looking to make the playoffs for the first time since 2018.

If Zegras tested positive, he’ll most likely miss the next few games for Anaheim as he isolates away from the team. The Ducks are set to go on the road for two games after tonight’s match, before returning for another four-game homestand in early January. Without their talented youngster, Ryan Getzlaf and the rest of the group will have to pick up the slack and keep the Ducks humming along at the top of the Pacific.

Adam Henrique Has Yet To Resume Skating

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

  • While the Ducks were hoping at one point that Adam Henrique could return before the holiday break, the center hasn’t yet resumed skating, relays Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register (Twitter link). The veteran suffered a lower-body injury three weeks ago, derailing what had been a strong start to his season with 16 points in 24 games.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top