DUCKS ON THE MENU FOR TRADE SEASON

TORONTO, ON — One month ago, the Anaheim Ducks were in a playoff spot, sitting in the first wildcard position in the Western Conference. Fast forward 30 days and the team is one point out of last place in the NHL with just two wins in their last 13 games.

It’s amazing what one month can do.

The Ducks aren’t nearly as good as their hot start to the season and they’re probably not as bad as their recent slump, but nobody expected this team to be a legitimate playoff contender this season as GM Pat Verbeek navigates a rebuild.

With Anaheim near the bottom of the standings, teams will begin to vulture in and target some of their tradeable pieces – and some have, already.

Defenceman Ilya Lyubushkin is on the radar of several teams, the Toronto Maple Leafs among them. He is in the final year of his contract and comes with a modest $2.75 million salary cap hit. He is all but guaranteed to be dealt by the March 8 trade deadline, but the Ducks are likely going to hold firm for the time being and try to maximize a return.

Forwards Adam Henrique and Jakob Silfverberg are also playing on expiring contracts, along with Sam Carrick, though both have limited no-trade clauses and will have some say in where they end up, if dealt.

Under the circumstances, Henrique is having a decent season, numbers wise, though Silfverberg has struggled and his ice time is reflective of that. Teams interested in either player will want the Ducks to retain up to 50 percent of their deals – Henrique has a $5.825 million cap hit, Silfverberg has a $5.25 million hit – and Verbeek has the ability and willingness to weaponize his cap space.

Aside from these pending free agents, the Ducks have two other players that have generated interest and will be on our Trade Watch List leading up to the deadline: left wing Frank Vatrano and goaltender John Gibson.

Vatrano, who has one more year left on his contract after this season and does not own any no-trade protection, has been one of the few consistent bright spots on the roster, leading the club with 14 goals in 27 games, to date. He has an attractive $3.65 million cap hit.

The 29-year-old is on pace for a career-high in goals and the Ducks appear willing to listen to inquiries, though they are not actively shopping him. This may fall under the “sell high” category, but if the right offer comes along, Verbeek will listen.

As for Gibson, who comes with a $6.4 million AAV through the 2026-27 campaign and a 10-team no-trade list, he will be a target for a team in need of a pure No.1 netminder Like last season, Anaheim is willing to listen, but it’s going to take a significant package to pry Gibson from Orange County.

A returning suspect may be the New Jersey Devils. From the outside looking in, it’s an obvious solution to New Jersey’s questions in net, but if Verbeek and Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald have had any conversations on the subject, it hasn’t entered the serious stage.

That won’t stop people from matchmaking, though, and it would certainly spice up the trade season after the All-Star break. I won’t object.

MORE TO COME IN ST. LOUIS?

Tip of the cap to Darren Dreger, who casually dropped a big nugget on Tuesday on TSN’s Insider Trading when he reported the St. Louis Blues could make a coaching change if they don’t get their act together.

Well, they didn’t, and after a 6-4 loss to the Detroit Red Wings last night, the Blues dropped the hammer, fired Craig Berube and brought in Drew Bannister as Interim Head Coach.

This move and punting Jakub Vrana to the waiver wire after being unable to trade him aren’t the only changes expected in St. Louis this season. Blues GM Doug Armstrong isn’t afraid to make big, bold transactions and he has already been exploring the trade market in hope of getting his club back on track.

Berube fell on the sword, a move that has initially been filled with mixed emotions from the fanbase, and I expect the team to continue to evaluate the market between now and the trade deadline.

Leading up to last season’s deadline, names like Colton Parayko and Torey Krug filled the phone lines. Krug later blocked a trade in June by invoking his no-trade clause to prevent a move to Philadelphia prior to the NHL Draft because he and his family did not want to leave St. Louis. Parayko also owns a full no-trade clause. Could Armstrong apply pressure again this season if he finds an acceptable deal? That wouldn’t shock me. Calgary was one of the teams that had interest in Parayko at that time under then-GM Brad Treliving.

The Blues are just one point back of a playoff spot in the West, so the sky isn’t exactly falling. But the bar was set higher going into this season and the team’s inconsistent performance forced Armstrong’s hand. I don’t get the sense he’ll just sit back now and wait to see how things play out.

HERE AND THERE

• As I mentioned Tuesday on NHL Network, there does not appear to be an imminent move involving Vancouver Canucks forward Andrei Kuzmenko. Yes, the Canucks are taking calls on him and GM Patrick Allvin is open to discussions, Kuzmenko’s $5.5 million cap hit will be a challenge to move. While Allvin is looking to create more cap flexibility, the Canucks are not interested in dumping his contract and any move is likely to be a talent-for-talent swap that gives them some financial wiggle room. But at this point in time, I am told it is premature to expect a trade in the near future.

• With some of the names floating around the Montreal Canadiens lately, expect to hear more buzz about veteran defenceman David Savard after the calendar flips to 2024. He has one more year left on his contract after this season and does not own any no-trade protection. For contenders looking for stability in the backend, Savard will draw interest.

• As I reported on Sunday, and reiterated Tuesday on NHL Network, the Detroit Red Wings have had trade conversations with multiple teams about young forward Jonatan Berggren, who is back up with the big club on an emergency loan and has two in two straight games. Two separate sources confirmed the Wings have had talks about the 23-year-old over the last few weeks and Berggren and his camp are aware that a move is possible. The Habs are one of the teams interested.

• The Pittsburgh Penguins picked up a much needed two points Tuesday night. They aren’t making a coaching change, but GM Kyle Dubas is looking around the League for help at both ends of the ice. They’d like to upgrade their bottom-six and third-pair defensive pairing.