Raise, Call, Fold: Anaheim Ducks 2021 Trade Deadline
By Ciara Durant
The Anaheim Ducks will trade Rickard Rakell
Brad Senecal: Fold— There will likely be good options out there for him but I have a hard time seeing the trigger being pulled for a deal.
Redan Lopez: Fold— Rakell won’t be traded. Murray seems to be glued at times to his players and sometimes holds on to them too long. He may see if Rakell can have another peak season post-COVID times which will maximize his value.
Ben Thomasian: Fold— Hard Fold. They’re not trading a 27-year-old former 30 goal scorer on a song of a contract. Sure, there are some trades to be made, but it would take a deal that not many teams would take. Jake DeBrusk is one trade that could be a workable solution, but the Anaheim Ducks would have to add to the mix most likely, and I can’t see them doing that.
Murray likes to “win” his trades, and there’s little chance of that happening. Would they take a first-round pick for him? I don’t think so. Besides Murray has seemingly communicated that he’s looking for prime-aged (~23-year-old) players in return. Which team is giving up a 23-year-old who is good enough for the Ducks to want, yet bad enough for the other team to trade? Could only be a reclamation project (eg DeBrusk) and that would be a horrific trade from the Ducks’ perspective.
TJ Watson: Call— I think it can happen but it would have to be the farm to consider it.
Ciara Durant: Fold— With all the talk about Murray taking calls on him, I just don’t see Murray trading Rakell. Besides, these rumors and reports are weeks old at this point; if a team was interested in him and willing to pay Murray’s “outrageous” price, it probably would have happened already.