The Anaheim Ducks got the ball rolling on Monday as the trade deadline fast approaches. The Dallas Stars acquired forward Andrew Cogliano on Monday from the Ducks in exchange for centre Devin Shore.
And it seems like it is just the start for the Ducks...
During an appearance on Calgary’s Sportsnet 960, Elliotte Friedman discussed the possibility of more trades coming to Anaheim following the Cogliano transaction. He added that he wouldn’t be surprised if Jakob Silfverberg was shopped, noting the Pittsburgh Penguins had interest in the winger earlier in the season.
“I don’t think I’d be surprised at all if Silfverberg gets traded,” explained Friedman. “I heard that Pittsburgh was kicking tires on him earlier in the year.
“I think the fact that Silfverberg hasn’t been signed yet as a pending UFA - I heard that he and the Ducks, they weren’t close, or they were really battling and it was a hard grind to get it done.
“So I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s going somewhere too at some point.”
Silfverberg is set to become an unrestricted free agent in July and could first become an interesting trade bait for the Ducks moving forward. However, it is believed that GM Bob Murray would prefer to keep Silfverberg on his roster. Once the Cogliano trade was completed, the Ducks general manager was asked to explain his approach to Silfverberg's future, as noted by the team's website.
"You take another crack at signing him," Murray said, according to the club's official website. "We're going to do that right now and we'll see where that goes. Silvy knows exactly where I'm at. He's a good hockey player. He's one of those ones right now standing up and being counted. I have to take a shot at it. We'll see where we go."
The 28-year-old winger has been one of the rare bright spots for the Ducks in the dreadful season they're having, as he leads the team with 12 goals in 41 games, so we can understand why Murray would prefer to keep him in the fold. However, he may be the only trade target to bring in an interesting to build a stronger future in Anaheim.
