It’s silly season right now with the trade deadline little over a week away. In that spirit I have decided to write a beautiful work of science-fiction in which I am handed the reigns of this franchise for the time between now and the March 8 deadline. I have, as all good and benevolent overlords do, tried to be reasonable in terms of what the trades look like on balance. I am sure that every fan of the teams involved will say that I’m a moron and a fool who has suffered some kind of head trauma to think any of this is reasonable. To that I say, so you’re saying I have a future in this league? After each trade I provided an updated look at what the depth chart looks like. Trevor Zegras was put in and Brock McGinn was left off. The reason for this is simple, in trying to see the whole picture Zegras is far more relevant than McGinn, though through no real fault of his own. But none of that matters because all of this made up fantasy bullshit, so let’s skip the formalities and have some fun.
Depth Chart As It Exists Now
| Zegras | Carlsson | Killorn |
| Vatrano | McTavish | Terry |
| Henrique | Lundestrom | Strome |
| Silfverberg | Carrick | Jones |
| Johnston | Groulx | Leason |
| Fowler | Vaakanainen | Gibson |
| Mintyukov | Lyubushkin | Dostal |
| LaCombe | Gudas | |
| Lindstrom |
| Retention Slots Used |
TRADE 1: So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen… Goodrow
OUT: Frank Vatrano (F), Isac Lundestrom (F), Gustav Lindstrom (D)
IN: Barclay Goodrow (F), Kaapo Kakko (F), Braden Schneider (D)
WHY: I don’t know if there are another two players out there who I think would so seamlessly drop into the Ducks lineup than Kakko and Schneider. They’re basically perfect semi-reclamation projects for the Anaheim coaching staff to work on. The right side of the forward group is thin behind Terry and the right side of the blueline lacks meaningful upside with Drysdale gone and Luneau recovering from an injury.
Vatrano is the prize here for the Rangers but I will never stop talking about how useful a player Lundestrom is and can be in a good situation. The Goodrow contract is a tire fire so you can pick which of the two young players is for the stuff going out the door and which is for the stuff coming in. Anaheim doesn’t get a pick here but I think that’s less of an issue given the potential and pedigree of the young players they are getting.
| Zegras | Carlsson | Kakko |
| Killorn | McTavish | Terry |
| Henrique | Goodrow | Strome |
| Silfverberg | Carrick | Jones |
| Johnston | Groulx | Leason |
| Fowler | Vaakanainen | Gibson |
| Mintyukov | Lyubushkin | Dostal |
| LaCombe | Gudas | |
| Schneider |
| Retention Slots Used |
TRADE 2: Rico Mountain High
OUT: Adam Henrique (F) (50% Retained), Urho Vaakanainen (D), 2024 PIT 3rd Round Pick
IN: Ryan Johansen (F), Calum Ritchie (F), COL 2024 1st Round Pick
WHY: A second line forward, an NHL defenseman, and a mid-round pick. It ain’t much but it’s honest work. The Johansen experiment has failed in spectacular fashion and now it’s up to Chris McFarland to pivot and find this team an actual second line center. Elias Lindholm would have been perfect in this role but the Avs don’t have Elias Lindholm so now they’re going to have to make do. Henrique may not have been the first choice but teams could do a hell of a lot worse too.
As far as the Ducks are concerned a late first round pick and strong prospect is the perfect package for your best classic rental type player. Ritchie is big, smart pivot and a right-shot to boot. You could argue it as either an improvement over or insurance for Nathan Gaucher. Either way I think it adds another natural center to the prospect pool and that is never a bad thing.
| Zegras | Carlsson | Kakko |
| Killorn | McTavish | Terry |
| Silfverberg | Johansen | Strome |
| Goodrow | Carrick | Jones |
| Johnston | Groulx | Leason |
| Fowler | Schneider | Gibson |
| Mintyukov | Lyubushkin | Dostal |
| LaCombe | Gudas | |
| Retention Slots Used | X |
TRADE 3: Girl, Bye
OUT: Ryan Johansen (F)
IN: Future Considerations
The Why: No. Absolutely not. Just, no.
| Zegras | Carlsson | Kakko |
| Killorn | McTavish | Terry |
| Silfverberg | Groulx | Strome |
| Goodrow | Carrick | Jones |
| Johnston | Leason |
| Fowler | Schneider | Gibson |
| Mintyukov | Lyubushkin | Dostal |
| LaCombe | Gudas | |
| Retention Slots Used | X |
TRADE 4: Sly and The Family Strome
OUT: Ryan Strome (F), Jacob Perrault (F)
IN: Anthony Mantha (F)
WHY: Washington adds a middle-six forward with offensive skill in Ryan Strome and a former first round pick in Jacob Perrault. Ducks get out from under Strome’s contract and only have to trade away a B- prospect to do it. If I’m being completely honest I’m kind of relying on the good vibes potential for the Capitals by reuniting the Strome brothers in the nation’s capital.
(If you told me the Ducks had to add a middle round draft pick to get this deal done I wouldn’t argue the point. I also wouldn’t hesitate to move on from the pick. I like what Ryan Strome potentially brings to this team but I’m not sure how much I’ve enjoyed what he’s actually brought. If I’m looking to make some extra room at the top of the Ducks lineup in a hypothetical universe, Strome is the player I’m looking to do so with.)
| Zegras | Carlsson | Kakko |
| Killorn | McTavish | Terry |
| Mantha | Groulx | Silfverberg |
| Goodrow | Carrick | Jones |
| Johnston | Leason |
| Fowler | Schneider | Gibson |
| Mintyukov | Lyubushkin | Dostal |
| LaCombe | Gudas | |
| Retention Slots Used | X |
TRADE 5: Wheelin’ and Dillon
OUT: Anthony Mantha (F)
IN: Brendan Dillon (D), WPG 2025 2nd Round Pick
WHY: The Jets are a bit of a wagon right now but sure could use some more scoring punch. A big scoring winger like Mantha could be just what the doctor ordered for a team looking to make a deep playoff run. No need to overthink this for them, send out a pick and some money and bring in a forward to add some juice.
Ducks don’t have their own second round pick next year so adding one to offset that loss makes sense. Dillon is a guy who can eat minutes down the stretch run for Anaheim. He’s largely ill-tempered and not all that good, perfect for a team looking to cement their place at the bottom of the standings. Or the top of the lottery depending on your point of view. Ina perfect world there would be a buyout window after the deadline the Ducks could use to let Dillon walk and find a new home but there isn’t so he stays.
| Zegras | Carlsson | Kakko |
| Killorn | McTavish | Terry |
| Goodrow | Groulx | Silfverberg |
| Jones | Carrick | Leason |
| Johnston |
| Fowler | Schneider | Gibson |
| Mintyukov | Lyubushkin | Dostal |
| LaCombe | Gudas | |
| Dillon |
| Retention Slots Used | X |
TRADE 6: Like Oil And Water
OUT: Ilya Lyubushkin (D)
IN: Mattias Janmark (F), EDM 2025 3rd Round Pick
WHY: Bottom pair, right-shot defenseman who kills penalties and finishes his checks. He’s exactly the guy contending teams are looking to add at the deadline and Ken Holland is exactly the guy to covet him. The Ducks sent Buffalo a 4th round pick in 2025 to get him. If they can get back a better pick trading him away after having him play damn near 1000 minutes alongside rookie defenseman Pavel Mintyukov, then I can’t imagine anyone would have much to complain about.
| Zegras | Carlsson | Kakko |
| Killorn | McTavish | Terry |
| Goodrow | Groulx | Silfverberg |
| Jones | Carrick | Janmark |
| Johnston | Leason |
| Fowler | Schneider | Gibson |
| Mintyukov | LaCombe | Dostal |
| Dillon | Gudas | |
| Retention Slots Used | X |
TRADE 7: Do Me A Favor, Don’t Domi No Favors
OUT: Jakob Silfverberg (F) (50% Retained), Max Jones (F)
IN: Max Domi (F), Ryan Reaves (F), Nicholas Robertson (F), TOR 2024 1st Round Pick
WHY: lol
| Zegras | Carlsson | Kakko |
| Killorn | McTavish | Terry |
| Goodrow | Groulx | Janmark |
| Robertson | Carrick | Leason |
| Johnston | Domi | Reaves |
| Fowler | Schneider | Gibson |
| Mintyukov | LaCombe | Dostal |
| Dillon | Gudas | |
| Retention Slots Used | X | X |
TRADE 8: You Deserve Each Other
OUT: Max Domi (F), Mattias Janmark (F)
IN: Viktor Arvidsson (F), LAK 2024 1st Round Pick
WHY: First and foremost, this keeps Max Domi from ever actually wearing a Ducks sweater. Secondly ,it sends two top-nine forwards to a team in desperate need of top-nine forwards. Are the assets worth a first? Probably not, but the Kings don’t have their second or third round picks this year. Besides, there is such a thing as a rivalry tax… right?
| Zegras | Carlsson | Kakko |
| Killorn | McTavish | Terry |
| Robertson | Groulx | Arvidsson |
| Goodrow | Carrick | Leason |
| Johnston | Reaves |
| Dillon | Fowler | Gibson |
| Mintyukov | Schneider | Dostal |
| LaCombe | Gudas | |
| Retention Slots Used | X | X |
Final Tally!
OUT: Frank Vatrano (F), Isac Lundestrom (F), Gustav Lindstrom (D), Adam Henrique (F), Urho Vaakanainen (D), Ryan Strome (F), Jacob Perrault (F), Ilya Lyubushkin (D), Jakob Silfverberg (F), Max Jones (F), PIT 2024 3rd Rd Pick
IN: Barclay Goodrow (F), Kaapo Kaako (F), Braden Schneider (D), Calum Ritchie (F), Brenden Dillon (D), Ryan Reaves (F), Nicholas Robertson (F), Viktor Arvidsson (F), COL 2024 1st Rd Pick, TOR 2024 1st Rd Pick, LAK 2024 1st Rd Pick, WPG 2025 2nd Rd Pick, EDM 2025 3rd Rd Pick
PASSING THROUGH: Ryan Johansen (F), Anthony Mantha (F), Mattias Janmark (F), Max Domi (F)
WHY: Anaheim adds picks, prospects, and roster players over the span of eight separate trades. Ending with four picks in the first round of this year’s draft alone is enough to make this little pet project a nominee for The Hugo Award. The Goodrow and Reaves contracts are especially burdensome but at the end of the day they can use futures to move on from both players, or just buy them out. It doesn’t make all that much difference in the bigger picture. Both Dillon and Arvidsson are free agents at the end of the year and Anaheim can let them both walk at no real cost to them. Sure, you could get cute and move them both again for another pick but you’re going to have to take money back to do so. One way or another, someone is going to have to just be let to walk once the season ends and I’m fine with it being these two guys. They’re both reasonable enough role players to fill out the lineup down the stretch run. We also preserved our final salary retention slot which allows us to get creative at the draft should the team look to move on from Gibson (or Fowler for that matter) once the playoffs have finished up and Tom Fitzgerald and the Devils are done fuckin’ around.
Final Lineup: Ready For Peer Review
| Zegras | Carlsson | Kakko |
| Killorn | McTavish | Terry |
| Robertson | Groulx | Arvidsson |
| Goodrow | Carrick | Leason |
| Johnston | Reaves |
| Dillon | Fowler | Gibson |
| Mintyukov | Schneider | Dostal |
| LaCombe | Gudas | |
| Zellweger |