Anaheim Ducks: Is Jakob Silverberg staying or on his way out?

Scenario One – the least plausible: The Ducks play out the season with Silfverberg on the roster and do not extend him.

This scenario is probably the most unlikely of all. The Ducks can ill-afford to lose Silfverberg for nothing next summer like the New York Islanders lost superstar John Tavares to the Toronto Maple Leafs this offseason. I have to think the Ducks will want to get some assets back (young prospects, draft picks) if they see Silfverberg does not fit into the team’s long-term plans.

Silfverberg becomes an unrestricted free agent on June 1, 2019, if no new deal is in place.

Scenario Two – more likely, but not very: The Ducks approach the trade deadline and are not near playoff contention; they would seek to trade Silfverberg to a playoff team. 

Now, I think the Ducks are smarter than this approach, but it is worth mentioning. The Ducks go into the season looking to enter the playoffs but stumble in a highly competitive Pacific Division. Unlike in previous years, the Pacific is wide open with nearly all teams capable of winning the divisional title except the clueless Vancouver Canucks.

Silfverberg could perform at a high level back to his 2016-2017 totals (23 goals, 26 assists), however, the team could lag behind. He would provide the Ducks a solid return in the form of a couple of draft picks and a young prospect. Silfverberg would probably be traded to a rising team in the East such as the Florida Panthers, Philadelphia Flyers, or Carolina Hurricanes.

On the flip side, its very possible that Silfverberg may not return to form, the team seeks a trade, and they are unable to get a whole a lot because the player did not perform to par.

Because this decision carries a fair amount of risk, the Ducks would be wiser to make a choice of extending or trading Silfverberg sooner rather than later.