The Ducks refuse to let me stop to take a breath on my Saturday morning!!!
Earlier today, the Anaheim Ducks acquired goaltender Anton Khudobin from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for defensman James Wisniewski.
If you thought Anaheim was done . . . well, apparently GM Bob Murray is looking to steal the headlines for day two of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.
The @NYRangers trade Carl Hagelin's rights, 59th & 179th to @AnaheimDucks for Emerson Etem & 41st pick. #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/l7rhqxpSuy
— NHL (@NHL) June 27, 2015
In snagging Carl Hagelin, the Ducks filled a need that I thought they might try to address in the first round of the draft: they gained speed in their top nine forwards, something the team was sorely lacking in the Western Conference Finals (and a weakness the Chicago Blackhawks fully exploited).
Let’s take a look at Hagelin’s career stats:
Reactions to the trade were mixed, as you can see below:
@NYRangers can we trade #glennsather for #bobmurray please? Sather got his pocket picked on @CarlHagelin trade. #NHLDraft2015 #NYR
— Calcagsu (@Calcagsu) June 27, 2015
@ZendikarIsland There are a few people I wouldn't mind the Rangers getting rid of. Carl Hagelin is NOT one of them.
— Britt Rivera (@kindamoviesnob) June 27, 2015
In swapping Etem for Hagelin, the Anaheim Ducks moved one step closer to putting together a roster made entirely of players who hail from Sweden! Just kidding – kind of. Seriously, Hagelin was third on the New York Rangers last season when it came to game-winning goals (4), and was second in both even-strength goals (16) and shots on goal (185). At the age of 26, Hagelin might not have as much upside as the 23 year-old Etem, but it’s pretty clear that Ducks GM Bob Murray is looking to win now, which is why he jumped on the chance to grab a 30+ points per year player as soon as he heard Hagelin was available.