Anaheim Ducks: 3 Reasons Not to Trade Adam Henrique

Should the Anaheim Ducks Trade Adam Henrique?

Still, the question remains: are the Anaheim Ducks considering moving Henrique out? There are quite a few valid reasons that make it a big possibility. While Rico did heat back up, there are concerns about whether investing over $29M and 5 years into a player who will be 34 at the end of his contract was the right move.

His lack of production at the beginning of the season could be a sign of things to come. The Waiver Guy isn’t a spring chicken anymore and over the next few seasons, we will likely see a decline in his production. Father time is no respecter of persons, and the writing for his decline may already be on the wall.

If that is indeed the case, and we see a drastic decline in Adam Henrique’s game over the next few seasons, Bob Murray’s best option is to move on from this contract now, while he can still use Henrique’s contract as somewhat of a bargaining chip.

Even at 31-years-old Rico is still regarded around the league as a talented, versatile, two-way center. While he may be one of the Ducks’ better players right now, trading him while he still has value allows the organization to clear out some space for the future (Trevor Zegras, Jacob Perreault, Benoit-Olivier Groulx, etc.) without having to make room and carry the burden of a player who is over the hill and making close to $6M a season.

However, the case to trade Henrique, while valid, is purely circumstantial. Maybe he will decline, maybe he wasn’t worth the investment, maybe this, maybe that. Before we look at making the trade, perhaps we should look at a few reasons why the Waiver Guy deserves to stay in Anaheim. While I agree that Henrique’s contract is less than ideal, the player himself is worth keeping.