GM admits he is not a fan of the trade deadline

Anaheim Ducks general manager Bob Murray told The Athletic’s Craig Custance that he "is not a fan of the trade deadline". 

Yes, you heard right. 

On top of that, Murray has yet to determine if he wants to be a buyer or a seller prior to Feb. 26, as his team is still struggling to clinch a playoff spot and prove it can be a true contender. 

One thing that may reassure Ducks fans is that many clubs are in the same situation for the moment. 

“We’re not the only team in this situation. There’s a whole bunch of us that are, as I call it, stuck in the middle of nowhere. We’re not in. We’re not out. We’re just there. I can’t see, unless something drastic happens in the next two weeks or they play a lot better than we’ve been playing, I don’t see much happening. It’s not as if it’s one of these teams where I feel like, last year when we went out and got (Patrick) Eaves, where I had lots of confidence. I’m still kind of waiting for them to show me something and they’re not. We’re very inconsistent. We’re very up and down. So far when it’s come to real, critical big games — we’ve basically shit the bed in the big games. Right now I sit and watch. I’m not really talking to anybody, not really doing anything.”

The Ducks have failed to replace Sami Vatanen since trading him to the New Jersey Devils to acquire Antoine Vermette and it looks like they are in need of a quality top-four defender. 

Murray might also be thinking of adding a boost up front, behind Rickard Rakell on the depth chart.

However, he does not like the rental approach.  He finds it… scary. 

“Rentals, it’s a scary thing. You talk to a guy and you know he’s asking for a first, a good prospect and something else for a guy. … It’s scary. Especially if you’re not sure about your team. If you’re not sure. It’s a scary thing to do.”

It surely sounds like Murray and the Ducks are lacking in confidence.