Nearly every team in the NHL is said to be chasing upgrades on the blueline, but the Anaheim Ducks likely aren't among them. Cam Fowler has blossomed into a strong presence on the back end for Bruce Boudreau and he leads a deep, talented Ducks defensive group that makes the Anaheim offense's abysmal start to the year look all the more abhorrent. And while Fowler's name has popped up in trade rumors already this year, it's likely that Ducks GM Bob Murray is looking everywhere else for an avenue to potential upgrades - something he's probably hot on the trail of at this point.
"I'm sure he's looking to make deals," Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said of Murray on Monday, while appearing on Calgary's Sportsnet 960, via Today's Slap Shot. "I have no doubt about that. He's not afraid."
With stars like Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry struggling to reacquire the magic scoring touch they've shown throughout their careers - Getzlaf has just one goal through 25 games - the Ducks offense has been sagging and, much like the dead weight it has seemingly become, is dragging the whole Anaheim team down with it. Somehow though, the Ducks remain very much alive for a playoff berth, thanks in large part to the terrible Pacific division. At 11-13-5, they'd be nearly dead in most divisions, but as of Wednesday, Boudreau's group remained just three points behind the third-place Canucks with two games in hand.
Friedman believes the fragile state of the division may lessen Murray's desperation as he pursues trades.
"One GM was telling me on the weekend that he thinks one of the reasons there have been no trades is that the Pacific Division teams who everybody was going to start to deal with because they were all terrible - they're all still in the race," Friedman said. "They're all right there. So all of a sudden, these teams are sitting there and saying, 'Why are we going to give up on the year, when we can still make the playoffs?'"
For the Ducks, the same is true, though for opposite reasons. A season that started out with such promise has fallen to the wayside, but it's far from dead. The Ducks have the talent and the track record to get this thing back on track. But they'll need to make their move soon, because with each passing week and every lost game, the job becomes that much harder.
Fowler, once considered a prime trade candidate, hasn't exactly produced a Norris Trophy-type season, but, along with veteran Kevin Bieksa, he's helped the Ducks defense take some important steps forward. He's averaging 22:56 of ice time, a figure that leads the team, and he plays in nearly every situation. With Fowler at the helm, it's safe - and strange - to say that the Ducks problems don't start with defense.
But if Murray is going to get his team scoring again and inspire them to claw their way back into the Western Conference playoff race, it may be from the backend or in net that he finds the assets that will pull the team out of their funk. Yes, reports from earlier this season suggested that forward Andrew Cogliano was on the trade block and Murray was motivated to move the underachieving winger, but even then it was said that conversations with other NHL GMs tended to turn Fowler's way.
The 23-year-old defender wasn't being shopped in Nov. and it's unlikely, considering his strong play, that the Ducks are intent on moving him now. But with the team struggling and something needing to be done, a difficult decision will have to come from somewhere. Shea Theodore is a talented young defender with top-four NHL defenseman minutes likely in his future and Fowler, as well as he's played, isn't exactly an elite shutdown type.
There's also the fact that Murray was reportedly seeking a "boatload" in compensation for Fowler - that "boatload," were it to actually come Anaheim's way, would probably include at least one scorer.
Another possibility for Murray and Co. is a goaltender trade. Youngster John Gibson has seemingly staked his claim to the starting gig and looks like, should he stay healthy, his ceiling is as high as they once thought it to be. Frederik Andersen, whose injury opened the door for Gibson this year, could then find himself a fairly significant trade chip should Murray choose to go that route.
Of course, that would leave the Ducks mighty thin behind a guy in Gibson who has struggle with injuries in the past. Anton Khudobin cleared waivers on Monday and was assigned to the AHL squad in San Diego on Wednesday. Gibson, with a .934 save percentage and a 1.74 goals against average, has looked every bit "the man" in eight games for Anaheim. But the sample size is small and the situation in net is a tricky one for Murray, especially if he makes the decision to deal.
From the sounds of things, Murray would likely prefer to move Andersen, and not just because Gibson has played so well of late.
"Plus, and this is something that behind the scenes I really think has thrown some issues into Anaheim, is he's one of those guys that's in the middle of the Ritch Winter-Claude Lemieux agent battle there, and I think that's affected their negotiations," Friedman said Monday. "And probably the player a bit too."
The road immediately in front of Murray splits into paths heading off in a number of different directions. A trade or two isn't a must, especially with the talent already in place, but if the season continues on in the current fashion, something must change. And if sacking Boudreau isn't a consideration, as has been reported, then that leaves Murray few options.
Because if he doesn't right the ship soon, the Ducks will run out of time to save the season and Murray could eventually be the one handed his walking papers at year's end.
