Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Ducks Rumors

Anaheim Ducks Recall Prospect Trevor Zegras

at CDT | by 4 Comments

The Anaheim Ducks were planning on taking a cautious approach with the development of top prospect Trevor Zegras, but the 19-year-old forward has done everything he could this year to prove that he’s ready to play at the NHL level. The team apparently agrees as they announced they have recalled him to their roster.

Zegras was actually skating with the team on Sunday, suggesting a promotion was near. The forward, who turned pro last March after one season at Boston University, was dominant at the 2021 World Junior Championship, earning the MVP honors at the tournament as well as leading Team USA to the gold medal. He then reported to the AHL, where he has been impressive as well, posting four goals and nine points in eight games with the San Diego Gulls as well as a plus-four rating.

With the Ducks struggling on the ice, currently in last place in the West Division with a 6-9-3 record (having lost four of their last five games), the team needs an offensive spark to get the team going and are hoping that Zegras could provide that. Anaheim is currently ranked 31st in the league in goals scored, averaging just 1.83 goals per game. Youngster Max Comtois leads the team with seven goals. After that, no player has more than three this year, including their veteran leaders, Jakob Silfverberg (3), Adam Henrique (3), Rickard Rakell (1) and Ryan Getzlaf (1).

Anaheim is looking to shake up their roster as the team placed center Adam Henrique on waivers on Saturday (he cleared), meaning he can be assigned to the team’s taxi squad. However, the team is looking to make changes to do something to intensify its rebuilding project. Many of the youngsters are also struggling on the team as Sam Steel, Troy Terry and Isac Lundestrom each have just two goals this season, not exactly what they were hoping for when the season started.

Poll: NHL’s “Thanksgiving Trend” Revisited

at CDT | by 4 Comments

Fans of the NHL are sure to be familiar with the deeper meaning that American Thanksgiving holds each season. With unrelenting consistency, the NHL’s standings on the final Thursday of November have had great predictive ability when compared to the final regular season standings. In fact, over the past seven years the Thanksgiving standings have been about 75% accurate at forecasting eventual playoff teams, predicting 12 of 16 spots on average. Even though American Thanksgiving only rolls around less than two months into the season, three out of four teams in a playoff spot at that time will have retained their postseason berth when the season ends.

The 2019-20 season of course did not have a standard postseason, but if it had then the Thanksgiving trend would have proved even more prophetic in a shortened campaign. Last year, in which teams were limited to between 68 and 71 games apiece prior to the early termination of the regular season, the Thanksgiving standings would have predicted 13 of 16 playoff teams in the standard format. Of the three teams that would have slid out of the postseason, the Florida Panthers trailed the Toronto Maple Leafs by .014 points percentage in the Atlantic Division and the Winnipeg Jets missed out by a measly .001 points percentage behind the Calgary Flames as the final Western Conference wild card. The Thanksgiving standings were that close to predicting 15 of 16 playoff teams in the shortened season, with the unexpected slow start for the Vegas Golden Knights and hot start for the Arizona Coyotes being the other unsurprising course correction.

But how does this trend impact a season that didn’t even begin until well after American Thanksgiving? Based on total games played by Thanksgiving over the past few seasons, Thanksgiving represents about the 30% progress through the NHL season. In the current 56-game season, that comes out to about the 17-game mark. Although postponements and rescheduling have created a wide discrepancy in games played among teams this year, the league as a whole passed that 17-game average on Saturday: Happy Thanksgiving. Admittedly, the 2020-21 campaign does have a different playoff model as well, one that is somewhat stricter than the last few years without the fallback of a wildcard spot for a team on the fifth-place fringe in their division. Yet, it is still a 16-team postseason and the Thanksgiving trend should hold. Using points percentage to rank the standings (the stat may end up determining playoff position for a second consecutive season anyhow) and adjusting for the season’s makeshift divisions, here is the current “Thanksgiving” outlook:

North Division                                                             East Division

Toronto Maple Leafs (.789)                                    Boston Bruins (.733)
Montreal Canadiens (.625)                                     Philadelphia Flyers (.679)
Winnipeg Jets (.618)                                                 Washington Capitals (.594)
Edmonton Oilers (.600)                                          Pittsburgh Penguins (.594)____
Calgary Flames (.472)                                                        New Jersey Devils (.583)
Vancouver Canucks (.405)                                                New York Islanders (.559)
Ottawa Senators (.237)                                                      New York Rangers (.469)
                                                                                                Buffalo Sabres (.429)

West Division                                                                Central Division

Vegas Golden Knights (.700)                                   Carolina Hurricanes (.781)
Colorado Avalanche (.679)                                       Florida Panthers (.750)
St. Louis Blues (.611)                                                  Tampa Bay Lightning (.700)
Minnesota Wild (.571)                                                Dallas Stars (.583)                    
Los Angeles Kings (.531)                                                    Chicago Blackhawks (.579)
Arizona Coyotes (.500)                                                       Columbus Blue Jackets (.526)
San Jose Sharks (.500)                                                       Nashville Predators (.412)
Anaheim Ducks (.417)                                                         Detroit Red Wings (.325)

Now this begs the question, especially seeing how accurate the Thanksgiving standings were in last year’s shortened season but also accounting for the many disruptions for a number of teams early this season, who is the trend currently overlooking? Which teams currently outside the playoff picture, if any, do you think will make the postseason when all is said and done later this season? Use the comments section below as well to discuss which teams may fall out of the postseason and whether you feel the Thanksgiving trend will apply this season.

Which Of These Teams Will Buck The "Thanksgiving" Trend And Make The Playoffs?
New York Islanders 23.09% (263 votes)
Chicago Blackhawks 18.88% (215 votes)
Los Angeles Kings 9.66% (110 votes)
None - "Thanksgiving" goes 16/16 8.96% (102 votes)
Columbus Blue Jackets 7.73% (88 votes)
Calgary Flames 6.41% (73 votes)
New Jersey Devils 5.62% (64 votes)
New York Rangers 4.39% (50 votes)
Arizona Coyotes 3.69% (42 votes)
Vancouver Canucks 3.69% (42 votes)
Buffalo Sabres 2.19% (25 votes)
San Jose Sharks 1.58% (18 votes)
Detroit Red Wings 1.49% (17 votes)
Nashville Predators 1.23% (14 votes)
Anaheim Ducks 0.79% (9 votes)
Ottawa Senators 0.61% (7 votes)
Total Votes: 1,139

[mobile users click here to vote]

Ducks’ Adam Henrique Clears Waivers

at CDT | by 12 Comments

Sunday: Henrique has cleared waivers. Despite a career of consistent scoring and quality two-way play, it seems that teams were too frightened by Henrique’s lengthy contract and slow start to the season to risk a claim. This may not be over though; it is hard to imagine that there are not teams in the NHL that could benefit from the dynamic Duck’s services if they can make the salary cap work in a trade.

Saturday: There have been some notable veterans placed on waivers in recent days and Saturday has yielded another of those moves as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that the Ducks have placed center Adam Henrique on waivers.  While it’s not common for a GM to comment on a player hitting the waiver wire right away, Bob Murray did release a brief statement to Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register:

Adam is not alone in this. But I’m tired of talking and waiting. We need results and difficult decisions must be made.

It has been a tough year for the 31-year-old, to put it lightly.  Henrique has just three goals and an assist in 16 games this season despite logging over 16 minutes per game and nearly two per night with the man advantage.  For someone that’s expected to be a top-six forward, that type of production hasn’t been good enough which has resulted in this move.  The drop-off offensively comes as somewhat of a surprise considering that Henrique actually led Anaheim in scoring last season with 26 goals and 17 assists in 71 games; had it not been for the pandemic, he would have had a realistic chance at reaching the 30-goal mark for only the second time in his career.

Henrique still has three years left on his contract after this season with a $5.825MM AAV and salary and with many teams being capped out (only five teams can afford to claim him), it’s quite unlikely that he’ll be claimed on Sunday.  Instead, the placement will give them a bit more roster flexibility and allow them to shuffle him to the taxi squad on non-game days, allowing them to temporarily clear $1.075MM off their salary cap.  It could also serve as somewhat of a wakeup call to Henrique and the rest of the Ducks who are off to a bit of a sluggish start to their season having won only six of 17 games so far, though that’s still enough to be just two points out of a playoff spot in the West Division.

Latest On Ryan Getzlaf’s Future

at CDT | by 18 Comments

The Anaheim Ducks lost again last night, adding just a single mark to the goals for column that they have struggled so much to fill this season. The team has just 33 goals in 17 games, the fewest on a per-game basis in the league and a historically low rate. They do have some offensive weapons pushing for a call-up but some wonder if the team should be selling off some expiring or aging assets to rebuild for the future. When you scroll over the Ducks’ CapFriendly page looking for potential trade chips, one name might stick out above all the rest: Ryan Getzlaf.

The 35-year-old center is on the last season of the eight-year, $66MM contract he signed in 2013 and is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer. That could potentially make him an attractive piece on the market, especially since he isn’t actually earning the $8.5MM cap hit that his contract carries. Getzlaf is owed just $6MM for the 2020-21 season, and half of that was in a signing bonus. That means he would come at a considerable discount for a cash-strapped contender, though obviously, the cap structure would need to work.

Hold that thought. Getzlaf also has a full no-movement clause in his contract and Frank Seravalli of TSN reported last night on Insider Trading that the Ducks have no plans to ask him to waive it at this time. The only way the veteran forward would be on the move is if he asked for a trade to go chase a Stanley Cup. That chase, which is so alluring to many of the league’s greatest players as they get to the twilight of their career, may not be so for Getzlaf, who already won a championship in 2007 with the Ducks.

There’s also the fact that he’s not the same Hart Trophy-level star that he once was, meaning the return wouldn’t likely be a big one. Getzlaf has just six points through 15 games, including zero even-strength goals. His ice time is down and he’s now just playing a support and leadership role as the team transitions to the next wave of talent.

As of now, it doesn’t appear as though he’ll be on the block. But Seravalli points out that could change if he “raises his hand” and tells the Ducks he wants to chase another ring.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Minor Transactions: 02/16/21

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Although the minor professional leagues in North America are up and running, a handful of players are still searching for new homes.  Several of them found places today and here are some of the ones affecting current and former NHL prospects.

  • The Flames have inked forward Rory Kerins to a minor league amateur tryout agreement, per the AHL’s transactions log. The 18-year-old was a sixth-round pick (174th overall) back in October after putting up 30 goals and 29 assists with OHL Sault Ste. Marie last season.  With that league not up and running just yet, Kerins is eligible to play with Calgary’s AHL affiliate in Stockton until the OHL gets their season underway.
  • The Ducks have added some physicality to their farm team as the AHL’s Gulls announced (Twitter link) that they’ve signed winger Jamie Devane to a PTO. The 29-year-old briefly saw NHL action with Toronto back in 2013-14 and spent last season with Pittsburgh’s farm team where he had four goals, five assists, and 81 penalty minutes in 36 games.
  • After the Islanders declined to sign him back in August, Nick Pastujov has found a place to play, inking a contract with Kansas City of the ECHL, per that league’s transactions log. The 23-year-old was drafted in 2016 and spent four years at Michigan but saw his production dip in his senior season which certainly didn’t help his chances of getting signed.

Poll: Should The Anaheim Ducks Call Up Jamie Drysdale, Trevor Zegras?

at CDT | by 6 Comments

The Anaheim Ducks can’t score. In fact, their current goals for per game rate of 1.94 would be the third-lowest mark of the last decade, only behind two Buffalo Sabres teams (’14 and ’15) that finished at the very bottom of the NHL standings. That rate is lower even than the 2019-20 Detroit Red Wings who won just 17 games and posted a historically-low points percentage.

The Anaheim Ducks can’t score.

Somehow though, the Ducks aren’t at the bottom of the NHL standings. They aren’t even in last place in the West Division, instead sitting at 6-7-3 through their first 16 games. Their relatively low mark of 2.56 goals against per game would indicate that if they could just score a little more, they actually might be a formidable opponent. Perhaps even push for a playoff spot this season.

Enter Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale, the team’s top two prospects who are currently dominating in the AHL.

Zegras, 19, was the ninth overall pick in 2019 and has seven points through his first five professional games. The tournament scoring leader and MVP at the recent World Juniors, Zegras has almost limitless offensive potential and could likely help the Ducks’ powerplay the moment he steps on the ice.

Drysdale, 18, meanwhile has five points in his own first five pro games and given he’s a defenseman, has heads turning already. The sixth-overall pick in 2020, Drysdale is an elite puck-moving option, and though his actual scoring upside may not be quite as high as Zegras, his mobility and ability to get the puck quickly to his forwards would help the Anaheim attack.

Remember though that player development is a tricky, always evolving thing. The Ducks obviously have high hopes for the pair and want them to be ready before forcing them into NHL games. The fact that the team wasn’t really expected to challenge for the Stanley Cup this season may be a huge factor as well, given many organizations don’t want to bring their top young players into losing situations.

In Drysdale’s case specifically, they might not be able to keep him in the minors forever. The 18-year-old would normally not be eligible to play there, but with the OHL still suspended he is allowed to suit up in the minor leagues. Once that changes—recent developments have provided some encouragement that the OHL can hold a shortened season in the coming months—Drysdale would need to move up to the NHL or be returned to his Erie Otters team.

For Zegras, there’s nothing forcing him out of the AHL at the moment. As a college player who turned pro last spring, he is eligible for the minors even though he’s just 19.

It’s important to note that in both cases, playing in more than seven NHL games would activate their entry-level contracts. Currently, both Zegras and Drysdale are slide candidates, meaning the three-year deal wouldn’t kick in until next season, keeping them away from restricted free agency longer. But with the Ducks struggling to score and the AHL proving no trouble, is it time to call them up anyway?

Cast your vote below, making sure to explain your plan in the comments.

Should the Ducks call up Zegras, Drysdale?
Call them both up. 45.30% (545 votes)
Call up Zegras, leave Drysdale in AHL/OHL. 27.10% (326 votes)
Leave them both in the AHL/OHL the entire season. 24.02% (289 votes)
Call up Drysdale, leave Zegras in AHL. 2.41% (29 votes)
Other (explain in comments) 1.16% (14 votes)
Total Votes: 1,203

[Mobile users click here to vote]

Snapshots: Danault, Simek, Frk

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Montreal Canadiens center Phillip Danault has struggled this season as he is one of just two forwards who have yet to record a goal this season. The 27-year-old is coming off of 53 and 47-point seasons that last two years, but the pending unrestricted free agent reportedly turned down a six-year, $30MM deal during the offseason, according to Montreal Gazette’s Stu Cowan, and it looks to be weighing on him.

Danault refused to talk about his contract situation Friday, but Cowan said that ice time might play more of a role in his decision-making than money. Danault, who was playing top-six minutes for much of the past two seasons, is now the team’s No. 3 center behind Nick Suzuki and Jesperi Kotkaniemi.

“I needed some time to adapt,” Danault said. “There are a lot of things that changed at the same time, whether it was my ice time or the way I was being used on the penalty-kill. I’m still playing with the same linemates, though. We try to give everything we have every night. I’m ready to do everything I can to help the team win. It’s going really well right now and we’ll keep on going that way.”

  • NHL Player Safety announced that San Jose Sharks defenseman Radim Simek has been fined $5,000 for spearing Anaheim Ducks forward Adam Henrique Saturday (video here). The fine is the most that is allowed by the CBA.The infraction occurred at 6:21 of the second period when the spearing occurred in front of the Sharks’ net. The two players then fought immediately afterwards with both players receiving two-minute penalties for roughing with the spearing getting missed.
  • The Los Angeles Kings could be without forward Martin Frk for some time, according to Los Angeles Times’ Jack Harris. While he hasn’t received an update from the team’s training staff, head coach Todd McLellan said that by the look of the injury, he could be “out for a little while.” Frk missed the first nine games of the season with a groin injury and was making his season debut Friday only to be knocked out with another  lower-body injury.

Trade Rumors: Bennett, DeAngelo, Stepan

at CDT | by 5 Comments

As if there weren’t enough whispers surrounding Calgary Flames forward Sam Bennett, his healthy scratch last night did not help. The news emerged well ahead of the Flames’ game on Thursday that Bennett would not play and TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that speculation swelled across the league that this implied Bennett was available for trade. Bennett’s play has improved of late and the player himself even told the media that the scratch came as a surprise. However, with Bennett wanting out of Calgary – though he would not confirm a formal trade request – perhaps the Flames want to look at other internal options who could take Bennett’s place, as well as protect the health of their trade asset. With that said, Dreger warns not to get too excited. He says a trade is certainly not imminent, which harkens back to the Flames own admission that they would not rush to trade Bennett and may not move him at all if they cannot find the right deal.

  • As for the possibility of a trade involving Bennett and another player on the block, New York Rangers defenseman Anthony DeAngelo, there are mixed reports. On Wednesday, Bob McKenzie reported on the NBC Sports broadcast that the Calgary Flames were among four or five teams that had interest in the “reclamation project” that is DeAngelo. A talented, but polarizing player, DeAngelo could be of interest to any number of teams, so even a Calgary team with good defensive depth would not be a major surprise. However, Sportsnet’s Flames beat writer Eric Francis dispelled the rumors of Calgary interest in DeAngelo. He also reiterated that the team will take their time with a Bennett trade and will not rush into a deal for another player on the rumor mill.
  • The other teams mentioned by McKenzie as kicking the tires on DeAngelo: the Anaheim Ducks, Detroit Red Wings, and Los Angeles Kings. As rebuilding teams, taking a chance on the talent and youth of DeAngelo makes a ton of sense for any of these clubs. Considering that DeAngelo has already cleared waivers as well, Detroit or L.A. could also convince New York to add a draft pick to the trade, while Anaheim may be more interested in the Rangers retaining some of DeAngelo’s $4.8MM salary.
  • Despite an impressive win over the rival Montreal Canadiens on Thursday, the season has not gone as planned so far for the Ottawa Senators. After adding some veterans to the roster this off-season, the team hoped the influx of experience and talent combined with their considerable youth and upside would result in more wins. Thus far, they have the league’s worst record at 2-8-1. As a result, changes could be coming to the roster. The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch reports that one major change could be a quick flip of veteran center Derek Stepan. Stepan was acquired right before training camp in a trade with the Arizona Coyotes but has failed to make much of an impact for the Senators. He has just three points and -7 rating through ten games, averaging just two shots per game and on pace for the worst possession numbers of his career. It is believed that Stepan is as unhappy with his role in Ottawa as the Senators are in his production. A separation could be coming soon  since the veteran still has value across the league, especially on an expiring contract. Stepan, 30, is a durable, two-way center who has scored at a 40-point pace or better in each of nine NHL season prior to last year.

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 02/05/21

at CDT | by 4 Comments

Each day, the NHL will publicly release the list of players that are unavailable to their respective teams due to being in COVID-19 protocol. The Anaheim Ducks have yet to report their results for today. For all 30 other teams, here is the CPRA list for Friday:

Anaheim – TBA
Buffalo – Taylor Hall, Rasmus Ristolainen, Brandon Montour, Tobias Rieder, Jake McCabe
Chicago – Adam Boqvist, Ryan Carpenter, Lucas Wallmark
Colorado – Tyson Jost, Gabriel Landeskog
Dallas – Andrej Sekera
Los Angeles – Andreas Athanasiou, Blake Lizotte
Minnesota – Marcus Foligno, Nick Bjugstad, Nick Bonino, Joel Eriksson Ek, Marcus Johansson, Jared Spurgeon, Nico Sturm
New Jersey – Connor Carrick, Kyle Palmieri, Sami Vatanen, Travis Zajac, Andreas Johnsson, Janne Kuokkanen, Michael McLeod, Pavel Zacha, Jack Hughes, Damon Severson, Ty Smith, Matt Tennyson, Jesper Bratt, Nathan Bastian, Nikita Gusev, Yegor Sharangovich, Dmitry Kulikov*
Vegas – Alex Pietrangelo
Washington – Evgeny Kuznetsov, Ilya Samsonov
Winnipeg – Pierre-Luc Dubois

As a reminder, inclusion on this list does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the list is are the following:

(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol

Players removed today: John Marino, Pittsburgh Penguins

The good news: there was no net gain to the CPRA list today. One player was added and one player was removed. For the injury plagued Pittsburgh Penguins blue line, getting Marino back is a major relief. It also removes the Penguins entirely from the COVID doghouse for the time being.

The bad news: a troubling situation in New Jersey gets only worse, as Kulikov joins the long list of players in the protocol. The Devils have seen a number of their coming games postponed and that could easily continue given the sheer number of players still out of action.

*denotes new addition

Minor Transactions: 01/30/21

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The NHL season is well on its way and the start of the AHL season is right around the corner, not to mention an ongoing ECHL and NCAA season, several leagues in Europe already entering the stretch run, and North American junior leagues starting to work toward a return. Yet, there are still players out there looking for a place to play this season, many of whom are familiar to NHL fans. Keep up with those moves right here over the course of the day:

  • Veteran forward Matt Lorito has found a new AHL home for the coming campaign. Lorito, who has spent the past four years under NHL contracts, has instead inked a one-year minor league deal with the San Diego Gulls, the team announced. Lorito recorded 23 points in 50 games with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers last season, but finished the year with the Toronto Marlies after the Islanders traded him to the Maple Leafs for defenseman Jordan Schmaltz. A veteran of two NHL games with the Detroit Red Wings, Lorito has been a highly productive scorer in the AHL with 215 points in 283 games over six seasons.
  • Victor Hadfield, the grandson of New York Rangers legend Vic Hadfield, will get his first taste of the pro game on a tryout with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, per the team’s training camp roster. The Barrie Colt, who was selected No. 1 overall in the inaugural OHL U-18 Priority Selection Draft, got off to a slow start to his major junior career, but started to show signs of potential last season with 26 points in 46 games. The Moose want to see for themselves in camp if Hadfield might be a later bloomer who is ready to keep growing in the pros. Hadfield’s grandfather, whose number is retired by the Rangers, played in over 1,000 NHL games for New York and Pittsburgh in the 60’s and 70’s, including a 106-point 1971-72 campaign.
  • After spending last season with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, defenseman Anton Karlsson has been back home in Sweden playing for the SHL’s HV71. However, on the eve of a new AHL season, Karlsson and HV71 have agreed to mutually terminate his current contract, the team announced. Coincidence? Keep an eye out for more on Karlsson, who carved out a nice role for himself with Cleveland last year despite battling for ice time with a number of NHL talents on the blue line. At 27, Karlsson may still have NHL ambitions.
  • The AHL’s San Diego Gulls have received some reinforcements from their ECHL affiliate, the Tulsa Oilers. The ECHL transactions register indicates that the Anaheim Ducks, parent club to both, have reassigned forwards Bryce Kindopp and Maxim Golod and goaltender Olle Eriksson Ek to San Diego.

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