The Anaheim Ducks eked out a 5-4 shootout victory over the fading Philadelphia Flyers last night, moving their record to 16-6-5 and maintaining their position in first place in the Pacific Division.
It wasn't the prettiest or most commanding victory and may be an indication that a move for defensive help - beyond the one to acquire Colby Robak from the Florida Panthers in exchange for Jesse Blacker and a conditional draft pick today - may not just be in the back of general manager Bob Murray's mind, but in fact be a necessity.
"Anaheim has wanted defense and I think will continue to want defense. I think they'd like to make some big moves between now and the deadline to bolster their blueline," Bob McKenzie said today on Vancouver's TSN 1040, according to Nichols On Hockey. "Because I think they're starting to sense, 'Hey, you know what? This might be as good as we get right here in the next year or two. Let's take advantage of it.' So I think Bob Murray is probably going to go for it. And so I could see him trying to make some big moves, but some of this is just predicated on an incredible rash of injuries on the blueline."
Clayton Stoner, Sheldon Souray, Ben Lovejoy, Francois Beauchemain and Eric Brewer have all missed time this season to injuries or illness, according to FOXSports.com.
The team is currently middle of the pack in both shots (29.6) and goals against (2.6), per NHL.com. Goalie Frederik Andersen, who has started 21 of the Duck's games, has a 2.43 GAA.
The Ducks, unlike many of their NHL counterparts, are not suffering from a defensive deficiency so dire that they're on the verge of collapse. Instead, Anaheim is a Stanley Cup contender that knows the window of opportunity to win a championship is relatively small and easily close.
For a team that already has a plethora of young, homegrown talent like Sami Vatanen and Hampus Lindholm, adding the right piece or two at exactly the right time might be just what they need to put them over the top and cement their status as Cup favorites.
