Breaking down the Anaheim Ducks ahead of NHL Trade Deadline Day.
Deadline approach
The Anaheim Ducks will be: Spectators or buyers
Pending free agents
Unrestricted: 10 | Restricted: 8 | See full list
[teamleaders league=”nhl” team=”anh” season”2014″]
Ducks overview
Considering they sit atop the entire league coming out of the Olympic break, it’s not a bad time for the Anaheim Ducks to double-down on the team they have. Bruce Boudreau has coached the Ducks to a considerable lead in the Pacific Division and they are on pace to make this regular-season campaign the most successful in franchise history. Of course, it’s way too early to start engraving another silver band for Charlie Conway’s alma mater — and St. Louis and Chicago are much more foreboding foes than the Edina Hawks ever were.
Ryan Getzlaf is second in league scoring and Corey Perry is third in goals. The Ducks are eighth overall in shots against and shots for, which is a fine balance. All is well in Anaheim, so the smart money is on the Ducks riding the team they’ve built and hoping to avoid another first-round exit in the playoffs, like they had last year at the hands of Detroit. That said — and perhaps with that memory in mind — there still might be room for general manager Bob Murray to tinker.
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| Click player positions to see depth chart | ||
Areas to address
The good thing about being the best team in the league is that you can do nothing at the NHL Trade Deadline and chances are, you made the right move. But when you’re a Cup favourite, you can’t help but look down your roster to find some potentially troublesome parts. If the Ducks do anything at the deadline it will likely involve the situation in net.
By no means does Anaheim have a problem in goal, but there are intriguing pieces in play this year. Jonas Hiller is the defacto-starting goalie, but young Frederik Andersen has proven that he’s a reliable option — and was signed to a two-year extension in the fall. Hiller is 30th in the league in save percentage and the 32-year old is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. The Ducks also have injury-plagued Viktor Fasth and a rising prospect in John Gibson, playing with the team’s AHL affiliate in Norfolk. So there is a potential area to address and pieces to move in goal. Does the team rely on Hiller to take them to the Cup? Or is he trade bait to help bolster the team?
Perhaps some added offence on the left side in the way of Matt Moulson or Thomas Vanek. Or a reinforced defensive core with the likes of Henrik Tallinder or Andrew MacDonald. The question is whether Andersen is experienced enough to get them through the playoffs if Hiller isn’t there? Murray might be wise to leave well enough alone, but the Ducks have some very specific trade deadline possibilities if the right circumstances arise.
Possible trade targets
Matt Moulson, Buffalo Sabres
Thomas Vanek, New York Islanders
Ray Whitney, Dallas Stars
Henrik Tallinder, Buffalo Sabres
