Should the Anaheim Ducks consider trading Troy Terry?

Alright, alright, hear me out first. Then you can let me know your thoughts below because we all know that you will. Kevin Dupont of the Boston Globe recently published an article suggesting that the Chicago Blackhawks need help and that they may consider trading Kirby Dach. In his proposal, the trade was for the twin 25-year-olds, Jake DeBrusk and Brandon Carlo.

His rationale was that the Bruins may be considering a rebuild, or re-tooling, after their playoff exit and that because those two were young established players, they might entice a general manager to move on from a projected top-line centre and a recent top-3 draft pick.

The Anaheim Ducks are obviously smack bang in the midst of a rebuild and are in a somewhat different scenario to the Bruins with Trevor Zegras already lining up at the pivot and Mason McTavish hopefully not too far behind him. They don’t necessarily need to do anything crazy to cover this on-ice position. However, former third-overall draft picks who are still relatively on track to make their marks are not often made available.

The Anaheim Ducks could get a lot back by trading Troy Terry away

Having an abundance of riches at the centre position gives the head coach a lot of options for line-up creation and may even provide the General Manager with some leeway to get creative on the draft floor. What can be said is that Dach fits the Ducks rebuilding timeline, assuming it is around Zegras and Jamie Drysdale, a little better than most acquisitions might, given his young age.

At 25 years old this coming season, Troy Terry may be on the upper end of the Ducks contention window. Assuming the Ducks are a few years away from contention, then aging curves suggest that Terry will be on the downside of his career. It’s also worth considering that Terry shot 19.6% this season and that number is extremely likely to come down.

Maybe he continues to pick up points in other ways, but there is no doubt that the goals will likely dwindle over the coming years without a significant increase in raw shot volume. A point of difference that is currently not part of the player’s game.

It’s probably obvious that Terry isn’t enough to make a one-for-one trade. However, the Ducks now own two first-round draft selections this season, and the Blackhawks currently have none. Further, Chicago General Manager Kyle Davidson has flagged interest in acquiring one. Would Terry, the Boston first-round draft pick, and a prospect such as Brayden Tracey get the deal over the line? Would the Ducks go for that kind of deal?

No doubt many fans would be hesitant, yet I would consider that Tracey despite being highly touted isn’t looking like a top-6 option and the Ducks haven’t managed to find many top-6 (or top-4 defensive) options in the tail end of the first round since Rickard Rakell was drafted over a decade ago. Ducks’ fans should be wary of overcommitting to their perceptions.

This may be particularly true with the number of second-round picks the Ducks have secured over the next three seasons. The real argument might be whether even this package is enough to secure a former third-overall pick.

All in all, it’s an unlikely proposition for both teams. However, there might be enough there for either team to consider as a jumping-off point. Maybe the Ducks need to add more. They certainly have an abundance of picks and a strong prospect pool from which to trade from.

Is Dach the type of player who Pat Verbeek is even interested in? Do the Ducks need or want that kind of player even if it is? It’s a tough question to ask, and one which we are unlikely to ever see an answer to. Nonetheless, if General Managers around the league are gearing up to make trades of consequence, the Ducks surely have the capital to put in strong bids. We’ll see what happens from here.