As per a report by Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman, the Anaheim Ducks have let it be known they will gauge interest on their pending UFAs and other teams have been told to make offers if they are interested. As Friedman points out, this doesn’t guarantee that these UFAs will be traded, only that the likelihood of that happening has gone up and that the Ducks may be running into issues getting details of their respective extensions worked out.
Related: Giroux Mentioned as Part of Massive Potential Flyers and Panthers Trade
Friedman writes, “ANA GM Pat Verbeek has notified teams he is willing to gauge the market on his free agents. It doesn’t necessarily mean one (or all) will be traded, but he is doing his due diligence.” Among the names most notable here are Josh Manson, Hampus Lindholm, Rickard Rakell and Ryan Getzlaf. All are names that have been mentioned in recent trade speculation but most, if not all, are also names that the Ducks were believed to have wanted to keep in the organization.
Verbeek made it known that his priority was to re-sign these players after recently accepting the job as GM. If he’s now shifting to testing the trade market, it’s safe to assume that negotiations haven’t gone as well as the Ducks might have hoped. In Lindholm’s case, the buzz is that the Ducks are concerned with offering too much term. Lindholm likely knows he’ll do well on the open market, so there’s no real reason for him to settle.
It’s not clear which teams will step forward but Lindholm has been linked to the St. Louis Blues in rumors and Manson would certainly be on the radar of a team like Toronto or Edmonton — even though it’s not believed he’s keen to come to Canada and play.
Some have commented that this isn’t much more than a report a GM is doing his job and talking to teams ahead of the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline. But, if Verbeek is actively reaching out to other teams and asking them to make offers, he’s certainly less focused on signing these players than he was even a week ago.
Next: Canadiens Might Trade Shea Weber’s Contract in Deadline Deal, Wild A Fit
