NHL Draft: Trading Into 16th Through 22nd

http://nhlwallpapers10.net/

By Thomas Harrington

With the top 15 done, it’s time to turn our attention to teams picking between 16th and 22nd overall in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft and what potential deals, if any, the Ducks could make to move up in the first round.

I’ll follow the same criteria as before so you won’t see Ryan Getzlaf, Ryan Kesler, Corey Perry, Patrick Eaves, Ryan Miller, Andrew Cogliano, Rickard Rakell, Cam Fowler, Josh Manson, John Gibson, Adam Henrique, Brandon Montour, and Hampus Lindholm in any of the below deals. The players who I think Anaheim would most likely deal are Nick Ritchie and Korbinian Holzer, as well as various prospects and picks. With most of these picks being relatively close to Anaheim’s, Jakob Silfverberg will no longer be included in any potential deals, nor will Ondrej Kase. It’s just not worth giving up either of those two players to move up only a few picks.

Also, none of Anaheim’s top prospects will be included in these deals. Given that none of these deals will see the Ducks move up dramatically in what is a wide-open draft, it’s doubtful the Ducks will want to give up much in any potential deal. Again, given the wide-open nature of this draft, a player who Anaheim ranks at 18th overall could still be available at 23rd overall. Players who could be available in this range include Rasmus Kupari, Ty Dellandrea, Rasmus Sandin, Akil Thomas, Ryan McLeod, Jett Woo, Serron Noel, Grigori Denisenko, and Isac Lundestrom.

16th Pick – Colorado

After being the worst team in the league in the 2016-2017 season, and one of the worst teams in the cap era, the Avalanche returned to the postseason. Colorado’s offense is led by Hart Trophy candidate Nathan MacKinnon, and they don’t need a ton of help at forward, at least not that the Ducks can offer. On defense, the Avalanche have eight players signed for next season, and five for at least two years. The Avs also have eight picks in this draft. In other words, it’s unlikely the Ducks could offer up a package to entice Colorado to make a trade for the 16th overall pick. The best the Ducks could offer up is their own first round pick and their second, but no more than that.

17th Pick – New Jersey

The New Jersey Devils hold the 17th overall pick. Given the recent trade history between the two teams, it’s entirely possible that potential deals involving their first round picks have already been tossed around. The Devils have a number of forwards becoming free agents this summer and could use a spare forward or two. The Devils already have a number of former Anaheim forwards on its roster, so maybe they’d like another. The Deal I would do is Anaheim’s first rounder, along with the rights to Kevin Roy. Roy played over 20 NHL games this past season and maybe a full-time NHL player as early as next season. He’s a restricted free agent, but shouldn’t cost too much to re-sign. He’s one of Anaheim’s higher-skilled prospects, but he’s also one of their older ones, and the Ducks do need to make some choices among their forward prospects of who to keep and who to let go.

18th Pick – Columbus

The Columbus Blue Jackets hold the 18th overall pick and are the only NHL team who has yet to win a playoff series. They are definitely a team who would trade their first rounder for immediate roster help. Similar to Edmonton, Silfverberg would look incredibly attractive to them, but Silfverberg alone wouldn’t be worth it for the 18th overall pick. However, the Blue Jackets only have five picks in this draft, so instead, what I’d propose is Ritchie, Anaheim’s second round pick, and one of Anaheim’s third round picks for the 18th overall pick. Columbus would get a physical, young forward, as well as two picks, while the Ducks would get an extra first rounder. Alternatively, if Columbus doesn’t want to trade out of the first round, the Ducks could offer up the 23rd overall pick along with one of their third-round picks.

19th Pick – Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Flyers are picking 19th, with their second first-round selection. At this point, the Ducks would probably prefer to not give up any roster players to move up just a few spots. Instead, they’d probably prefer to package the 23rd pick with a lower level prospect or pick. For this, the Ducks could offer up Jaycob Megna or Andy Welinski and the 23rd overall pick for the 19th overall pick.

20th Pick – Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Kings have the 20th overall pick in the first round. The Ducks and Kings almost never make trades. The last trade between them happened way back in 2008 when the Ducks sent Sean O’Donnell for a conditional third-round pick. Therefore, I think that it’s safe to say that the Ducks will not be trading for the 20th pick.

21st Pick – San Jose

San Jose holds the 21st overall pick. Similar to the Kings, the Ducks and the Sharks are rarely trade partners. The last time the two teams made a deal was in 2009 when the Ducks sent Kent Huskins and Travis Moen to the Sharks for Nick Bonino, Timo Pielmeier, and a conditional fourth-round pick. So it’s pretty doubtful that a deal would happen between these two teams.

22nd Pick – Ottawa

The Ottawa Senators hold the 22nd overall pick, the final pick before the Ducks make their selection. The deal for this would be pretty simple, Anaheim’s 23rd pick and one of their third-round picks, or possibly their second-round pick if the Ducks really like someone and Ottawa isn’t really looking to trade back a spot.

While it’s unlikely that the Ducks trade up at the draft, and even more unlikely to trade into the top 10, it’s still fun to take a look and see what might happen. While it’s possible that one of these presented ideas might be close to an actual deal, if the Ducks do make a trade, it’s much more likely going to be something that surprises all of us.

Look for my prediction of who I think the Ducks will draft with the 23rd overall pick in the days leading up to the draft.

Related:

Trading Into The Top Five

Trading Into 6th Through 10th

Trading Into 11th Through 15th

Want to start your sports media career? Then Join The Puck Network!

DucksNPucks is part of The Puck Network, which covers the entire NHL. There are openings to cover your favorite team(s) and earn school credits! If you are interested, then apply by filling out the form here: Join Our Team. What are you waiting for? Start your sports media career TODAY!

June 9th, 2018