Pucks of a Feather
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Shouldn’t the Anaheim Ducks be Tanking Already?

By Jordan German

NASHVILLE, TN - NOVEMBER 25: A dejected Anaheim Ducks goalie John Gibson (36) is shown during the NHL game between the Nashville Predators and Anaheim Ducks, held on November 25, 2018, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Danny Murphy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN - NOVEMBER 25: A dejected Anaheim Ducks goalie John Gibson (36) is shown during the NHL game between the Nashville Predators and Anaheim Ducks, held on November 25, 2018, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Danny Murphy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Anaheim Ducks
ANAHEIM, CA – NOVEMBER 01: Erik Gudbranson #6 of the Anaheim Ducks talks in an interview in warm-ups prior to the game against the Vancouver Canucks at Honda Center on November 1, 2019 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Debora Robinson/NHLI via Getty Images) /

To Trade or to Keep

Bob Murray is not exactly the most qualified person to be a general manager, but even he has to make up his mind at some point. What would be the point of trading if the Anaheim Ducks want to be a high lottery pick team? And what would be the point of tanking if you wanted to trade to keep the team playing well?

The Erik Gudbranson trade is one of those classic Murray moves that defy all logic of what the team is trying to do. In theory, this Ducks team does not have any expectations for a good reason, so why not let a younger defensive prospect take the place of an injured Josh Manson instead of getting rid of anything to get another veteran defenseman? At the end of the day, winning and losing is not going to matter if the Ducks don’t get at least a top ten pick in the draft. Even another ninth overall pick would be spectacular for Anaheim, at least then they could have another young prospect worthy of playing alongside Zegras. As it is now, the prospect pool is not looking anywhere near equal to the potential that Zegras brings alone. To trade to keep the team in contention is only hurting their future. It is either tank or trade to build a whole new team at this point, the damage of last year’s fiasco has already ruined whatever promise this Ducks team had. And there’s nothing worse than being stuck in the middle of a rebuild, the team across the street is a good example of that.

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