The Anaheim Ducks are in need of more consistent offense going down the stretch and into the playoffs, and Winnipeg Jets captain Andrew Ladd could be of interest. Boston Bruins forward Loui Eriksson should also be in general manager Bob Murray's sights.
The Ducks do not want a repeat of last season's Western Conference Final, in which the Blackhawks' offense in Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane was too much for the Ducks' Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf. With a meeting between the two teams a likely possibility, Murray needs to fill in his offensive gaps.
Winnipeg made its decision on who to keep when it re-signed Dustin Byfuglien, making it difficult for the team to extend Ladd as well, leading to numerous trade rumors about the Jets' forward. The Ducks would do well to pick him up for two reasons.
"One, Chicago is very hot on Ladd, and getting the player that one of your chief opponents covets is simply good business. Two, the Jets are believed to want a defenceman in any Ladd deal, and there is no team in the NHL better stocked to make that happen than the Ducks," according to Sportsnet's Mark Spector.
Bruins' winger Loui Eriksson has also been a target for the Ducks.
"If Eriksson does not come to terms on a new contract with the Bruins, the team will look to move him by the Feb. 29 trade deadline and several teams, including the Ducks, are expected to make a pitch for his services," according to TheFourthPeriod.com.
The Ducks will need size up front if they are going to have to contend with the Kings, which is seemingly inevitable. Ladd is the more bulky and scrappy of the two, which would be very helpful filling in the Duck's lines since Getzlaf and Perry are now operating on different lines.
With young defensemen galore in Simon Despres, Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm, Josh Manson, and Sami Vatanen, not to mention their farm talent, the Ducks can surely acquire a decent winger for a defenseman by the deadline.
