On Saturday afternoon, rumors started flying around on Twitter after it was noticed by many that the Anaheim Ducks removed forward Jakob Silfverberg from their active roster. So too, TSN’s Darren Dreger reports, “The roller coaster that is the Jack Eichel saga continues to twist and turn. Trade talks heated up and cooled this week. Seems like talks have reheated today. Stay tuned.”
While the reason behind this hasn’t been confirmed, many are speculating it could be a move that was made as a result of a pending Jack Eichel trade. The current Buffalo Sabres forward has yet to receive the neck surgery he needs in order to get back on the ice, and that won’t happen until he is dealt to a new team. Are the Ducks that team?
Throughout this entire Eichel saga, the Ducks have been listed as one of the possible destinations, along with the Vegas Golden Knights, New York Rangers and Calgary Flames. The Ducks are a team that have been failing to commit to a full rebuild but do have some good young pieces, some of which would have to be moved alongside Silfverberg if there was indeed a trade to happen here.
As for cap space, the Ducks have plenty to make this work. Despite Eichel’s massive $10 million cap hit, the Ducks have just over $12 million in cap space right now, and if this rumored deal is to happen, they would also be moving Silfverberg’s $5.25 million deal covering more than half of the required space.
While they were expected to really struggle this season, especially with the fact they are without their best player in Eichel, the Sabres have gotten off to a fantastic start, going 5-1-1 through their first seven games of the 2021-22 season. The great start will likely cool off in the near future, but it has been a promising beginning to the season for several of their young players which is great news for Sabres fans. They will also likely receive a number of great young prospects in an Eichel deal, which could help them turn things around in the upcoming years.
As for the Ducks, they are struggling early on to a record of 2-4-3 through their first nine games. This doesn’t come as a surprise as they have been a weak team for a number of years now, but are spinning their tires rather than committing to a full rebuild. Obviously, acquiring Eichel would give them a huge boost down the middle of the ice, but would leave their prospect cupboard rather empty. It doesn’t seem like the best fit compared to some of the other rumored teams, but it seems as though they are very much in the sweepstakes.
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