Experts Panel: Are Any Ducks Skaters Untouchable at the Trade Deadline?
By Ed Stein
Greg Johnson – Contributor, Pucks of a Feather
I’m going to assume players with full no-movement clauses like Ryan Getzlaf are not in this discussion. The reason these Ducks are untouchable is contractual. If Anaheim Ducks general manager Bob Murray moves an eligible player who is already in the NHL, he is going to get at least comparable value for him. There’s a reason Ducks fans always say, “In Bob we trust.” There are some good players in the AHL. But even Jacob Larsson doesn’t look like he’ll be a franchise player with his current struggles in the defensive zone. If you trade a player before they get set in professional hockey, you might be known for one of the worst trades in history. Think Craig Button giving the Ducks J. S. Giguere for a second-round pick (Matt Pettinger).
Given this situation, the potentially immovable players in the Ducks system are in junior hockey or college right now. There are three great Ducks prospects right now. Troy Terry is at the University of Denver. You’ll remember him from his spectacular impression of T. J. Oshie in the semifinal shootout against Russia the 2017 World Junior Championships. I like his hands. Then there’s Sam Steel, who is in junior hockey captaining the Regina Pats of the WHL. He lit up the league last season with 131 points in 66 games.
I’m going with a prospect that fits the Ducks character. Max Jones is the one untouchable skater in the Ducks system. He’s big (6’3, 209 lbs.), fast, and he has snarl. If you like Corey Perry, Jones is going to look like a faster version with a worse attitude. I just hope Jones can eventually get those magical hands that stick out of the Ducks #10 jersey right now.