Playing Devil’s Advocate: What Would Trading Corey Perry Do For The Anaheim Ducks?
We have fun with a gigantic “What if?” that was posed to us on Twitter by one of our followers!
Stop. Look and listen.
Sorry – I don’t know why I’m quoting MC Lyte today. Guess it was the best way to get you to give this wild idea we’re presenting here at Pucks of a Feather today.
We know we’re not TSN, ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, or even NBC Sports (and for that we’re grateful!) – we don’t have reporters dedicated to covering the NHL and the Anaheim Ducks ’round-the-clock and live on location – but we do have one thing on those guys: we’re a fanblog. We can do pretty much anything we want!
For example, I had a reader not too long ago tell me (in the comments section of a post that I had written) that he would like to see the Anaheim Ducks trade Corey Perry.
Since he said this in all seriousness, I had to keep my sarcasm in check and respond to the idea with an open-mind.
Of course, the idea is absolutely preposterous right now – dude’s only 30 and was tied for third in goals scored in the playoffs, so I’d say he still has a few years left of being considered an elite scorer – but the more I thought about it, and the more I read about the Phil Kessel trade, the more I realized that there are very few players in today’s NHL who are considered untouchable.
Since I would not label Perry as one of the few untouchables in this league – his linemate, Ryan Getzlaf, is more valuable, and even he might not be considered as such! – I decided to sit down and ruminate about what a trade involving Corey Perry might do for the Anaheim Ducks.
Remember: there are no rumors that caused us to react and write this (although this very topic was brought up by a rival blog back in January of 2013). No one here believes this is going to happen – hell, my staff would not touch this topic with a 30-foot pole! Keep that in mind as we discuss this monumental “What if?”
May 19, 2015; Anaheim, CA, USA; Anaheim Ducks right wing Corey Perry (10) controls the puck against Chicago Blackhawks left wing
Brandon Saad(20) in the second period in game two of the Western Conference Final of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
For starters, the Anaheim Ducks are not yet in the position of openly-shopping Perry. That would make the franchise look absolutely clueless. Toronto was shopping Kessel because the roster was not getting results; Anaheim clearly is on the opposite side of the spectrum.
Still, there are legitimate reasons as to why GM Bob Murray would consider other teams’ offers for Perry.
1. At the age of 30, Perry is no longer a player you build around. Yes, he’s still one of the best scorers in the league, and has good seasons left in him – but his best days will soon be behind him, if they are not already.
2. He still has value. If some GM was out-of-his-mind desperate to win, now, and offered a king’s ransom for Perry, how could Bob Murray not at least entertain the thought?
3. While you cannot argue that he didn’t show up in the playoffs, you can argue that he disappeared when Anaheim needed him the most. In Games 6 & 7 of the Western Conference Finals, Perry had one goal, no assists, and a -4 rating. He took only four shots in the those crucial games – only one in Game 6, on the road in Chicago, when the Ducks blew a chance to wrap the series up.
Now, none of these are the sort of conditions that scream, “Why haven’t you traded him already?” Still, it’s hard to argue that Corey Perry is an untouchable player, a la Sidney Crosby or John Tavares. For those reasons, if a team came a’knocking with its wallets open, Bob Murray would listen, and for good reasons.
Whether he pulls the trigger or not? That’s another slide!
Next: What it Would Take to Trade Corey Perry
May 8, 2015; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Anaheim Ducks right wing Corey Perry (10) skates with the puck against the Calgary Flames during the third period in game four of the second round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Saddledome. Anaheim Ducks won 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
So what would it take for the Anaheim Ducks to part ways with Corey Perry?
For starters, it would help if the team totally collapsed. Having made it to Game 7 of the WCF, expectations are high for this team heading into 2015-2016. If January or February comes and this team is struggling mightily, with Corey Perry epitomizing the team’s struggles, that would be when you could realistically expect the Ducks to legitimately shop Perry.
That, combined with a team that felt it was Corey Perry away from winning the Stanley Cup, would be the perfect storm – but it would take a first round pick AND a player the Ducks would consider someone worth building around for such a trade to happen at this stage of Perry’s career. What if Edmonton exceeded expectations and was on the brink of making the playoffs next season – would they be willing to trade Connor McDavid? Think Colorado will part with Nathan MacKinnon? Maybe Buffalo will say goodbye to Jack Eichel if that team somehow was holding onto a playoff spot come February? I suppose stranger things have happened . . . haven’t they?!?
Forget about unproven prospects: there are plenty of good players in the NHL who have already shown that are going to have good careers, but most of the teams who would be looking to add Perry to their rosters would be unwilling to part ways with them. If you’re a piece away from being great, you don’t sacrifice a good piece to gain a good piece, because now – you’re still a piece away from being great! Florida and Colorado are two teams who need that extra oomph to make the playoffs next season, but it is hard to imagine MacKinnon (already mentioned) or someone like Aleksander Barkov being shipped out just to bring Scorey in. Likewise to Edmonton trading Jordan Eberle or Taylor Hall, Philadelphia trading Jakub Voracek, or the New York Islanders moving Kyle Okposo (although in fairness, if the Islanders feel Tavares-Okposo is more fearsome than Tavares-Perry, everyone in that front office should be fired).
Still, that is the sort of talent the Anaheim Ducks would stand to gain should another team come inquiring about Perry’s services. Certainly, trading Perry would be a short-term loss right now, which is why no such trade would happen during this offseason. The long-term benefits the Ducks would receive are tempting, to be sure, but Anaheim is not a team in rebuilding mode.
Depending on where the Ducks are in February or next June, though, Anaheim fans could experience something similar to what Toronto fans went through with Phil Kessel, except Bob Murray will not hand Perry over quite so cheaply as the Leafs did with their right winger. Perry was ranked by NHL.com as the second-best right winger in the league at the start of the 2014-2015 season, and final two games against Chicago aside, he was a beast in the playoffs. If Murray can parlay a disappointing 2015-2016 campaign into a first-round pick and someone like Hall (which was one of the names that was thrown my way on Twitter), Anaheim would be more than prepared for life without Perry.
Bottom line: anyone hoping to see Corey Perry get traded is going to have to wait until February at the earliest to see their dream fulfilled. He may have disappeared when the Ducks need him most, but he’s too good of a player on one of the best teams out West to get shipped out for anything less than a king’s ransom. I never say never, but unless Anaheim absolutely collapses in 2015-2016, Perry will be suiting up for the Ducks for at least another two seasons.