Expert Panel: Did the Ducks No-Trade Out of The Playoff Hunt?
The Anaheim Ducks made two very minor roster moves near the NHL trade deadline. This week Pucks of a Feather Asked our Experts if the Ducks lack of trades will take them out of playoff contention.
Leading up to the NHL trade deadline, Ducks General Manager Bob Murray gave a critical interview to The Athletic. He said he wasn’t impressed enough with the play of his current team to sacrifice important assets to upgrade it. He lived up to those remarks with the two minor moves Anaheim made at the wire. We asked our Experts this week: Did the Anaheim Ducks no-trade themselves out of the Playoff Race?
Dave Stevenson – Site Expert, Puck Prose
I think the Anaheim Ducks should have made a move at the trade deadline. Granted, they did make
a pretty big acquisition earlier by getting Adam Henrique for Sami Vatanen. That was probably the one huge move they could make. And it was a pretty good one.
Still, you have to wonder if the Ducks should have offered Vatanen to the Montreal Canadiens for Max Pacioretty. That trade would have made more sense for Anaheim. Henrique is good, but he’s not the consistent goal scoring threat Pacioretty is. The Ducks would probably have had to throw in a first-round pick, but for slightly less than two years of a guy who hits 30 goals regularly, it’s worth it.
I’m surprised the Ducks didn’t make a move for one of the rental forwards. Evander Kane went for a surprisingly cheap price and would have made sense for Anaheim. Thomas Vanek got traded for a fringe NHL prospect and a guy who has been put on waivers multiple times this season.
The move that would have made the most sense to the Ducks? Trading for Patrick Maroon. They’ve missed what he brings to the table. Maroon’s not a star, but he’s as reliable as they come.
They Didn’t Help Themselves
For lack of a better term, Murray had an uninspiring deadline with a pair of minor deals. The first move was the acquisition of free agent Chris Kelly, most recently of the Canadian Olympic team. A 38-year-old, 13-year NHL veteran, who no team wanted to sign this summer. A trade was the second move. In an exchange of fourth line players, the Ducks received Jason Chimera from the Islanders in exchange for Chris Wagner. Chimera is another aging veteran (37), who was scoreless in his past 20 games.
Anaheim’s big trade happened on November 30, 2017. That was the day Adam Henrique came to the Ducks in exchange for Sami Vatanen. Only a third of the way through the season, Anaheim was banged up and in danger of falling out of post-season contention. The addition of Henrique plus the return of injured players, Anaheim climbed into the Pacific Division top three.
Not Worth It
When Murray said he wasn’t up for trading away assets to improve the team, he meant business. Early injuries put this team in a hole, that they fought hard to get out of. A legit offensive weapon wouldn’t have just made this a playoff team, but a serious cup contender because the talent is there.
The issue isn’t that the Ducks no-traded themselves out of the playoffs. What happened is that the teams they are battling it out with for the playoffs traded themselves into the race. San Jose added Evander Kane, while the Kings brought in Dion Phaneuf, Nate Thompson, and Tobias Reider, in addition to Jeff Carter’s return from a long injury hiatus. If all things among the contenders were equal on February 26, they weren’t on February 27 and Anaheim could be the odd team out.
Redan Lopez – Contributor, LA Sports Hub
No, the Ducks did not “no trade” themselves out of the playoff race. If anything, the “no trade” (with the exception of bringing Jason Chimera over) hopefully brings a sense of urgency to an underperforming team. I know they have another level.
There is some undiscovered potential that has yet to be seen. Hopefully, this potential among the current group shows up soon.
Other teams like the Kings, Sharks, and Flames bolstered their rosters ahead of the NHL trade deadline, while the Ducks stayed in neutral. Answers for making this team better must come internally and GM Bob Murray knows it. They could have traded another first round pick and some other parts for a scoring winger while sacrificing their future, but didn’t. As a result, the choice to stay pat has only reinforced that these current Ducks must find it among themselves to play up to expectations.
Anaheim still very much in the playoff race regardless of what they or other teams did. It’s now a matter of pushing these Ducks to play more effectively and be more responsible in both zones. The Ducks need to just make sure they play as a whole, believe in themselves, and reach their limits.