Saturday, January 7, 2012

Ducks for Sale?

Everyone knows that the Anaheim Ducks are in the cellar when it comes to the Western Conference standings, and if the Columbus Blue Jackets weren't in the same conference, the Ducks would be in contention for the first overall pick in the 2012 NHL Draft.  Recent rumblings about a Duck fire sale have brought out the usual names (Bobby Ryan) and some surprising names (Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry).  The only untouchables, it seems?  Teemu Selanne, Saku Koivu, and Cam Fowler.

Now, what does this have to do with the Vancouver Canucks and Ottawa Senators?  Just imagine the possibilities.  For the Canucks, Getzlaf would not make any sense, since the Canucks don't need a center, and Perry would be fighting for time on the wing.  So, what could the Canucks possibly need that the Ducks would be able to provide?  An offensive force on the blue line, which is exactly what Lubomir Visnovsky is, when healthy.  I doubt the Canucks would want to swing that deal, since he's 35 years old and has a history of injury problems.  However, he can be what Christian Ehrhoff was last year, and he can also take some of the pressure off Kevin Bieksa as an offensive producer.  Remember, the Canucks swung a deal for Maxim Lapierre last year, and he provided great play as a fourth line center (again, why trading for Getzlaf makes no sense).

The Senators have some talent in the pipeline, and given that they recently traded for Kyle Turris in exchange for David Rundblad, a trade that sees them giving up considerable young talent makes no sense.  However, the Sens do need secondary scoring and a goaltender, as the Sens cannot win in the playoffs with Craig Anderson and Alex Auld in net.  The Ducks have Jonas Hiller, but the price to get him is likely too high, and the Ducks don't have a lot of depth, meaning that secondary scoring is almost nonexistent.  What could the Senators use that the Ducks can provide?  Getzlaf, Perry, or Ryan would be nice, but the asking price would be far too high.  In the end, the Sens' scouting department is going to have to come up huge, as they still have holes to fill, and not enough movable assets to fill those holes.

No comments:

Post a Comment