Ducks Trade Deadline: Instant Analysis
The 2022 NHL trade deadline has officially passed. At the time of this publication, there remain numerous deals that await official confirmation by NHL Central Registry, but the window of opportunity has effectively passed.
Pat Verbeek, hired as the Anaheim Ducks’ new general manager not even two months ago, was faced with the task of deciding the futures of the litany of unrestricted free agents on his roster. Verbeek had openly stated that he saw the Ducks as a team in the middle of a rebuild, and that he did not foresee letting any of his higher profile UFA’s walk for nothing.
Anaheim’s GM stayed true to his word, as Josh Manson, Hampus Lindholm, Nicolas Deslauriers, and Rickard Rakell were all dealt before the deadline. Here, Crash the Pond analyzes all of the deals that went down.
Josh Manson to Colorado
Analysis: Manson’s agent publicly stated that there were no contract discussions with the Ducks since Verbeek was hired, perhaps indicating that Anaheim’s new GM never intended to extend him. Manson’s deal may have bee the trickiest to pull off given his 12-team no-trade list.
Verbeek still got fair market value for a defenseman of Manson’s reputation, though, yielding Colorado’s 2023 second-rounder and prospect Drew Helleson. In particular, Helleson projects as a solid two-way defenseman that can be an effective middle pairing blueliner. He was also thought of to be one of the Avs’ better prospects in a strong pool, so perhaps the Ducks prioritized getting him over a first from Colorado.
Conclusion: Helleson profiles as a potential Manson replacement with more offensive upside, and will have an opportunity to make the team as soon as next year. Sprinkle in the second-round pick, and this is a fantastic return for Manson, who despite having rebounded a bit this season, seemed to be trending downward.
Hampus Lindholm to Boston
Analysis: The Lindholm deal felt like it had the most twists and turns, with plenty of reports in the last few weeks describing the state of the ongoing negotiations between Lindholm’s camp and the Ducks. Ultimately, Lindholm wanted the kind of long term security that high-profile defensemen have been receiving on the open market, and Verbeek just wasn’t willing to give it to him. Instead, the Ducks receive a trove of draft capital and the 23-year old Vaakanainen. Presumably, the additional second-rounder is for taking on Moore’s $2.75M cap hit next year, which the Ducks can bury in the AHL. As in the Manson deal, the Ducks retained 50% of Lindholm’s salary, which boosted the return.
Bottom Line: Lindholm was never going to re-sign with the Ducks. A first-rounder and two second-rounders is a great return, and if Vaakanainen turns into anything, then it looks even better. Also, farewell to #BigBoomingShot, we hardly knew ye.
Rickard Rakell to Pittsburgh
Analysis: Of all of the Ducks’ deals, this is the most complex. Anaheim retained 35% of Rakell’s salary, and by taking on both Aston-Reese and Simon’s combined cap hits, the money in and money out ends up almost being exactly the same, surely an important factor for Pittsburgh.
Aston-Reese and Simon are both set to become unrestricted free agents, and it’s unclear if they have any kind of future with the Ducks. That being said, both project as useful depth forwards, with Simon posting especially strong underlying numbers, and Aston-Reese looking to be more defensive-minded. Should the Ducks hold on to both, which shouldn’t break the bank, next year’s depth looks much improved.
Really though, the centerpiece of the deal is the second-round pick and Clang, which is fair market value for Rakell. The salary maneuvering may have helped upgrade the caliber of prospect, but that remains an unknown. Clang is only 19 years of age, but has already posted strong results in the SHL and significantly bolsters Anaheim’s goaltending pipeline, now making a future trade at that position more viable.
Conclusion: This is a good, if not unremarkable, return for Rakell. A second-round pick along with a good goaltending prospect is fair value, and maybe they also end up with better depth for next season.
Nicolas Deslauriers to Minnesota
Analysis: Deslauriers was a well-liked member of the Ducks locker room who filled a very specific niche as an enforcer. He also built a reputation for himself as an effective penalty killer, helping to raise his stock around the league. Teams still value energy guys like Deslauriers, and Verbeek cashed in on that perception by plucking a third-round pick out of Minnesota.
Conclusion: For all his gifts, Deslauriers’s underlying results were still woefully insufficient, with the Ducks getting handily out-played with him on the ice. To obtain even a third-round pick for a player of that caliber is fantastic work by Verbeek.
Dadonov to Anaheim
Analysis: Verbeek leveraged Anaheim’s roughly $11 million in cap space to take Dadonov’s remaining one year at $5 million off of cap-crunched Vegas’s books, and got a second-round pick out of them for the trouble. Dadonov gives the Ducks an injection of play-making and should help them next season, but also gives Verbeek another expiring UFA he could potentially flip at next year’s deadline.
Kesler’s contract was coming off the books next year anyway, but the Ducks do shed Moore’s remaining $2.75 million cap hit for next year, which helps mitigate taking on Dadonov’s cap hit.
Conclusion: This is the kind of shrewd GM’ing we rarely saw from Bob Murray, and the Ducks are all the better for it. The pick is great, and Dadonov should help the team, whether that’s on the ice or as a trade chip.
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