The Anaheim Ducks remain one of the most frustrating teams in the NHL. They're talented and boast a number of players with consistent track records of success within the league, and yet the find themselves at the back of the pack in the Western Conference thanks almost exclusively to an offense that can't seem to remember where the back of the net is located. Ducks GM Bob Murray is a notoriously patient man so any shake ups that involve the team aren't expected to be of the landscape-altering variety, ie; firing head coach Bruce Boudreau. But the way things are going in Anaheim something clearly needs to change and from the outside looking in, it sure seems more and more likely that whatever change does come may well involve one or a number of the Ducks' talented young defenders.
ESPN's Pierre LeBrun appeared on Edmonton's TSN 1260 on Monday and indicated that once all of the Ducks' defensive pieces return to health - Cam Fowler has been out with a sprained knee, but looks nearly ready to return, and Simon Despres and Clayton Stoner are dealing with short-term injuries of their own - it's likely Murray will begin the process of putting together a deal centered around one of his bevy of talented young blueliners, and further, that Sami Vatanen and Hampus Lindholm are names to watch.
"Whether it's Vatanen or Lindholm - both pretty good young defensemen with their whole career ahead of them - they're RFA," LeBrun said, per Today's Slap Shot's transcription. "To me, it's almost as simple as the first of those two to sign, it's like that maybe the next guy is the one to get dealt, potentially.
"I know the Ducks aren't shopping them. But I also know the Ducks, I think, have let teams know that, 'Once we get healthy here, we've got an abundance of defensemen.'"
With Shea Theodore proving he's worthy of a fulltime NHL roster spot and Josh Manson playing surprisingly well, there's suddenly an abundance of defenders in Anaheim. If Murray does enact a trade for a scorer, this is almost assuredly the area from which he would deal.
Of course, the question then becomes who gets dealt and why. Much of that will be determined by the interest of the league's other franchises, but also by who Murray is willing to talk turkey on. Fowler is a name that came up time and again this season and last as a potential trade piece, but his improved play and leadership this year may have made him untouchable in Murray and Boudreau's eyes.
Vatanen and Lindholm seem to make the most sense, as LeBrun notes, due to their expiring contracts. The 24-year-old Vatanen is a smaller player with significant offensive upside. His 12 goals last year and six goals and 22 points thus far this season are likely alluring to plenty of teams.
The numbers for Lindholm, a former first-round pick, don't quite pop off the page like Vatanen's, but he's also a much bigger player with greater upside and is two years younger than Vatanen.
If Murray wants to fix what ails the Ducks, dealing a player like Vatanen or Lindholm may be the only way to get it done. It's not an ideal situation, of course, but then again, neither is sitting in fifth place in the Pacific 46 games into the season.
