Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
The Anaheim Ducks have been one of the best teams in the NHL this season, and despite a few hiccups along the way, have been staying atop the Pacific Division and NHL standings for most of the season.
They currently sit behind only the Nashville Predators with 87 points, and of their last 10 games, the Ducks have a record of 5-5-0. The biggest concern for Anaheim in recent seasons has been on the defensive side of things, and although the team has seen Sami Vatanen and Hampus Lindholm shine this season, if there is hope for a deep run in the playoffs, it was pretty clear the team needed to boost the blue line.
This year, general manager Bob Murray did just that, acquiring Simon Despres from the Pittsburgh Penguins, James Wisniewski from the Columbus Blue Jackets, Tomas Fleischmann from the Florida Panthers, Korbinian Holzer from the Toronto Maple Leafs and Michael Sgarbossa from the Colorado Avalanche. In exchange, Murray gave away Rene Bourque, Dany Heatley, Ben Lovejoy, Eric Brewer, William Karlsson, Mat Clark and some picks.
Murray clearly knows his way around a trade deadline, not giving up much but getting back a lot in return. The two biggest trades are probably for Depres and Wisniewski, both of whom should help add depth and grit to the Anaheim blue line.
It’s also good to see Murray get rid of Bourque and Heatley, both of whom have been pretty underwhelming this season, especially Heatley, a two-time 50-goal scorer who hasn’t been able to find that pace in seasons.
With this new roster, it will be interesting to see how the Ducks match up against Western Conference rivals the Los Angeles Kings and Chicago Blackhawks, who have arguably been the best two teams in the league for a few seasons now.
Kayla Demint is an Anaheim Ducks writer for www.RantSports.com. You can follow her on Twitter, Like her on Facebook or add her to your network on Google.
