Speculation: 2026-27 Trade/FA thread/Roster Thread - Waiting for the SCF to be over….

[KaseMeOutside]

Someone's ears were burning

Hes recklessly speculating we do not need a LHD

 

[tomd]

It absolutely is. Eklund is a known good player, whereas any pick can be a bust. OTOH, maybe they turn it into a home run. Or maybe it just ends up a break even player ... but you had to wait a few more years to get there.

So yeah, there's risk there. And almost certainly pushes their window out a little farther even if it pays off in the long run.

I would agree if Stenberg wasn’t there to replace Eklund very soon if not immediately.

 

[HanSolo]

Hate to be the bearer of bad news but the Ducks have exactly 2 legit NHL D on the roster right now and only one of them has a contract.

I didn't say we were doing better. I'm not worried about them winning a cup any time soon.

 

[FiveTacos]

I would agree if Stenberg wasn’t there to replace Eklund very soon if not immediately.

He's not a sure thing though. If he were, he'd be the consensus #1.

And even if he pans out, odds are it won't be a case of him producing 50+ points right out of the chute.

 

[cheesymc]

I asked Gemini what would be fair returns for Mctavish. I’m actually surprised it views Mctavish so highly so hopefully we get something like these returns if the trade happens. I’d probably prefer the Blues offer the best out of the three, although Tippetts speed would be a nice element to our team.

BLUES

To Anaheim: Colton Parayko + Dalibor Dvorsky + 2026 1st Round Pick (29th overall)

To St. Louis: Mason McTavish

By including the 29th pick instead of a lottery pick, St. Louis keeps the 11th, 15th, and 16th selections to completely dominate the 2026 Draft board, while Anaheim gets a premium young center, a top-four veteran RD, and a late first-rounder to offset taking on Parayko's contract length.

FLYERS

To Anaheim: Owen Tippett + Oliver Bonk (or Denver Barkey) + 2026 1st Round Pick

To St. Louis/Anaheim: Mason McTavish

Anaheim would only move McTavish if they were getting a top-tier prospect (like Bonk) and premium draft capital back alongside an established top-six scorer like Tippett.

CANADIANS

To Anaheim: David Reinbacher + Michael Hage + 2026 2nd Round Pick

To Montreal: Mason McTavish + 2026 4th Round Pick

This keeps the core of the hockey trade intact: Anaheim gets their future anchor on the right-side D plus a high-end center prospect, while Montreal gets their missing top-six puzzle piece to instantly push for a Stanley Cup window.

 

[robbieboy3686]

I asked Gemini what would be fair returns for Mctavish. I’m actually surprised it views Mctavish so highly so hopefully we get something like these returns if the trade happens. I’d probably prefer the Blues offer the best out of the three.

BLUES

To Anaheim: Colton Parayko + Dalibor Dvorsky + 2026 1st Round Pick (29th overall)

To St. Louis: Mason McTavish

By including the 29th pick instead of a lottery pick, St. Louis keeps the 11th, 15th, and 16th selections to completely dominate the 2026 Draft board, while Anaheim gets a premium young center, a top-four veteran RD, and a late first-rounder to offset taking on Parayko's contract length.

FLYERS

To Anaheim: Owen Tippett + Oliver Bonk (or Denver Barkey) + 2026 1st Round Pick

To St. Louis/Anaheim: Mason McTavish

Anaheim would only move McTavish if they were getting a top-tier prospect (like Bonk) and premium draft capital back alongside an established top-six scorer like Tippett.

CANADIANS

To Anaheim: David Reinbacher + Michael Hage + 2026 2nd Round Pick

To Montreal: Mason McTavish + 2026 4th Round Pick

This keeps the core of the hockey trade intact: Anaheim gets their future anchor on the right-side D plus a high-end center prospect, while Montreal gets their missing top-six puzzle piece to instantly push for a Stanley Cup window.

The beeker needs to put a call in to Gemini asap

 

[Ducks DVM]

Friedman on Oilers Now said he believes Anaheim is interested in Nurse.

Like this, you mean?

 

[MidwestQuack]

We shouldn’t have to give anything up, you kidding? I defended Pat on the Gibson and Trouba deals, but this is one with a terrible player who IMO isn’t even a top 6 option on a true contender and we’re in the division, even with retention, we better be getting assets coming back

I don’t want Nurse either but he’s not a terrible player. He has a giant microscope on him because of his inflated salary. If he was making 4 million a year, people would think of him as a solid player.

 

[Hockey Duckie]

He's not a sure thing though. If he were, he'd be the consensus #1.

And even if he pans out, odds are it won't be a case of him producing 50+ points right out of the chute.

Being a consensus #1 doesn't equal a sure thing either. Sennecke wasn't a consensus #1.

Anyhow, Stenberg was able to produce at a high rate in a men's league at age 18. Higher than both Eklund and Leo Carlsson at age 18. That gives Stenberg a bigger head start over CHL prospects and a bit of a head start over NCAA prospects. What makes Stenberg's situation supportive of being a bigger contributor is that he is being added to a cast already set with some offense with the Sharks. Maybe Stenberg plays with Celebrini, who notched 115 points last year. That's akin to adding Sennecke to the Ducks who already had Carlsson, Cutter, and McTavish. Sennecke got 60 points in his rookie season.

 

[Hockey Duckie]

View attachment 1258412

Like this, you mean?

Animaniacs version is highly welcomed. The Oiler version, well...

 

[CrazyDuck4u]

Animaniacs version is highly welcomed. The Oiler version, well...

They don't make cartoons like this anymore

 

[duckpuck]

The contract value is fake news.

He's a pending UFA. Byram's contract is going to be an overpay . . . or worse they trade all those assets and lose him.

Half the production though.

Judging D-men (Mindy vs Byram) based on offensive production is a fallacy. Personally, my top 4 dmen need to actually play defense and be strong with zone entries.

 

[HanSolo]

I would agree if Stenberg wasn’t there to replace Eklund very soon if not immediately.

Being a consensus #1 doesn't equal a sure thing either. Sennecke wasn't a consensus #1.

Anyhow, Stenberg was able to produce at a high rate in a men's league at age 18. Higher than both Eklund and Leo Carlsson at age 18. That gives Stenberg a bigger head start over CHL prospects and a bit of a head start over NCAA prospects. What makes Stenberg's situation supportive of being a bigger contributor is that he is being added to a cast already set with some offense with the Sharks. Maybe Stenberg plays with Celebrini, who notched 115 points last year. That's akin to adding Sennecke to the Ducks who already had Carlsson, Cutter, and McTavish. Sennecke got 60 points in his rookie season.

I think all this misses the point. No one is saying Stenberg isnt a good pick and it makes sense that deciding on Stenberg (or McKenna if Toronto gets squirrely) makes Eklund a lot more expendable to shore up the defense. But they didn't trade Eklund for second overall. They traded for 9th overall.

I don't know, for me, I see this draft having a solid top 7-8 guys with strong NHL potential. Maybe the 7 guys I have in mind don't all go number 7 but if the idea is that they're gonna use 9th overall to draft their defensive reinforcements there's a lot that can go wrong after trading a proven commodity for what is essentially a higher odds dice roll.

Eklund managed 53 points largely playing with middle 6 players (his most productive quarter came while playing with Wennberg and one of Skinner, Kurashev or Toffoli). That's of value to a team looking for young forward talent. As in, that's the kind of asset you can use to get an established roster player. And by all accounts, it sounds like they tried to go after Byram before and after making the 9th ovr trade but got outbid in the end. Even though I feel like Byram is gonna be asking for more money than he's currently worth, that to me makes more sense for a team like San Jose who need help on D regardless of side than trading a known commodity for a gamble chance at the draft. Nobody forced Grier to make this trade right now.

And the only reason I even care this much is I came into this thread after a week of offseason silence specifically because I didn't like the propositions being thrown around that we move McTavish for futures including for 9th overall +. And McTavish certainly should have less value than Eklund even if the former is a center with lingering capacity to stick as a 2c. To me, I'd be upset if the Ducks were in San Jose's exact situation and Verbeek made this trade.

Is it the worst deal San Jose could have done? Of course not. But the risk at the draft is higher at 9 than it would be if it were, say, top 5. So, to me, it would've made more sense to sit tight and package Eklund for D help with an established roster quality player than to make this trade. More guys will become suddenly available as more trades are made and signings are done in FA. This wasn't their one and only chance to make an impact move with Eklund. But if the pick is flipped, it's a different story.

Ddit: then again, San Jose is a team that I wish failure on so I also hope I'm right. But that's not really governing my opinion here.

 

[tomd]

He's a pending UFA. Byram's contract is going to be an overpay . . . or worse they trade all those assets and lose him.

well, I went on the record saying it was a terrible terrible trade for Chicago and if the contract value is accurate then it just makes it that much worse. But I'm not going to believe the contract numbers until they are official or at least reported by a more reputable source. Not sure "Lucas" really has the goods on this one.

 

[GunnarStahl]

Let’s keep the personal attacks to PM’s please.

Check your inbox. Or maybe don't...

 

[Masch78]

I am ok with Nurse if the price is low. He will make 7m per in cash.

 

[KaseMeOutside]

Brandon Carlo has awful underlying numbers that's a do not touch for me

 

[Vipers31]

I don’t totally hate the Nurse idea - we’ll more likely than not have to deal with some left-handed guys playing the right side, which isn’t too much of a drama in itself (the bigger problem is finding a reduced role for him, which we might not have to offer, unless a kid steps up or there’s another deal to be made). He’s probably decent value at like $6.5M, and since I can’t see the Oilers retaining that much, we should get assets for taking him at a higher cap hit. But given how things are going around the league, there might be enough of a bidding tussle to allow the Oilers to ship him out in a more favorable deal.

 

[Kalv]

I asked Gemini what would be fair returns for Mctavish. I’m actually surprised it views Mctavish so highly so hopefully we get something like these returns if the trade happens. I’d probably prefer the Blues offer the best out of the three, although Tippetts speed would be a nice element to our team.

BLUES

To Anaheim: Colton Parayko + Dalibor Dvorsky + 2026 1st Round Pick (29th overall)

To St. Louis: Mason McTavish

By including the 29th pick instead of a lottery pick, St. Louis keeps the 11th, 15th, and 16th selections to completely dominate the 2026 Draft board, while Anaheim gets a premium young center, a top-four veteran RD, and a late first-rounder to offset taking on Parayko's contract length.

FLYERS

To Anaheim: Owen Tippett + Oliver Bonk (or Denver Barkey) + 2026 1st Round Pick

To St. Louis/Anaheim: Mason McTavish

Anaheim would only move McTavish if they were getting a top-tier prospect (like Bonk) and premium draft capital back alongside an established top-six scorer like Tippett.

CANADIANS

To Anaheim: David Reinbacher + Michael Hage + 2026 2nd Round Pick

To Montreal: Mason McTavish + 2026 4th Round Pick

This keeps the core of the hockey trade intact: Anaheim gets their future anchor on the right-side D plus a high-end center prospect, while Montreal gets their missing top-six puzzle piece to instantly push for a Stanley Cup window.

What was the prompt? Even for an AI these are higly optimistic, ha. Good for us but laughable for the other team.

 

[The Duck Knight]

Brandon Carlo has awful underlying numbers that's a do not touch for me

That's largely a product of playing on a Toronto defense that had 1 single puck mover in Rielly who isn't elite himself. I think Carlo would look a lot better on a team like ours which has plenty of good to great puck movers. And if he's not that's fine. It'd just be a cheap option to provide competition to the young RD's we have.

Big big f*** no to Nurse at 4x9.2. Let Philly make that mistake. There is absolutely no reason we should be bailing out a divisional foe. Especially not one that is probably going to lose the best player in the world if they don't win next year. If you want to waste that much cap may as well just throw 4x9 at Trouba who you know is a fit.

 

[Hey234]

What a crazy day. Super fun to see all these trades. Definitely a seller's market, and the Ducks have assets. There are a few key facts: PV wants a top 6 forward and at least 1 top 4 RHD, McTavish is on the trade block, and Martin specifically stated the Ducks want to move up in the draft. Really curious to see what Verbeek focuses on.

 

[Hey234]

Of all he rumored players, Hronek, Larkin, and Knies are the top 3 I would pursue in that order. Hronek fits the biggest need now and long-term but is he actually available? Larkin would be huge but with the trades today, will it be too much? Knies would score a lot but I still don't see why they would trade him. With so much uncertainty, I hope Verbeek is actually able to get some real help.

 

[KaseMeOutside]

That's largely a product of playing on a Toronto defense that had 1 single puck mover in Rielly who isn't elite himself. I think Carlo would look a lot better on a team like ours which has plenty of good to great puck movers. And if he's not that's fine. It'd just be a cheap option to provide competition to the young RD's we have.

Big big f*** no to Nurse at 4x9.2. Let Philly make that mistake. There is absolutely no reason we should be bailing out a divisional foe. Especially not one that is probably going to lose the best player in the world if they don't win next year. If you want to waste that much cap may as well just throw 4x9 at Trouba who you know is a fit.

The underlying numbers aren't very good with Boston either from what im seeing

 

[The Duck Knight]

The underlying numbers aren't very good with Boston either from what im seeing

MoneyPuck.com -Shot Maps

Career and Game by Game Stats and Shot Maps For Each NHL Player

moneypuck.com

It's a lot better than it looked in Toronto. And even if he's bad that's fine because he only has a year left and should be cheap to acquire. Far better for future flexibility than taking a chance on a Nurse or Rielly dump and then also forcing one of our young lefties to play the right side.