Colorado Avalanche Rumors: Analyzing the Anaheim Ducks as Trade Partners
The Colorado Avalanche continue to dominate the rumor mill, and the next team up for analysis happens to be the Anaheim Ducks.
Aside from the Carolina Hurricanes, the Anaheim Ducks present the best trade partners for the Colorado Avalanche to consider.
For another look at some Ducks’ prospects, check this piece out by my co-editor Nadia Archuleta.
The Ducks could use one more forward in their top six to make a Stanley Cup run, and the holes on the Avs’ blueline are no secret.
Furthermore, the Ducks are going to have a difficult time protecting all of their defensive assets in the expansion draft, so they might want to make a trade to get value for them.
More From Mile High Sticking: Building Next Season’s Defensive Pairings
And boy oh boy do the Ducks have some enticing young talent coming up on their blueline. They simply cannot afford to hold onto every piece in the future, and even if they could, they don’t have enough room on their blueline.
They will eventually have to make a trade, and it seems like that trade could be coming sooner than later.
Today, the Ducks are up for trade partner analysis, so let’s take a look at the potential targets.
Shea Theodore
The Ducks are much like the Hurricanes in that they have eight defensemen currently on their roster or in their system who are all 25 and under. Furthermore, said defensemen all have serious potential to play in the top four, and a couple more have top-pairing potential.
Shea Theodore is just one of those promising defensemen. He hasn’t played much in the NHL yet, but he’s still only 21 years old, and he is going to be good someday soon. He’s been successful in the AHL since the 2014-15 season, and he should be ready for full-time NHL duty next year.
Theodore is a left-handed shot as well, and even with Chris Bigras and Nikita Zadorov expected to make impacts soon, he’d still be a valuable acquisition for the Avs.
He moves the puck well, he can quarterback the power play, and he’s also extremely responsible defensively. He still has much to learn, and there would certainly be some growing pains, but he is definitely a prospect I’d be alright with the Avs targeting.
Let’s move onto the next player on this list.
Brandon Montour
The AHL has been Brandon Montour’s palace of success since he joined the league back during the 2014-15 season. And this season is no different, as he has 30 points in 34 games with the San Diego Gulls.
Montour was recently called up to the NHL too, and he scored a goal on February 4 in his first game back in the NHL since January 4. He has only played seven games in the NHL — all this season — but he now has one goal and is averaging nearly 16 minutes in ice time.
More From Mile High Sticking: Analyzing Nikita Zadorov’s Contract Worth
Brandon Montour has the skill set to become a dominate offensive defenseman in this league. However, he is also extremely aware positionally and has the potential to develop into a great asset in his own zone as well.
Nonetheless, just like with any offensively minded defenseman, Montour can take risks that get him into trouble. He is still learning when to jump into the play, and when to hang back. However, if he can get even better at his positional play, and add a little weight, Montour has an extremely high upside.
Let’s move on to the next defenseman on this list.
Josh Manson
If the Avs are looking for a different breed of defenseman, then Josh Manson is their guy.
He’s not going to put up a bunch of points, he’s not going to “wow” anyone in the offensive zone; however, Manson will certainly get the crowd jumping with huge hits in his own zone, and sound defensive play.
Manson is in his second full NHL season, and he is really starting to come into his own. He is averaging just under 19 minutes for the Ducks this season, and he starts 50.6 percent of his shifts in the defensive zone. Manson also has a 52.5 Corsi-for percentage*, and he lays hits like this:
That’s up there for hits of the year with Nikita Zadorov’s from the other night. However, I think he’s headhunting a little bit with that one, and both of his skates leave the ice. He certainly has to be careful about laying the body like that.
Nonetheless, having another bruising presence on the blueline along with Zads would certainly be something the Avs could benefit from.
Let’s move on to the next player on this list.
*All stats taken from hockey-reference.com.
Nick Ritchie
If I’m the Avs, and I’m considering a trade with the Ducks, then there is only one forward I consider from their organization — Nick Ritchie.
Ritchie has developed slowly considering he is a former No. 10 overall pick, but his ceiling is still high. He had 30 points in 38 games — along with 8 points in 9 playoff games — for the San Diego Gulls in the 2015-16 season, which was his first in the AHL.
He made the jump to the NHL for 33 games last season as well, but he didn’t perform particularly well. This year, he made the Ducks right out of training camp, and he has had an alright season. Ritchie has 18 points in 53 games with the Ducks this season, and he’s starting to find his game.
More From Mile High Sticking: Erik Johnson Should Return to the Avs Soon
The future is still bright for Nick Ritchie as he is still only 21 years old. Furthermore, Nick Ritchie is a bruising forward at 6’2″ and 230 pounds — he is the prototypical power forward. He has a great shot, and he is a beast on the forecheck. Nonetheless, Ritchie’s potential probably has him leveling out as a reliable 2nd line power forward who can consistently put up 50 points.
I could see that number increasing to 60 points as well, but he is not going to be a superstar. Nonetheless, I’ll bite my tongue if that ends up happening because that kind of development is not completely out of the question for Ritchie.
Anyway, let’s move onto the final player in this analysis.
Hampus Lindholm
I would love to see the Avs find a way to acquire Hampus Lindholm, but the likelihood is just not realistic.
Lindholm is the type of defenseman that teams build franchises around. He has the potential to be a 40-50 point producer every year that plays in every situation, and impacts every aspect of the game his team plays.
Lindholm can quarterback the power play, but he can also be the defenseman that starts in his own zone more often than not.
More From Mile High Sticking: Matt Duchene’s Future in Limbo
This season alone, Lindholm is second on the team in ice time at 22:01 per game, and he also starts 51.2 percent of his shifts in the defensive zone. Lindholm also has a 53.6 Corsi-for percentage, which is good for second on the team*. He is only on pace for 15 points, but he missed 13 games earlier this season.
And, the best part about it is that Lindholm is only 23 years old. Basically, Lindholm is the type of defenseman that teams don’t willingly trade, the offer has to be amazing, and I’m just not sure that the Avs have what it takes.
Conclusion
The rumor that I linked to on the first page speculates that the Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Anaheim Ducks could all be involved in this deal. However, it is just a rumor.
Nonetheless, multiple team deals are made all the time, and they generally work in the favor of all the parties involved. Sometimes it’s not possible to get a deal done between two parties.
It’s also unclear who the Ducks want from the Avs. Over the summer, there was a rumor involving Gabe Landeskog and Hampus Lindholm, but that rumor is probably inconsequential now.
Matt Duchene seems to be the most desirable of the two main targets on the Avs, but Gabe Landeskog had a great game on Tuesday night, and could be rounding back into form.
Next: Analyzing the Mark Barberio Waiver Claim
It’s also clear that Jarome Iginla wants a chance to play for the Cup this season, so he could be included as a consolation prize in any deal as well.
If the Avs and Ducks do plan on working together in a trade, then the Avs need to target one of the prospects listed above. My favorite is obviously Hampus Lindholm, but the Avs are not likely to acquire him. If they can’t, then I believe they need to target Shea Theodore.
Theodore has the offensive upside necessary to the direction of speed that the Avs are taking, but he is also an extremely responsible two-way defenseman.
The trade deadline is approaching folks, and change may be on the horizon. Keep checking back for more team analyses.