Canes are Sellers, Should the Anaheim Ducks Buy?
By Ed Stein
Carolina announced this week that almost every player they have is available for trade. There are some very good players on their roster. It doesn’t mean that the Anaheim Ducks should be making deals with the Canes.
The Carolina Hurricanes let their players know that if you’re on the roster now and your name isn’t Aho, don’t sign a long-term lease in the area. The fire sale is on. Just because Carolina is selling, doesn’t mean the Anaheim Ducks are buying.
Obviously, there are players in Raleigh, NC that have talent. Not so many, however, are a good fit for the Anaheim Ducks. Looking over the Canes roster, there are two definites, and a few maybes that would be of interest.
Out of the Picture
Let’s trim the field of candidates down first. These are some high profile players that don’t make sense for the Ducks to go after.
Jordan Staal can play. He’s also shown that he’s a team leader. There are 5yrs/$30M left on his contract which doesn’t work in the Ducks current cap situation. He will get traded if he wants out of Carolina. Just not to the Anaheim Ducks.
The fifth overall pick in the 2011 entry draft was center Elias Lindholm. His $2.7M contract ends at the end of the month at which time he will be a restricted free agent. Over his 374 game NHL career, he has shown nothing that would warrant a long-term commitment from the Ducks.
Justin Falk makes $4.83M per season. For near the same money, the Ducks would rather have Hampus Lindholm and Cam Fowler.
2011 Calder Trophy winner Jeff Skinner seems destined to be a 50+ points per season player. His $5.75M contract ends after next season. He is too cost prohibitive.
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- Making the case for the Anaheim Ducks to trade with the Edmonton Oilers
- Anaheim Ducks might benefit tremendously by trading John Gibson
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Defensemen Brett Pesce and Jacob Slavin both start new long-term contracts next season. Trading for either wouldn’t be an upgrade over what the Anaheim Ducks currently have on their roster.
Call Me Maybe
I watched Carolina’s first-round pick from last year, Martin Necas, play for the Czechs yesterday against Team USA. He impressed me. At the right price, Necas could be Ryan Getzlaf‘s successor centering the top line.
If Carolina would eat some salary, Justin Williams can be a good stop-gap scoring wing next season. He’s 35 years old, so his stay in Anaheim would be brief. Williams could be the right guy to add if Ducks GM Bob Murray thinks he can win a championship next season.
The Anaheim Ducks can do much worse for a spare defenseman than Trevor van Riemsdyk.
Two Must-Haves
Teuvo Teravainen
He’s the crown jewel of available Hurricanes. Since his trade to Carolina in June of 2016, the Helsinki, Finland native has blossomed. 42 points (15g, 27a) in 2016-17 followed by 64 points last season (23g, 41a). Additionally, he was a plus player (and second on the team at +8) on a team with only four regulars that finished above even.
Teravainen could be the answer to the Anaheim Ducks scoring problems. Carolina will want a small fortune for him, but it might be well worth it. A top line of Rakell, Getzlaf, and Teravainen could be tantalizingly dangerous.
Noah Hanifin
The former fifth overall pick in the 2015 draft has not disappointed. Hanifin is only 21 years old but is a veteran of three NHL seasons. He has played in 239 games scoring 83 points (18g, 65a), 25 of which came on the power-play. His biggest deficiency is highlighted by a career -53 at even strength. That could be fixable if he gets a chance to play with a top-tier goalie such a John Gibson.
Hanifin could replace Sami Vatanen as the Ducks power-play quarterback and offensive leader from the point. He is a pending restricted free agent and that’s why a deal works for both teams. Carolina could use a power forward and Nick Ritchie might fit the bill. Of course, it would cost the Ducks much more than that. Again, it would represent a sacrifice of assets, but Hanafin has the ability to be a game changer.
Addendum
Next: Anaheim Ducks: Are they championship material? Part 3
None of the Canes goalies were mentioned, but one of them could help Anaheim, the season after next. Ryan Miller has one season left on his contract. After that, he’s likely to hang up his pads. Should the Ducks choose to go with an experienced backup to Gibson again, Cam Ward (whose contract also expires after next season) would be an ideal selection.