Welcome to our first edition of Anaheim Ducks mailbag!
Recently I published an article allowing all of our followers to submit a Ducks related question to a mailbag. We have received some good questions and are always welcoming more!
Here is a link to where you can submit your Ducks questions! The more the better!
Let’s jump right into it.
Question 1 from Liam Bates
“With the ducks needing a goal scorer how likely would it be to see murray pull the trigger on a big trade for drouin?”
If you follow me at all you know I have been pushing for a Drouin trade since the day I heard he was available.
Most people see Drouin as unproven and some even think he is a bust, I am not one of those people. I think Drouin is unproven because he has not been given the chance to prove himself in the right role. Tampa has a ton of great forwards who all play a smart two-way game and Jon Cooper simply did not feel Drouin’s offensive input outweighed other inconsistencies in his game and his ice time fluctuated which frustrated him. However, he is only 20 years old.
Plain and simple, Drouin in Tampa was just not a good fit.
I think that Jonathan Drouin would single handedly change the future for the Anaheim Ducks.
I wrote about this earlier and I displayed some pretty shocking statistics about the Ducks youth at the forward position.
More from Ducks News
- Who could the Anaheim Ducks consider presenting offer sheets to?
- Is Pierre-Luc Dubois on the cards for the rebuilding Anaheim Ducks?
- Making the case for the Anaheim Ducks to trade with the Edmonton Oilers
- Anaheim Ducks might benefit tremendously by trading John Gibson
- How close are the Anaheim Ducks to becoming contenders again?
This season, the Ducks rank 28th in combined points from forwards under the age of 25. 27 of the 30 NHL teams have at least two forwards under the age of 25 ranked inside their teams top 10 scoring forwards. The Ducks are not one of those 27 teams, Rickard Rakell is the only Ducks forward under the age of 25 ranked in the Ducks top 10 scoring forwards.
The Ducks also appear to only have one “sure thing” type of forward prospect, Nick Ritchie. Others such as Stefan Noesen and Nic Kerdiles have not developed at the rate the Ducks would have liked them to and it leaves a big question mark next to future scoring concerns.
The Ducks have selected defensemen with their first round pick at four of the last six drafts. This has created an issue in regards to the future up front.
So, acquiring Drouin is obviously a move with immediate impact but it is absolutely a move that brightens the future. The Ducks need young forwards to build around and adding Drouin to the mix makes things better, Rakell, Ritchie and Drouin would all be the future scorers in Anahaiem.
Bob Murray absolutely has the pieces to make this trade and it all boils down to whether or not he see’s Drouin as a long term fit with the Ducks.
Question 2 from Drew
“Who is the ducks main trade target?”
That’s hard to answer for a number of reasons.
One, it is difficult to understand what a GM is looking for and what he feels his team needs most. Two, we know which players have requested trades and we have a general idea of which players are likely to be moved, but every year a player who you wouldn’t expect to be moved is traded.
This year has also been different than most. So many teams have under performed or over performed and things are just now beginning to become clear. A ton of teams had realistic playoff chances a few weeks back and now that the leagues worst teams are starting to see reality and the likelihood that they will miss the playoffs, they could make their top players available. As the deadline approaches more names will pop up and trade targets will become more clear.
Regardless, I think it is pretty apparent that the Ducks could use some help at the offensive end of the ice.
Jonathan Drouin is an obvious trade target. He helps the Ducks right away and fits in perfectly to their future and he improves future offensive production that could be lacking once you look past Rickard Rakell and Nick Ritchie.
Patrick Marleau is another guy who has submitted a list of teams he would accept a trade to. However, I don’t think Marleau is a primary target of the Ducks. He’s older and carries a big cap hit of $6.6 million, the Sharks would have to take on a bad contract in return.
Guys like Kyle Okposo always seem to hit the rumor mill but he has played well for the Islanders this season and I don’t know if he’ll be moved.
Murray always seems to execute trades that you wouldn’t expect, like the Simon Despres deal, so anything could happen.
I think a winger who can score and create offense is what the Ducks need and I believe Murray will look to address that need if he finds the right deal.
Question 3 from @chad_contreras
“Do you think it would be better to have a grinder (maroon) vs a speedster (Hagelin) on the 2nd line with kesler?”
Ryan Kesler’s role with the Ducks is to shut down opposing teams top forwards, win faceoffs, kill penalties and add some offense. Whoever plays on Kesler’s wings takes on the responsibility of playing against top opposition every night.
More from Ducks News
- Who could the Anaheim Ducks consider presenting offer sheets to?
- Is Pierre-Luc Dubois on the cards for the rebuilding Anaheim Ducks?
- Making the case for the Anaheim Ducks to trade with the Edmonton Oilers
- Anaheim Ducks might benefit tremendously by trading John Gibson
- How close are the Anaheim Ducks to becoming contenders again?
Carl Hagelin is a smart two-way player and that is why he has succeeded playing with Kesler. We’ve seen Jakob Silfverberg on Kesler’s wing a ton over the past two season because he is another smart reliable two-way forward.
Maroon would never be a fit on the Kesler line because he simply is not a great skater and he is unreliable defensively.
So I guess to answer your question, I like when Kesler has speed on his wings and if those speedy guys are reliable defensively and can generate offense, then it’s a perfect fit.
Question 4 from Vince
“Any chance for an Andersen trade once Gibson proves he can be a healthy full time starter(say to Toronto for JVR)?”
You stated the reason why Freddie has not been moved yet, because John Gibson has had trouble staying healthy so far in his brief NHL career.
If Gibson was durable and had no injury history I think Freddie would have already been traded when things were going south for the Ducks a few months back.
However, Freddie is a restricted free agent at seasons end along with Lindholm, Vatanen, Rakell and Sekac. Moving Freddie makes sense as it opens up money to be spent elsewhere. Gibson is the younger option and he carries a very favorable cap hit with that extension he signed last summer.
I think Gibson’s health is the second issue behind financial salary cap issues that come with keeping Freddie past this season. Murray could hold onto Freddie until after the season and try to find a deal for him then or he could be shopping him as we speak to acquire a player that could help the Ducks get over the hump this season.
Regardless, Murray will move Freddie if he is not going to re-sign him. The worst thing a GM could do is hold onto a guy he can’t re-sing and get nothing in return when that guy signs elsewhere. Keeping Freddie past July 1, 2016 puts a huge offer sheet target on the Ducks back.
As far as who Freddie could be traded for, that’s tricky. JVR is out for an extended period of time with an injury so that probably isn’t an option at this point, possibly closer to the trade deadline but Toronto has apparently stated that he and Nazem Kadri are not going to be moved. A team like Toronto is a logical thought, they could use some goaltending help.
The Ducks do not have a 2nd round pick in 2016 so my initial thought is that would be the asking price for Freddie. A player, prospect or another pick could also be part of a deal.
Another option is trading Freddie to acquire some picks and assets that could then be moved to acquire a guy like Jonathan Drouin or possibly JVR. I’m not sure if Freddie alone brings in an elite offensive player unless it’s a deal with a team that desperately needs goaltending.
Question 5 from Jon Goad
“If the league expands, who would you least like to see leave?”
I’m going to assume you mean that if the league expands and an expansion draft occurs, who would I like to see the Ducks hold onto.
This is such a tricky question as we don’t know when expansion is coming. It could be in 2018 or it could be in 2021, we just don’t know.
The rules of an expansion draft also play a big role in who you keep. Will NMC or NTC players be fair game to let go of?
This is just such a difficult question to answer at this time.
I will say this, if the rules allow the Ducks to do so and an expansion draft occurs in two or three summers, do you let go of Getzlaf, Perry or Kesler to free up cap space and start attempting to bring in younger forwards?
This is a question that can be answered once we know when expansion is occurring and what the rules of the expansion draft will be.
Question 6 from Dan
“Who do you feel are some realistic trade targets for the Ducks to help with the offense? I hear Drouin, but he’s young and unproven, and the Ducks are in win now mode.. Thanks – keep up the good work!”
First, thank you for the kind words.
Now, this is going to be a big question moving towards the deadline.
I really like Jonathan Drouin as a primary trade target for the Ducks.
As a 20 year old, yes he is somewhat unproven at the NHL level but you don’t put up back-to-back 100 point seasons in juniors by accident.
Tampa has a ton of forwards who took away ice time from Drouin and the Lightning play a style that Drouin was not capable of playing to the satisfaction of head coach Jon Cooper.
Yes, the Ducks are in win now mode, but they also must look at the future. I wrote about why the Ducks need Drouin earlier and that will explain why his youth is what they need.
More from Ducks News
- Who could the Anaheim Ducks consider presenting offer sheets to?
- Is Pierre-Luc Dubois on the cards for the rebuilding Anaheim Ducks?
- Making the case for the Anaheim Ducks to trade with the Edmonton Oilers
- Anaheim Ducks might benefit tremendously by trading John Gibson
- How close are the Anaheim Ducks to becoming contenders again?
Where does future scoring come 5 years from now when Getzlaf and Perry are gone? Rakell, Ritchie…. who else will be a big offensive contributor for the next 10 years? In terms of the future up front, Theres a big question mark that needs to be erased and Drouin could resolve that issue. Building around Gibson, Theodore, Lindholm, Rakell, Drouin and Ritchie, that sounds quite nice.
Beyond Drouin I really don’t know who the Ducks could look to acquire.
Kyle Okposo could be a nice fit. JVR could be a nice fit as well but he’s injured right now and Toronto wants to keep him. Patrick Marleau’s name will continue to pop up but I don’t think another aging player carrying a big cap hit is what the Ducks need regardless of the win now mode that they are in.
Some dark horses to keep an eye on.
Marcus Johansson from Washington. Talented young Swede who could add some offense for the Ducks. Can play center or on the wing and has learned from one of the best, Nicklas Backstrom. Washington has another young Swede, Andre Burakovsky, and if he starts to play a bigger role I think it will make Johansson available. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to point out the possibility of Johansson being moved and I wouldn’t be all to surprised if it happens.
Jeff Skinner from Carolina. His name has been in the rumor mill for a few years now as Carolina is still in rebuild mode. He’s had some concussion issues but he seems to be healthy now. He’s a quick winger with elite offensive talent, 7th overall pick in 2010. Had a hat trick against the Ducks earlier this season and you know that caught Bob Murray’s attention. He had a goal and an assist last night against the Blues and was named the games first star, I think he’s really finding his game this season.
Tyler Ennis from Buffalo. Another guy who is always rumored to be traded around the deadline. Only has 11 points this season and is currently on IR, I don’t know if this one is as logical as the first two I mentioned.
Leo Komarov from Toronto. UNCLE LEO! 15 goals, 29 points in 41 games, nobody saw this coming. He plays a heavy game as well, leads the Leafs in hits and is reliable defensively which could be a nice fit on the Kesler line to help add some scoring. Could fit in with the Ducks and the Leafs would love to acquire some more picks. Favorable cap hit at $2.95 million this season and next. He’s a guy that could help a playoff team boost it’s offense and I don’t think the Leafs would be overly hesitant to move him. Freddie Andersen for Leo Komarov and a 2nd round pick, possibly New Jersey’s 3rd rounder as well? Could Toronto trade Pittsburgh’s 1st rounder they acquired in the Kessel deal if Andersen is in play for Komarov? This one is interesting.
That does it for our first edition of Anaheim Ducks mailbag.
Again, HERE IS THE LINK TO WHERE YOU CAN SUBMIT YOUR DUCKS QUESTIONS!