Anaheim Ducks Roundtable: Should they trade for a rental player?

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The Anaheim Ducks sit on the on the outside edge of the Western Conference Playoff picture. Our LASH experts give their take on whether or not the Ducks should add a rental player at the deadline.

This week’s roundtable question comes from LA Sports Hub contributor Raymond Min. LASH Ducks contributors Ed Stein & Redan Lopez provide their answers.

Ed Stein – Pucks of a Feather

What Anaheim doesn’t need is a second or third line forward. Nor do they need a bottom four defenseman or a goalie. The Ducks need a scorer, someone who can put the puck in the net with regularity. Short of that, they need a difference maker, a player other teams need to plan for, preferably a number one defenseman.

My answer to the question about a rental player is a strong NO! and I’ll give you several reasons why.

1) Getting a rental player at the deadline implies that the Ducks are a player or two away from making a legitimate run at the cup. That may be the case, it would be a band-aid at best. This team needs an infusion. The window for Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, and Ryan Kesler is probably two seasons, max. Anaheim should be looking for quality talent with two-plus years remaining on their contracts

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2) I checked TSN’s trade bait list, among others, and no single player with an expiring contract would be a difference maker on the ice for a Ducks team that badly needs one. The closest are James van Riemsdyk, Rick Nash, and Evander Kane.

Of the three, Kane is the most appealing, but his personal baggage is “un-Ducklike.”

3) Trading for a rental player(s) would take valuable resources away that General Manager Bob Murray could use to reshape this team into a bonafide powerhouse.

4) If the current group of Ducks isn’t a playoff team, I’d rather take my chances in the draft lottery than pick 16 or 17 and get a rental player that might help the team qualify for the playoffs but won’t be here next year.

It doesn’t mean I think the Murray should sit on the sidelines at the deadline, far from it. There are several big plays he can make at this point. The players on this list (with the exception of one) have at least another year on their respective contracts and are under 30.

1. John Taveras (NYI) – If he doesn’t have a new deal in place by next Wednesday with the Islanders, the Ducks need to go all in. All-in provided Murray can come to contract terms with him. JT is worth it, his talent is undeniable and rare. Also, he will turn 28 in September, the next five seasons will be his prime years and he could lead the team into the next decade. To get someone like him, no individual Anaheim player is off limits.

2. Erik Karlsson and Mike Hoffman (OTT) – If Taveras is a no go, Murray needs to do whatever it takes to land Karlsson. He may be the biggest impact defenseman in the league. Again, who in the Ducks organization is unavailable when it comes to this type of talent? Mike Hoffman is exactly the type of scorer Anaheim lacks. I’d like to see what he could do with a top tier playmaker like Ryan Getzlaf.

3. Max Pacioretty and Alex Galchenyuk (MTL) – Max Pacioretty is one of the better United States-born players and may have enough left in the tank to be a valuable offensive weapon. Galchenyuk has been somewhat of an enigma during his NHL career thus far. His talent and age (24) are tantalizing enough for the Ducks to make a move to bring him in.

There are two players that are exceptions to the above conditions because they are restricted free agents. The Ducks would then have some measure of control over their immediate futures. Boone Jenner from Columbus, he is a better version of Nick Ritchie than Nick Ritchie (might even be a good even up deal). Also, Buffalo’s Sam Reinhart who is just starting show why he was the second overall draft pick in 2014.

My advice to Murray is to think big.

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