Anaheim Ducks Trading For Goaltender Anton Khubodin
Anaheim may not be making the sexy moves, but the team is clearly trying to stay competitive in the cut-throat Western Conference.
Well, in my Anaheim Ducks 2015 NHL Draft Strategy Part Two, I said that it would be wise for Anaheim to look to draft a goaltender in the third round.
Apparently, Anaheim could not wait that long!
The Ducks will get goalie Anton Khubodin from the Carolina Hurricanes in a trade today.... not clear yet what goes the other way
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) June 27, 2015
As @TSNAaronWard reported, it's James Wisniewski going the other way to Carolina in exchange for Khubodin. Ducks clear major cap space
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) June 27, 2015
Obviously, the Anaheim Ducks continue to clear out salaries and cap space to make either a major trade or give the team room to go out and get free agents.
Many people are assuming that this trade signals the end of the John Gibson era, but I would be shocked if this was true; the organization is pretty high on him, and it was expected that he might come into training camp and compete for the starting job in 2015-2016. More likely, the Anaheim Ducks want Gibson to spend a little more time playing for the San Diego Gulls, and are bringing Anton Khudobin in to give the team an established, full-time backup to Frederik Andersen.
I’ll update this post once I know the exact terms of the deal. Will Anaheim continue to wheel and deal today? Stay tuned!