Anaheim Ducks Acquire Nicolas Deslauriers in Confusing Trade with Montreal Canadiens

In a trade that makes no sense for the Anaheim Ducks, they have acquired left wing, Nicolas Deslauriers, in exchange for a 2020 4th round draft pick.

Bob Murray is sending mixed messages to his fan base after an odd trade with the Montreal Canadiens less than 24 hours before free agency begins. The Anaheim Ducks have acquired left wing, Nicolas Deslauriers, in exchange for their 2020 4th round draft pick. It seems as though Montreal has spun straw into gold, but as for the Ducks, this is a rather confusing move on Murray’s part.

One of the Anaheim Ducks biggest issues going into the 2019-20 season is the log jam on the wing. They were already extremely heavy on the right side, and the addition of Deslauriers now makes the team extremely heavy on the left. Unless a major trade is made prior to opening night, Rickard Rakell, Nick Ritchie, Devin Shore, Max Jones, Maxime Comtois, and Nicolas Deslauriers will all be competing for a spot as one of the Anaheim Ducks four left wings.

What Does Nicolas Deslauriers add to the Anaheim Ducks Roster?

If given a spot on the roster, Deslauriers will more than likely be given a fourth line role. In essence, his game is very reminiscent of one Mr. Jared Boll. He adds depth to the bottom 6 and brings the kind of grit that Murray really likes.

He is skilled defensively and is average at best, but as far as offense goes, don’t expect the Ducks to rely on him to take on a scoring role. With Ryan Kesler on LTIR next season, Andrew Cogliano getting a fresh start with the Dallas Stars, and Jakob Silfverberg taking on more of an offensive role, it’s possible that Bob Murray is trying to recreate the shutdown line with Deslauriers, Derek Grant, and possibly Carter Rowney. 

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Does Acquiring Nicolas Deslauriers Throw a Wrench in the “New Plan?”

The Anaheim Ducks offseason would not be complete without Bob Murray making at least one questionable trade or signing in free agency. No one expected him to make any big or shocking moves, and although this is neither big nor shocking, it is rather baffling. If Murray really wanted another gritty fourth liner, he could have waited until free agency opens up tomorrow and snagged a player who is similar to Deslauriers, or better, without giving away an asset that could seriously benefit the future of his team.

With the addition of Deslauriers, this also clogs up another spot that rightfully belongs to one of the Anaheim Ducks younger players. Both Max Jones and Maxime Comtois have bright futures with the Ducks. Both of them have worked hard to develop into NHL caliber players, and from the way they have looked, an argument could be made that both of them will be ready for the 2019-20 season.

Nevertheless, there is a big possibility, especially if Murray doesn’t make a trade, that both of them could be spending a majority of the season in San Diego. What was the point of bringing in Dallas Eakins if you’re going to send some of his best players down to the AHL? With all of Murray’s comments about getting younger, faster, “catching up with the times”, and preparing for the future, the Deslauriers trade starts to make less sense the more you think about it.

There is also the possibility that acquiring Deslauriers is simply just an AHL move. That would certainly be a much better situation for the Anaheim Ducks, but he has been utilized in an NHL role over the past few years, especially recently. Even if that situation was likely, there is no reason Bob Murray should have given up a 4th round pick.

Unless Murray has something else up his sleeve, he really shouldn’t have given up a 4th round pick even if he’s planning on utilizing Deslauriers in an NHL role anyways. The Anaheim Ducks biggest needs are players who can contribute offensively and score goals and Deslauriers does neither.

Murray made some great choices in the 2019 draft that will aid the Ducks offensively in the future. However, giving up a 4th round pick for a player, who can only contribute defensively, robs his team of the chance to fill his prospect pool with another offensively talented youngster next year.

Should We Trust Bob Murray’s Process?

One thing we’ve learned about Bob Murray over the past decade or so of him being General Manager is that it’s better not to question his judgment and just let decisions like this run their course. He is a big proponent of trying to rehabilitate players who haven’t had the best career. It’s worked out on some occasions, like with Derek Grant, Ben Street, and Pontus Aberg, but to a fault.

However, over the past few months, Murray has seemed very intent on putting a certain plan into motion. After the entire Randy Carlyle debacle, there is a sense that both Henry and Susan Samueli have lost some of their confidence in him. So, it is unlikely that he will make too many moves that will jeopardize his job or his team.

At this point, it seems like he has a few very important decisions to make and a few General Managers he might want to make a phone call to. It feels like this is just the beginning. While it might be a confusing trade now, there is hope that the best is yet to come.

What grade would you give Bob Murray for this trade? What are your thoughts? Let us know by leaving a comment for us down below!