Anaheim Ducks Best Trade Option for Perry Could be NYR
It will be nearly impossible for the Anaheim Ducks to trade Corey Perry. His salary and no movement clause are obstacles to a deal. The Rangers may offer a viable solution.
I’m on record multiple times for writing that Anaheim Ducks right wing Corey Perry is virtually untradeable at this point. I was critical of TSN for including him as part of their trade bait list. Then NBC Sports for perpetuating the story. I have my reasons.
First of all, what team would make a hockey trade for a player that makes $8.625M per season that has averaged only 55 points over the previous four? Next, Finally, Perry has a full no-movement clause in his contract. If GM Bob Murray could find a trade partner for him, Perry would have to agree to waive the clause. I realize “if” is a bigger word than two letters, but I’ll take a little journalistic license. For the sake of this article, we’ll say that Perry agrees to a trade out of SoCal.
At this point, the New York Rangers become the likely destination. He could be an interesting piece to their rebuilding puzzle. I came up with a nice list as to why Perry is a good fit.
Butts in Seats
The Rangers are in a rebuild. It’s a tough pill to swallow if you’re one of the people who shell out top dollar to see the team play at Madison Square Garden. Someone with a little scoring pedigree needs to be on that roster. Granted Perry isn’t the same scorer he was a few years ago, but he is a known “name” and will have some drawing power.
Veteran
Right now the Broadway Blue Shirts have three players 30 or over, Mats Zuccarello, Mark Staal, and Henrik Lundqvist. None of them are the “blood and guts” type of player Perry is. He could teach the younger guys a thing or two about protecting your teammates on the ice. Additionally, Chris Kreider is Perry-lite. Who better than the man himself to help Kreider maximize his game.
History
The Rangers have a long history of bringing star players in at the end of their careers and have had success with it. Wayne Gretzky, 36 years old, scored 72 points his first year in NYC. Mark Messier‘s second stint in blue saw him score 67 points at age 40. In his first full year with the Rangers, 36-year-old, Marcel Dionne had 31 goals and 34 assists. Other star players in the twilight of their careers that played for the Rangers include Tim Horton, Jacques Plante, Guy Lafleur, and Phil Esposito to name a few. There is a precedent.
Ability to Pay
Talk about an organization with deep pockets, surely they have the financial means to absorb all or part of Perry’s contract. Maybe he has a good year in New York on their rebuilding team. The Rangers are in a much better position to trade him to a contender and also pick up part of his contract. If Perry doesn’t pan out, the Rangers can afford to bury his contract in the minors or even buy him out in a year.
Mutual Problem Solving
Defenseman Marc Staal hasn’t been the same player since he took a puck to his face off the stick of Kimmo Timonen back in March of 2013 (I won’t post the video, but here is the link). Before his injury, he was a 21 minute per night player, now he plays under 19.
Coincidentally, the Anaheim Ducks could use a veteran in their D-Core that plays 17-18 minutes per night. While it may not be worth $5.7M per year through 2021, it’s less than Perry makes. Additionally, the could buy him out in the summer of 2020 without seriously damaging the cap structure. Anaheim can surely get two decent years out of Staal.
The Trade
After I came up with all these reasons why Perry could go to NYC, I had a chat with a friend of mine who covers the Rangers. He was less optimistic about a possible trade than I was. Probably because I think the Anaheim Ducks would be a perfect team for center/wing Kevin Hayes. So I asked him what it would take for the Rangers to bring on Perry.
He said, “Talk Sam Steel and other prospects plus salary assumption and maybe.” He’s right, but there are workaround solutions.
Sam Steel isn’t happening and rarely do the Ducks pay someone to play for another team. It doesn’t mean that a deal is out of the question. There are very few Ranger players that GM Jeff Gorton deems as untouchable. The Anaheim Ducks need another center, which is where Hayes comes in.
My proposal is the Anaheim Ducks send Perry, Nick Ritchie (who needs a change of scenery), mid-level prospects such as Julius Naatinen and/or Andy Welinski, and a second-round pick to New York for Hayes and Staal.
A Win/Win for Both Teams
The Rangers get a marketable, a hard-nosed forward with a scoring pedigree, a young power forward, some future NHL players and a second-round pick. If they play it smart and are willing to eat some salary at the 2019 trade deadline, they could parlay Perry into more picks and prospects.
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The Ducks aren’t saving a ton of money on this deal. It more like refinancing a house, you still owe the money, but it’s a better fit for your budget. A comparison of Perry and Staal’s contracts shows that there is a $2.925M cap difference for each season
through 2021.
That difference would be offset by the differences between the new deals Ritchie and Hayes will get. Both restricted free agents, Ritchie won’t get a big raise over the $894K he made last season. Hayes, on the other hand, made $2.6M in 2017-18, it isn’t a stretch for him to get in excess of $4.25M.
Other benefits for the Anaheim Ducks include obtaining a center/wing that could be with the team for another six or so years. Additionally, a veteran such as Staal would be a good mentor to the Ducks young defensemen.
Next: Anaheim Ducks mock expansion draft
Trading Corey Perry away from Anaheim may not be as difficult as I originally thought. A deal would require some hard work for Bob Murray. A few concessions from both parties and a deal can get done.