The Anaheim Ducks grinded their way to within two wins of another appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals this past season. After falling just short, it will be very interesting to see what general manager Bob Murray has up his sleeve this offseason. Murray will not have much cap space to work with as Anaheim is expected to have just under $3 million in wiggle room. With the majority of the Ducks key players already locked up, Murray might have to get creative if he wants to upgrade his roster for another deep playoff run in 2018.
3 Things The Ducks Have To Work On
1. Trade Corey Perry?
The best management teams in sports are the ones that know how to stay ahead of the curve. Murray would be smart to follow that trend and trade Perry. The veteran winger is scheduled to make $8.6 million over each of the next four seasons. That deal will carry over until he turns 36.
The challenge in trading Perry is that he struggled mightily this season. He had just 19 goals and 53 points. Those 53 points were the lowest he’s had in a full 82-game season in 10 years. The same goes for the 19 goals. Perry’s goal totals in previous seasons were 34, 33, 43, 15 (in a 44-game season), 37 and 50. He hadn’t been under 20 since his first two years in the league.
Moreover, Perry wasn’t much better in the playoffs with just four goals in 17 games. The Ducks don’t have much cap space left over to make a significant splash this offseason. Their best bet might be to move Perry and free up some cap space in order to become more aggressive on both the free agent and trade markets. The question is who is willing to take a chance on him?
2. Trade A Top Defensemen Prospect
The Perry deal would open up room for the Ducks to be more aggressive on the trade market with some of the key assets they will carry over. A lot of people expected Anaheim to deal at least one of their young defensemen but nothing ever materialized and part of the issue might have been salary cap restraints. However, Josh Manson, Brandon Montour and Shea Theodore could each garner a significant return if the Ducks want to upgrade their forward core.
The Ducks have an embarrassment of riches at the position with Cam Fowler, Sami Vatanen, Hampus Lindholm, Manson, and Kevin Bieksa.
It’s only a matter of time before Murray pulls the trigger on a deal. It will be very interesting to see what he is able to acquire for one of his young defensemen this offseason.
3. Sign Or Trade Cam Fowler
The Ducks are in pretty good shape in terms of their own free agents heading in to this offseason. However, Cam Fowler should be a focus in terms of signing an extension before his contract expires the following summer. Fowler is set to make $4 million next season and is due for a raise, so it will be interesting to see how Anaheim approaches negotiations. The Ducks have a number of young defensemen ready to take the next step and become everyday NHL players. If they can’t sign Fowler to an extension, then maybe they decide that he is their best trade asset this offseason.
Key Free Agents
There is a good chance that Patrick Eaves has earned a lucrative contract somewhere else, so don’t be surprised if he isn’t back in Anaheim next season. It doesn’t make sense for the Ducks to overpay for him; he had just four points in seven playoff games. The Ducks focus will likely be on the future although they do have some free agents of their own. A decision will have to be made on the goaltending situation with backup netminders Jonathan Bernier and Jhonas Enroth both UFA’s. John Gibson struggled with injuries again this year so Anaheim will need a capable backup. Meanwhile, Nate Thompson and Sam Carrick are both UFA’s but the Ducks won’t have to break the bank in order to bring back either one of those two veteran forwards.
Want to bet on Stanley Cup Finals? The Nashville Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins are battling it out right now. Click here to get the latest lines from BetDSI, including moneylines, totals, props and futures!
