3. Make A Major Trade With Anaheim Ducks
The New Jersey Devils and Anaheim Ducks actually make a lot of sense as trade partners. They have a lot of complementary pieces, but they have been tied to a Jack Eichel trade for a few months now. They seem to be that “wild card” team that always pops up in these situations. Every so often, those teams actually make the trade happen.
The Ducks haven’t been good in a while, but bringing back Ryan Getzlaf shows they aren’t looking to completely tank this season. At least, maybe they are looking at the team’s options.
The difference with the other teams on this list is the Ducks have the assets and the cap space to make this trade work. All they’re really missing in terms of draft picks next year is their 3rd rounder. They have young assets like Trevor Zegras, Jamie Drysdale, Lukas Dostal, Sasha Pastujov, Jacob Perreault, Mason McTavish, Olen Zellweger, and Max Comtois. That’s a ton of prospect depth.
However, the Ducks have some veterans who might not fit what they are trying to do, but these veterans might be the right pieces to help the Devils. The Devils have a huge hole at the third-line center, and they have some young assets who could step up. They need one of them to prove it, though, and if it doesn’t happen quickly, the Devils might be in trouble. Do the Ducks have a center who could play on the third line that the Devils might be interested in?
Yes, this is eluding to Adam Henrique. At this point in his career, a trade to the Devils makes sense. He has three years left on his deal, and the Devils didn’t claim him when he was on waivers last season, but that contract can be worked out. Henrique is coming off his best season in years. He would be someone who knows what the Devils are trying to build, and he could get a fresh start in a new role.
The Devils could also ask about someone like Jakob Silfverberg. He’s a winger who belongs in the top six and he might have worn out his welcome in Southern California. There have been rumors surrounding him a Rickard Rickell seemingly forever. The price on Rickell was pretty crazy last season, so it would be worth it to move on to Silfverberg and just put it all together. It would give the Ducks more draft capital to send to Buffalo, and it would give them some flexibility going forward to build around Eichel.