What are your thoughts on the trades the Ducks Didn’t Make (Getzlaf, Manson, Rakell)?
Ben Thomasian: These probably need to be broken down into their own sections as well, but I would say overall, I can’t really complain about what didn’t happen. For one, we have no idea what trades were offered. I would have been happy with something like the Jakub Vrana trade, but extremely unhappy with the Taylor Hall trade. Yes, a 2nd round pick has some value, but in an uncertain year perhaps that value may be unrealized.
For instance, travel was curtailed, so perhaps even the Anaheim Ducks vaunted scouting department didn’t have the surety to conclusive state they could find some gems in that round. Conversely in a widely recognized weak draft, perhaps they could say with certainty that there wasn’t anyone they could find that would provide value equal to what they were giving up. There are a lot of moving parts.
With regards to Ryan Getzlaf, I’m very happy to say that I simply don’t want to see him in a different uniform. I hate that Corey Perry is elsewhere and I truly don’t want to see that with Getzlaf. I would understand it if the return was strong enough, and it appears Murray set that return to be somewhat equivalent of a 1st round draft pick. In my opinion, fair enough.
I’ve seen plenty of comments stating that Murray should have taken far less in order to build an asset base, yet once again bouncing back to the uncertainty of the draft this season, I would rather have Ryan Getzlaf play every single game of his career for the Ducks than worry about the ~15% (~13.7% – 17.2%) chance a second or third-round pick has of making the NHL in a normal draft season. This season of course being anything but normal. I am 100% happy the Anaheim Ducks didn’t trade Ryan Getzlaf.
As for Rickard Rakell and Josh Manson, I have no real feelings at all. I don’t particularly imagine that either player is going to lose a tremendous amount of value between now and draft day. Nor do I imagine that they can’t trade them next deadline. What the difference in value is, we’ll never know, however, there were rumors that Bob Murray wanted 1st round picks or young players/prospects.
That neither player was traded suggests that those offers weren’t forthcoming. We saw that Hall received only a 2nd round pick, and while their circumstances are different, it is not a return I would be overly comfortable with.
I would also suggest that very few trades mimicked what the Ducks have to offer. The Maple Leafs picked up a defensive forward, the Penguins picked up a third line pivot, Washington picked up a power forward, all of the defensive players moved were depth pieces such as the ones the Ducks did trade away. None of those trades were for players similar to Rakell or Manson. Perhaps the most similar one was Boston moving on Hall, and that was eerily similar to Ryan Kesler forcing his way to Anaheim all those years ago.
Perhaps the Ducks could have forced trades, however, that seems far closer to the process the Buffalo Sabres would do than perhaps a more patient well-run team may work with. Consider that after a historically poor season and the third poor season in a row, the Colorado Avalanche despite many considering them sellers (and their fans starting a petition to remove their GM) did not trade Matt Duchene.
They held until a more opportune time and ended up profiting tremendously from that waiting period. Given the uncertainty of this upcoming draft and the perceived strength of the following one, can any of us say that trading one of the Ducks better trade chips now is the best move to maximize value?
I don’t believe that it took any particular savvy or courage for the Ducks to not make the moves that they did, however, I do believe that fans should wait for the entirety of this to play out before making assumptions on what they believe is right. Both of the Anaheim Ducks’ biggest trade chips have a season left on their deals and we yet have an expansion draft to navigate. Let’s see how the Ducks shape up at the draft next season before condemning them in their entirety.
For all the talk about how the Ducks should follow a patient rebuild and make smart moves like the Avalanche did, there sure are a lot of comments complaining that they’re not doing things fast and messy like the Sabres. Besides, many of the most vocal voices pushing for these changes are the same voices who assured us that Dallas Eakins was a fantastic coach. Are you all really sure you want to trust those voices again?
Brad Senecal: A huge missed opportunity here. If the rumor was true that Ryan Getzlaf was willing to move to the Vegas Golden Knights he would have been a fantastic addition for the Stanley Cup favorite. While he still has an $8.25 cap hit seeing all the trades with teams taking on salary, there was a clear path for the Anaheim Ducks to get a move done had the captain been interested.
Manson has dealt with injuries this year but it is well known how much of a hot commodity right shot d-men are and with another year on his deal that value is ever more present. Rakell also has another year on his deal at a very fair cap hit. These players very well could have brought in a decent haul of picks and prospects. Whether or not Bob Murray was able to get what he wanted will be unknown but if there were interested parties this could be seen as a huge missed opportunity.
Garrett Brown: This is the problem with writing about a team you love. As is the case with any sports star, fans build connections, and then it’s sad to see them go. I was distraught when Corey Perry was bought out a few offseasons ago, but as he made his way to the Stanley Cup Final on his new team, it was very easy to cheer for him. So, taking this into consideration, I now lean more towards the “How the hell didn’t we trade anybody?” side of the fandom.
Like I mentioned earlier, there were at least three or four valuable trade pieces that could’ve netted early-round picks and notable prospects. That Murray stayed quiet, speaks volumes about the disillusionment of the front office. There should be no reason that the Ducks still employ players like Manson, Rakell, or Henrique. From an emotionally invested fan’s point of view, I’ll admit there is some relief, but with each passing day, the Anaheim Ducks begin to embody the Sabres more and more closely.
Adam Tenenbaum: I would have liked to see at least one of Manson or Rakell go at the deadline if the value was there in return. It was said Murray was seeking first-round picks and/ or top prospects. I am totally fine if that was his price but at the same time, he whiffed on potentially speeding up the rebuild by not finding at least one suitor to meet his demands. Rakell and Manson both have another year left on their contract after this season, but their value will never be higher than it is now.
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Anyone acquiring them by the draft or next deadline will be taking on a rental which will reduce the cost of trying to acquire them. On the Getzlaf, no trade decision, that one I am perfectly okay with and I am sure most Ducks fans are as well. Unless the trade coming back was so significant that you cannot refuse it, I do not see any real reason to trade away our long-time captain who has only worn an Anaheim Ducks sweater for pennies on the dollar type deals.
Ciara Durant: To be quite honest, I am not really excited about this year’s draft. Sure, the Ducks will get a good player with what looks like could be a pick in the Top 5 this year, but outside of that, I’m not really impressed. So, in my mind, trading Rakell or Manson for first’s doesn’t make much sense to me. I know it would have been a big step in the rebuild process, but in my mind trading them now versus trading them next year doesn’t really make much of a difference in my mind.
Was it a missed opportunity? Sure, it’s possible. But, I don’t think the Anaheim Ducks would have gotten the return for either of them that we thought they would have. As much as I love each and every player on this team, I sometimes think we as fans, and even sometimes management, overvalues these players.
Now, what is perplexing to me is the whole Nicolas Deslauriers situation. It was reported that he was being traded to Pittsburgh but then we never heard any follow-up. I’m curious about what happened there, but also kind of glad to still have Nic on the team. As far as Getzlaf goes, I knew he wasn’t going anywhere and while it would have been great to see him win another Cup, it would have been weird seeing him do it with Vegas.
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