The 2024 NHL Trade Deadline has passed, and the Anaheim Ducks made several moves. As one of the worst teams in the league, the Ducks were in a position to sell off some expiring assets in exchange for picks and prospects to help build a stronger roster soon.
This is general manager Pat Verbeek’s third trade deadline steering the ship in Anaheim, and all have been as sellers. This obviously isn’t his fault, as he inherited a mess of a roster with bad contracts and declining players. After a few years of selling, Bob Murray’s influence on the current roster continues to diminish as Adam Henrique and Jakob Silfverberg’s contracts are set to expire.
Related: Ducks News & Rumors: Vatrano, Henrique, Zellweger & McTavish
The week leading up to the trade deadline was busy for Verbeek. In total, he swapped three expiring contracts for three draft picks, pulled off a prospect-for-prospect deal, and used a late pick to shore up the roster. Here are all four deals leading up to the deadline and a grade for each one.
Ilya Lyubushkin to the Toronto Maple Leafs
Anaheim receives a 2025 third-round pick from Toronto. Toronto receives Ilya Lyubushkin and the signing rights to Kirill Slepets. Anaheim retains 50% of Lyubushkin’s salary. The Carolina Hurricanes retain 50% of Lyubushkin’s salary and receive a 2024 sixth-round pick from the Maple Leafs.
The finer details of a three-team trade with double retention are incredibly complicated. Still, the result for Anaheim is straightforward — the Ducks retain half of Ilya Lyubushkin’s $2.75 million contract, and the Maple Leafs send over a 2025 third-round pick. The Russian defenseman appeared in 55 games for the Ducks this season, recording four points and averaging just over 17 minutes of ice time per night.
Lyubushkin was a prime candidate to be moved at the deadline since Anaheim acquired him from the Buffalo Sabres in August. The Ducks used the 2025 fourth-round pick they acquired from the Minnesota Wild in the John Klingberg trade to nab him, and they got a third-round pick for moving him to a contender. In the interim, they had a solid depth blueliner who was a valuable locker-room presence for rookie and fellow defensive countryman Pavel Mintyukov.
While a third-round selection isn’t the most exciting haul, these are the kind of moves that help push a rebuild forward. Verbeek used Anaheim’s abundance of assets and salary cap space to acquire a veteran player, and he later flipped that player for more than what he spent. The Ducks draft well in the middle rounds, as some of Anaheim’s third-round picks in recent years include Lukas Dostal, Sasha Pastujov, Tyson Hinds, and Yegor Sidorov.
Grade: B+
Adam Henrique and Sam Carrick to the Edmonton Oilers
Anaheim receives a 2024 first-round pick and a 2025 conditional fifth-round pick from Edmonton. Edmonton receives Adam Henrique, Sam Carrick, and the signing rights to Ty Taylor. Anaheim retains 50% of Henrique’s and Carrick’s salaries. Tampa Bay retains an additional 50% of Henrique’s salary and receives a conditional 2025 fourth-round pick.
The Ducks’ biggest deal around the deadline was an in-division move, sending Adam Henrique and Sam Carrick to the Edmonton Oilers. Henrique was third on the team in scoring with 42 points this season and is well within range of reaching his career-high of 52. Carrick, a veteran of 471 American Hockey League (AHL) and 225 NHL games, is among the league leaders with eight fighting majors, including one in his Oilers debut on March 7.
Henrique and Carrick were fan favorites in Anaheim for different reasons. Henrique was acquired by the Ducks in 2017 and only appeared in four postseason games before the roster fell apart and required rebuilding. He’s been one of the most consistent players during the worst stretch in Ducks history, with his 264 points tying Scott Niedermayer for tenth in the franchise. Carrick was a long-time AHL player who found a home in Anaheim’s bottom-six with his physical style of play.
Henrique was Anaheim’s most valuable asset heading into the trade deadline, and Verbeek was able to squeeze as much value as possible in another three-team, double-retention deal. The Ducks retained half of Henrique’s and Carrick’s contracts, and as a result, hit the league maximum of three retained contracts.
While maxing out their retention slots hindered Anaheim’s chances to offer around an even cheaper Frank Vatrano later in the week, I’m not sure the first-round pick they gained in this deal is available if Henrique and Carrick aren’t retained. Rentals became increasingly cheaper as the week progressed, and the only other first-round pick to be moved since this trade involved Tomas Hertl going to Vegas. With only four non-conditional first-round picks moved this deadline, Verbeek has to be pleased Henrique landed him one of them.
Grade: A
Jacob Perreault to the Montreal Canadiens
Anaheim receives Jan Mysak. Montreal receives Jacob Perreault.
Jacob Perreault was ranked tenth in my preseason rankings of Ducks prospects, but even by then the ranking was based on reputation and optimism. The former 2020 first-round pick showed some high upside in the Ontario Hockey League, but the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent shutdowns forced him into the AHL as a teenager, and the production never really followed him. He’s scoring at a higher rate than last season, but he struggles in the defensive zone.
Like Perreault, Mysak is a member of the 2020 Draft class — a second-round pick by the Montreal Canadiens. Also like Perreault, Mysak is playing in the AHL. While it does look like Mysak plays a more well-rounded game that could eventually find its way into Anaheim’s bottom six in a way Perreault certainly wouldn’t have, there isn’t much to be excited about with this trade. This is a swap of two prospects who needed a fresh start to kickstart their careers back in the right direction. While it is disappointing to sell the higher upside of Perreault, Verbeek does get some credit for acquiring a player who better suits an organizational need.
Grade: B-
Ben Meyers Brought in for a Pick
Anaheim receives Ben Meyers. Colorado receives a 2024 fifth-round pick.
Ben Meyers is a 25-year-old left wing with some experience in Greg Cronin’s system, appearing in 32 games with the AHL Colorado Eagles last season. He’s split his time between the Avalanche and the Eagles this season, recording one goal in nine games with the NHL club. The Ducks don’t have enough games remaining to retain his restricted free-agent status, so he’ll become an unrestricted free-agent at the end of the season.
The Ducks have seven picks in the first three rounds of the draft this year, so levying a fifth-round pick in exchange for a player who could immediately come in and mesh into the system for the rest of the season seems like good asset management from Verbeek. If Meyers re-signs in Anaheim, he’s a more valuable asset than what would have been their ninth pick of the 2024 Draft.
Grade: A-
Last Year as a Seller?
The Ducks are a young team that has dealt with a handful of injuries to the top of their lineup. With a cleaner bill of health, another high-end draft pick on the horizon, and potential free-agent signings, the 2024-25 season could be the first year the Ducks turn the corner and become competitive on a nightly basis.
Salary cap data courtesy of CapFriendly.
