Should Anaheim trade a goalie?
Which high-flying teams are in for a fall? When should the Anaheim Ducks trade a goalie? Should Ray Emery’s fight spark a rule change? All these questions and more in this week’s mailbag. And remember, if you want to send in your question or comment on anything hockey-related, send it in here, and you may find it published in a future column.
What would be the ideal return that the Ducks would want, should they trade away one of the goalies they have in their surplus? And when would be the best time to do that?
Chris, Los Angeles
In a perfect world, Ducks general manager Bob Murray could swap one of the goalies for help on defense. But if you look at the teams that need help in goal (Oilers, Islanders), they’re not particularly deep on defense, either. The reality is that teams trying to add goaltending during the season would rather send prospects and draft picks the other way in return. Contending teams rarely like to subtract off their roster to add a player.
In my opinion, it could pay off to be patient here if you’re the Ducks. As the deadline gets closer, Stanley Cup contenders such as the Blues or Penguins may decide they want to shore up their goaltending. Or there might be an injury somewhere else on which the Ducks can capitalize. Murray is in a good spot with his goalies; he should be patient.
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