Anaheim Ducks
Maple Leafs Have Interest in Hated Ducks Captain, Others in the Mix
There is interest in Radko Gudas on the open market and the Toronto Maple Leafs are shocking among the teams kicking tires.
The Toronto Maple Leafs continue to look for ways to change up their defense core. Having already made a trade to acquire Emil Andrae from the Philadelphia Flyers, there’s another blueliner on their radar. This one might become available because there is a gap between what he wants and what the Anaheim Ducks are willing to give.
That defenseman is Radko Gudas, and ESPN analyst and NHL insider Kevin Weekes suggests that he could be coveted by at least two teams on the open market.
Kevin Weekes posted, “Per sources, I’m told Anaheim Ducks Captain D Gudas is gaining interest in the marketplace. If him & Ducks can’t get a deal done, @FlaPanthers @MapleLeafs are among potential fits. He’s physical, experienced, playoff tested, on a 2-3Yr term between 3.5M-4M+AAV.”
If Gudas leaves the Ducks, it really won’t be a huge surprise. He was made a healthy scratch during the Ducks’ first-round playoff series with the Edmonton Oilers. He didn’t play against the Vegas Golden Knights. The bad news, however, is that this could be the third defenseman the Ducks lose from the 2025-26 roster.
John Carlson has informed the team that he is headed to free agency and won’t be back. He prefers to play out East. Jacob Trouba might also be thinking about testing the market. If Gudas goes, that’s three right-shot defensemen suddenly gone. As for what Gudas can get on the open market, that will be intriguing to see. If two teams are competing (maybe more), he might get close to the $4 million per season he was making last year in a rising salary cap situation. Given that he has played only 56 games last year and sat out the playoffs, that would be an overpayment.
Also worth noting is that Toronto might be interested, given the players on the Maple Leafs roster’s hatred for him. This is the same Gudas who went knee-on-knee with Auston Matthews and knocked Matthews out for the rest of the season.
For the Panthers, it would be a return for Gudas, who played there between 2020 and 2023. He had some of his better seasons in Florida, leaving just before they won back-to-back Stanley Cups.
Next: Maple Leafs Prospect System No Longer Works the Old Way
Discover more from NHL Trade Talk
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
More News
