The Anaheim Ducks find themselves in a situation they quite didn’t expect this offseason. After being blindsided by the Leo Carlsson offer sheet, the organization found itself desperately needing to clear cap space to re-sign another star RFA, Cutter Gauthier.
While the Ducks could just find a taker for Gauthier and his reported $15 million AAV asking price, the fact is that the Ducks can’t afford to pass this quickly on a 40-goal scorer.
That’s why there’s one trade the Ducks have to make leading up to training camp. That’s jettisoning veteran scorer Chris Kreider. Unfortunately, Anaheim really doesn’t have much choice. It’s either make a deal of this nature or lose Gauthier.
It’s come down to one or the other.
The Ducks could also move Alex Killorn, who has a comparable cap hit to Kreider. Kreider is at $6.5 million while Killorn is at $6.25 million. Both are entering the final year of their respective deals, and, well, their prime trade candidates.
However, it will be much easier to trade Kreider. Killorn is slightly older and isn’t really a scoring winger. Teams looking for depth scoring won’t look at Killorn as a good option. If anything, he would be a good veteran piece on a rebuilding team.
That’s where the situation becomes complex for the Ducks. Even if they found a taker for either Killorn or Kreider, the return won’t be nearly as much as Anaheim could have gotten under other circumstances.
Ducks Have to Clear Cap Space, Whether They Like It or Not
The bottom line is that the Ducks have to clear cap space whether they like it or not. The organization can’t afford to let Gauthier sit without a contract. So, something has to give.
It’s worth noting that there could be other possible trade candidates. For instance, the club could ship out Mikael Granlund and his $7 million cap hit. Frank Vatrano is another candidate, though his cap hit is much lower than that of Grandlund, Kreider, or Killorn.
It’s also worth pointing out that a trade might be somewhat of a last resort. If there were another way the Ducks could make Gauthier’s cap hit work, it might alleviate the need for a trade.
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Anaheim Could Find a Solution in LTIR
The Ducks could sidestep this entire conversation by resorting to a short-term solution. Forward Troy Terry had surgery in early June to repair a hip impingement. The recovery timeframe of such a surgery is five to six months.
So, could the Ducks just go ahead and place Terry on LTIR to begin the season? That’s a possibility that could preclude the need for a trade right now. Nevertheless, it would only kick the can down the road.
Unless Terry ultimately ended up missing the entire season, Terry’s $7 million cap hit going on LTIR would only be a temporary solution. At the very least, it would save GM Pat Verbeek the worry of having to make a trade right now.
It remains to be seen if the Ducks can thread this fine needle, allowing the team to remain competitive without requiring major surgery.
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