The Anaheim Ducks Should Trade for Patrick Marleau
Over the past few seasons, we’ve seen teams in the midst of a rebuild or re-tool make trades that have more benefits on the logistical side of things than on the ice, trading for Patrick Marleau could be a way for the Anaheim Ducks to benefit off of another team’s cap struggles.
The Anaheim Ducks and Toronto Maple Leafs are on completely different ends of the NHL spectrum right now. The Maple Leafs are doing everything they can to make a Stanley Cup drought come to an end, while the Anaheim Ducks are at a crossroads trying to become relevant once again.
Yet, the two teams might be the perfect partners to make a mutually beneficial trade. That trade would help the Maple Leafs retain key assets to their roster while also helping a Ducks team save money and gain a player who can actually suit up for them this coming season.
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Patrick Marleau is in the twilight of his career, 39-years-old and noticeably losing a step last season in Toronto, he still has one year left on his contract at a $6.25M cap hit. A tough pill to swallow for a Toronto team that is in dire need of cap space to address an anemic defensive corps and a franchise cornerstone due to a new contract in Mitch Marner.
Another hurdle is that Marleau holds a full no-movement clause and isn’t likely to waive for a team outside of the immediate vicinity of California where his family has already moved back to. San Jose is in no position to take on the cap hit of Marleau, and it’d be difficult for LA or Arizona to do so as well without sending salary back the other way (which isn’t beneficial to Toronto.)
The Ducks seem to be one of the very few suitors who could realistically fit Marleau into their lineup while sending no salary back the other way. The other being Arizona, but I doubt they’d want to use any of their cap space on Marleau.
What Would a Trade for Patrick Marleau Look Like?
We’ve seen in the past that teams in a cap crunch will pay a premium when it means possibly losing a key member of their team and Marleau might be the most dynamic player that’s been in jeopardy. The Ducks could swing taking on his $6.25M cap hit, while Patrick Eaves has a $3.15M cap hit himself, is not expected to play at all this season, he will be headed to LTIR and is minimizing his cap hit.
Seeing as Marleau only has one year left on his deal (as does Eaves) it would ultimately address a problem for both teams. While Toronto doesn’t see any net gain by adding any additional pieces they would be in a better position to not lose any pieces which is just as valuable to a team looking to make a cup run.
In addition to Marleau, the Ducks could ask for a player who is a more complementary piece in the grand scheme of things in Toronto such as Andreas Johnsson or Kasperi Kapanen, who are both good players but not irreplaceable.
Marleau is due a $3M signing bonus on July 1st which is usually not something GM Bob Murray likes giving out. However, if the Ducks were to wait until July 2nd, the Leafs would pay that $3M signing bonus, leaving Marleau with only $1.25M in salary to be earned the rest of the year (which is roughly what they are paying Carter Rowney.)
Having Toronto pay that signing bonus would likely diminish the potential return for the Ducks, potentially causing them to instead get a lower ceiling, although still a very valuable player like Jeremy Bracco, who was incredibly impressive in the AHL this past season. However, there are questions as to whether or not his game will translate to the NHL level at a top 6 forward level.
The Anaheim Ducks could also target Timothy Liljegren, a puck-moving defender for the Leafs who has reportedly (reported in January on 31 Thoughts) seen his stock fall quite a bit the past season or so. A highly touted yet, divisive prospect the Leafs took him 17th overall in 2017.
Personally, I think Liljegren is still highly touted in Toronto and not someone they’d look to move and is the least likely of the 4 listed, but if those rumors were true (which again, I doubt) he’d be the best pickup for the Ducks.
Patrick Marleau Could Help the Ducks Move Forward
Marleau is still a valuable player at the NHL level even if he isn’t the 70-80 point player he once was. He’s still good for 30-40 points in the right scenario and plays a style similar to the one the Ducks are looking to implement.
Marleau has also been invaluable at mentoring younger players in Toronto, taking the likes of Mitch Marner under his wing and helping him to become the player he is today and is universally beloved by his coaches and teammates. Adding a player like that is always beneficial, especially when you can do so essentially for free.
What do you think? Would Patrick Marleau be a benefit to the Ducks? Who would you like to see as a sweetener to make the deal beneficial to the Ducks? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter!
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