The trade deadline came and went but Ryan Getzlaf stayed with the Anaheim Ducks. What does the future hold for the Ducks 35 year-old captain? That seems a little unclear at the moment based on his recent comments.
Ryan Getzlaf’s future unknown
“[I] would be very hard-pressed to find myself in a different uniform,” Getzlaf said after the trade deadline per The Athletic. “Eight years ago when I signed a no-move clause, I told Bob that day that all I wanted was to be in control if the organization ever felt that they could improve or were forced to make a decision based on me, just to approach me.”
That’s exactly what happened this past week when three teams were reportedly interested. The Penguins, Canadiens, and Golden Knights were ready to bring in the pending UFA as a rental but GM Bob Murray didn’t think the return was worth it. “We narrowed it down and talked. It just wasn’t there,” he said.
What does the future hold for Getzlaf, a man who absolutely loves the being with the Ducks? That will be determined this summer when Getzlaf will undoubtedly be offered more lucrative offers from contenders while the Ducks start to rebuild.
Getzlaf may also not be fully committed to playing next year. The weight of the pandemic has taken its toll on older players the most. So it remains to be seen what he will decide to do and the landscape of what the league will look like next season may play a role in his decision.
Vancouver Canucks see no cap issues this summer
The Vancouver Canucks will need to re-sign Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes this summer. According to GM Jim Benning he sees no cap issues this summer, but that means he will need to make room before locking up his two prized young players.
When it comes to making cap space for those players Patrick Johnston of The Province believes it will be in trading Nate Schmidt and Jake Virtanen. Schmidt is a 29 year-old defenseman with four years remaining at $5.95 million AAV. He will be harder to move in this economy, but I could see the Flyers blowing up their blue-line and trading for him. Virtanen drew interest from the Bruins and Ducks earlier this season and they may look to get it done on the cheap this summer. Virtanen is a 24 year-old forward making $2.55 million for one more season before becoming an RFA.
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