Grading The Ducks Trade Deadline

Photo: AP

By Thomas Harrington

I liked Bob Murray’s moves at the trade deadline. I felt that he got good value in all of the moves that he made. He was able to move some players who weren’t doing much for Anaheim. Murray didn’t make any giant blockbusters but did fix some mistakes that he had made over the previous year.

My biggest criticism is that I did want him to try and get a few more draft picks, but he didn’t get much at the deadline. However, he did get an extra first-round pick a few days before the deadline in the Ondrej Kase deal, so that helps mitigate this criticism.

Thoughts On Each Trade

Derek Grant Trade: Grade B-

My least favorite trade that Murray made. Not because Grant was traded, but because of what the Ducks got back, a fourth-round pick and Kyle Criscuolo. That’s a decent return for a fourth-line center, but for the season that Grant was having, I was hoping to get more back from him.

Nick Ritchie Trade: Grade B+

One of my two favorite trades the Ducks made at the deadline, Murray was able to get a good return for the struggling Ritchie. Ritchie has never lived up to being the 10th overall pick. Danton Heinen is about the same age, is better defensively, and has a 47 point season under his belt. He’s not as physical as Ritchie, but I’ll take that tradeoff.

Devin Shore Trade: Grade A-

My other favorite move of the day saw Murray send Shore to Columbus for Sonny Milano. Shore was acquired for Andrew Cogliano last year and had a decent end to the season, but has not fit in well with the Ducks this year. Milano is far from a perfect player, but his offensive upside is significantly higher than Shore.

Daniel Sprong Trade: Grade B-

Similar to Shore, Sprong just didn’t fit in with the Ducks this year and spent most of his time in San Diego. Christian Djoos has a decent offensive upside and will hopefully help a struggling Anaheim powerplay. If he doesn’t work out with the Ducks, he could be a huge addition for the Gulls for the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Korbinian Holzer Trade: Grade B

like Holzer a lot, but he can be overmatched at times. Getting Matt Irwin from him was essentially a swapping of bottom pairing players. However, adding in an extra sixth-round pick for the Ducks makes me like this deal quite a bit more.

Angus Redmond Trade: Grade B

The Ducks sent Redmond and a conditional seventh-round pick in 2022 to Edmonton for Joel Persson. Redmond was having a strong season in the ECHL but had struggled in his first two professional seasons. He’s going to be a free agent this summer and I wasn’t expecting the Ducks to extend him, so giving up Redmond and a conditional seventh pick for more defensive help is a good deal in my books.

Overall, I’d give Murray a B on the trade deadline. He got good value in every deal, and a couple of the deals could end up working out really well for the Ducks. Also, Anaheim didn’t give up anything that they couldn’t live without, a must for a rebuilding team.

Related Articles:

Kase Traded To Boston

Fan Reactions To Kase Trade

Grant Traded To Philadelphia

2020 Trade Deadline Recap

Fan Reactions To Ducks Deadline Day

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February 27th, 2020