Anaheim Ducks: Is Jakob Silverberg staying or on his way out?
By Redan Lopez
Scenario Three – very likely: The Ducks trade Silfverberg prior to the start of the upcoming season.
Seeming more real by the minute for several reasons. Ducks management may look at Silfverberg in the fact that he is 27 and he is what he is. He has a capped upside as younger players slowly take on increased roles in the Ducks’ lineup.
If Ducks management is serious about a youth movement and shifting to a style of play emphasizing speed, Silfverberg may not fit in as he is not considered a “fast” player. Trading Silfverberg early on would open a key role in the lineup for a promising young player (like Troy Terry) to step in and be given the opportunity to accelerate his development in the NHL.
The toughest thing to digest is Silfverberg fitting under the Ducks’ current salary cap situation. According to Cap Friendly, the Ducks have just about $19.5 million in cap space two seasons from now with just 12 players signed, and that does not even include Silfverberg or goaltender John Gibson. 22-year old wingers Kase and Nick Ritchie are currently unsigned as well.
If those four sign for a total of $15 million (Gibson – $6.75 mil., Silfverberg – $4.75 mil., Kase – $2.5 mil., Ritchie – $1 mil.), that leaves just about $4.5 million to fill out the last six or seven spots on the roster. Doesn’t look possible unless you have a lot of youth coming down, which the Ducks do have. But they also need to find a good quality backup behind Gibson in case of injury.
Trading Silfverberg before the season would allow the Ducks to get the best compensation possible – a couple of draft picks, hopefully, a first rounder, and a couple of prospects that could challenge for a place on the roster soon. It would add to the youth movement that is taking the league by storm. The Ducks desperately need to join in.