The Anaheim Ducks won’t have been able to protect everyone. From a numbers standpoint, the 7F/3D/1G setup is the best bet for Anaheim, allowing them to protect more of their forward depth. The Ducks have cap concerns and too many good defensemen to contend with. As a result they have reportedly agree to some sort of trade with Vegas Golden Knights.
What type of deal they have made with Vegas won’t be known until later. What decisions would have had to been made in the meantime? Let’s take a quick look.
Forward Decisions
Anaheim’s core of Ryan Kesler, Corey Perry, and Ryan Getzlaf are going nowhere with NMC’s. That is three right there. Jakub Silfverberg and Rickard Rakell have to be locks based on their current play and long term potential.
Andrew Cogliano is also a lock due to his versatility. There are few, if any, forwards that are as durable as him. Cogliano can play on any line and perform more than adequately.
Who among the bottom six is worth getting those exemptions?
Ultimately, we’re talking about a team that has some depth to expose. It is also helpful that Anaheim’s problem was more with defensemen than forwards. Does Anaheim keep Antoine Vermette or make a trade for a seventh forward?
Las Vegas will likely wind up with a forward prospect or pick so Anaheim has a need to fill the roster spot. Fireworks could go off quickly or there may be a wait until the draft of free agency.
What may happen…
Anaheim may make another trade for a top six forward. They also could do more. Speculation has run wild but one thing is clear. That cap crunch is not going away without more tough decisions to be made.
Defense Decisions
The NMC of Kevin Bieksa is what prompted Anaheim to deal with Las Vegas. There was no way to avoid it which gave the Golden Knights a good bit of leverage.
What if Anaheim did not have this option? Thankfully, the Ducks did because Josh Manson would have been exposed. On the other hand, if Anaheim had done the 4-4-1 strategy, at least two good forwards would have been exposed. That could have meant total disaster.
Hampus Lindholm, Kevin Bieksa, and Cam Fowler would have been the projected protects in the 7-3-1 scenario.
Goaltender Decisions
This is a very easy decision as John Gibson is the undisputed starter. The goalie is the obvious protect. It is safe to say that Jhonas Enroth and Jonathan Bernier will not end up anywhere near Vegas. The Gibson injury showed up at the worst possible time as Bernier laid an egg at the worst possible time. That resulted in Anaheim’s elimination at the hands of the Nashville Predators.
Projected protected players and their cap hits
Forwards
Corey Perry (NMC) – $8.625M through 2021
Ryan Getzlaf (NMC) – $8.25M through 2021
Ryan Kesler (NMC) – $6.875M through 2022
Rickard Rakell – $3.789M through 2022
Jakub Silverberg – $3.75M through 2019
Andrew Cogliano – $3M through 2018
Antoine Vermette – $1.75M through 2018
Anaheim may try to trade for a top six forward but that is likely after the expansion draft.
Defensemen
Hampus Lindholm – $5.205M through 2022
Cam Fowler – $4M through 2018
Kevin Bieksa (NMC) – $4.M through 2018
Sami Vatanen may be traded post expansion draft, if not before.
Goalie
John Gibson (NMC) – $2.3M through 2019
Top two options on who they would most likely lose
Since a trade is said to be worked out, it is a question of who will Anaheim lose to Las Vegas. However, the two most likely choices appear to be a pick or prospect (Ondrej Kase maybe). That could change as the time draws closer to the expansion draft. Honestly, this is kind of a waiting game. At press time, no one will know what Anaheim did.
If Anaheim has to make more trades, who may be involved?
I think the Ducks will try to unload Sami Vatanen to a suitor in the East. It is hard to say who because several teams (maybe more) are in discussions. One of Anaheim’s young forwards could be packaged with picks to acquire a top six forward. Anaheim is in win now mode. The escalator could be anywhere from 2-5% which could push the cap to $77.5 million. That would help the Ducks but the likely number is around $75 million. Stay tuned!
Follow Chris on Twitter @ChrisWasselDFS