|
Ducks Could Use a New Pair of Wings to Fly High |
|
|
|
|
|
Less than a month until this year's trade deadline and the Ducks needs are the same as they were at this time last year. This teams need wings. Of the top six forwards, there is only one bona fide wing among them, Corey Perry. Rickard Rakell, Perry's linemate on the opposite side is a natural center playing out of position. The other two, Andrew Cogliano and Jakob Silfverberg are not top six players on a good team.
Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle likes to stick with his lines. In and of itself, that's not a problem. The issue is with who is on those lines. There isn't enough firepower on the roster to be a contender. Ideally two new wings with offensive prowess would do the trick, but one could really help.
The current lines are:
Rakell-Getzlaf-Perry
Cogliano-Kesler-Silfverberg
Ritchie-Vermette-Kase
Cramarosa-Thompson-Shaw/Boll
Two good wings would make it:
Rakell-Getzlaf-Perry
Wing A-Kesler-Wing B
Ritchie-Vermette-Silfverberg
Cogliano-Thompson-Cramarosa/Shaw
In this scenario, Ondrej Kase and Jared Boll head back to San Diego. He has learned plenty during his time in Anaheim. Top six minutes with the Gulls can give him time to apply those lessons. Boll is a fringe player at the NHL level.
More than likely, the Ducks acquire one top six wing which would lead to:
Ritchie-Getzlaf-Perry
Rakell-Kesler-Wing
Cogliano-Vermette-Silfverberg
Cramarosa-Thompson-Shaw/Boll
Again Kase goes to the minors. Nick Ritchie has history with Getzlaf and Perry. He seems to be elevating his offensive game, so top line minutes aren't out of the question. The second line is a bit tricky because Kesler is a better left wing than Rakell, but he is also an excellent faceoff man. Kesler takes the draws and Rakell spends the rest of the time in the pivot.
Antoine Vermette has played well this year in his third line role. He should have no problem with Cogliano and Silfverberg. Joseph Cramarosa has also proved himself and belongs in the lineup.
The Catch
The Ducks biggest obstacle in acquiring a scoring wing is the salary cap. There is no space. Trading a defenseman is the only way to make room. When he returns from injury, Clayton Stoner would be the first man out, if GM Bob Murray can find a taker for his $3.25M salary this year and next.
Sending him to the minors doesn't necessarily help as the cap relief is negligible. Trading Josh Manson or Korbian Holzer opens up approximately the same space as waiving Stoner, therefore that isn't an option either. Hampus Lindholm is the foundation of the defense (and has a favorable contract for the next five seasons), no way Anaheim sends him out of town. Kevin Bieksa has a no movement clause, so he's staying.
That leaves Cam Fowler and Sami Vatanen as the center of any big deal Murray makes. Before the season started, Vatanen was a lock to stay with the Ducks. He has not been the same player as he was last year. There is a growing undercurrent that would like to him dealt at the deadline. His trump card for sticking around is the new contract which is a palatable $4.875M through 2019-2020.
It seems as though Fowler, who only has one year left on his contract before he is an unrestricted free agent, is the logical choice to trade. There would be no shortage of suitors for his services. Due to the availability of Kevin Shattenkirk in St. Louis, it hasn't become a seller's market for Fowler.
Murray will need to be at his wheeling dealing best this month to solve his cap issues and acquire the wing or wings the Ducks need to plow through the Western Conference in the post-season.
Anaheim Ducks Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»