2025/2026 Season Trade Rumours and Speculation Thread

[TOfan]

Originally Posted by Fan69

And they certainly arent a mcqueen from contention either?

Another go nowhere question.

Didn’t say McQueen makes them closer to contention.

[ForeverFlameFan]

McQueen's ELC > mostly anything in a cap world.

[Robbob]

GMs and apparently their owners do weird things. Buffalo is a mess missing the playoffs going on 14 years. The next longest playoff droughts are Red wings with 9, Ducks with 7 and Sharks with 6. It has been a long time for some of those teams and I could see if they are in a good position maybe they are a bit more likely to push their chips in for a run. Not saying that chip is McQueen, but if there is a bidding war at a deadline stranger things has happened (Erat for Forsberg)

[Jiri Hrdina]

I think McQueen is 2-3 years from being in the NHL at all, probably closer to 3. And I think he's 4-5 years away from playing any sort of prominent role, if at all.

So there's no urgency for the Ducks to make moves now based on anything that happens with him.

[Mr.Coffee]

I think McQueen was the guy that, instead of letting him enjoy his draft night with the other prospects and excitement, ushered him off to go fly around in a helicopter all alone around Anaheim?

I think that was last year at the horrendous draft where the prospects were all paraded in front of talking screens, with the Wizard of Oz vibes.

Good lord- they really need to go back to the way it was but the treatment of McQueen was hilarious.

[ForeverFlameFan]

Originally Posted by Robbob

GMs and apparently their owners do weird things. Buffalo is a mess missing the playoffs going on 14 years. The next longest playoff droughts are Red wings with 9, Ducks with 7 and Sharks with 6. It has been a long time for some of those teams and I could see if they are in a good position maybe they are a bit more likely to push their chips in for a run.

Buffalo is its own mess, SJ I would say probably wait another year or the offseason to start making a push, Detroit I could definitely see making a pitch for Andersson. Would ease a lot of pressure from Seider to eat a lot of minutes. They do have ASP, but Seider / Andersson / ASP on the right side would be pretty nice for them.

[Toonage]

lol pretty sure they didn't just drop him off in Anaheim on his own. He had Mickey, Donald and Goofy to chaperone him.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by ForeverFlameFan

Buffalo is its own mess, SJ I would say probably wait another year or the offseason to start making a push, Detroit I could definitely see making a pitch for Andersson. Would ease a lot of pressure from Seider to eat a lot of minutes. They do have ASP, but Seider / Andersson / ASP on the right side would be pretty nice for them.

Andersson might have Detroit on his no trade list.

[howard_the_duck]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

I think McQueen is 2-3 years from being in the NHL at all, probably closer to 3. And I think he's 4-5 years away from playing any sort of prominent role, if at all.

So there's no urgency for the Ducks to make moves now based on anything that happens with him.

Nor is it a rush to fast track their competitive window. There will be years for them to push in their chips, but their young core is still marinating.

[Wolven]

Originally Posted by TOfan

What kind of a question is this? What kind of an answer are you expecting?


Seems unreasonable to expect someone to go through all other 31 teams in the league and pick out a prospect or young player from each roster to lay out all the options. If you have the time, fill your boots.

What I think is reasonable is to think if the Ducks were to trade a prospect like McQueen, they would prioritize an age equivalent and talent upside that is commensurate with the player they are giving up. That is not Rasmus Andersson.

If the Ducks were one Rasmus Andersson away from being a serious cup contender this year, maybe. Reality, they’re not.

It is a valid argument. What is unreasonable is to have someone call out a generic opinion to show their work and back up their opinion and then you say "you do it". If Cliff thinks 10+ teams can offer a RD better than Andersson then he should back up that claim. There are only 30 other teams to look at and when lazy people are throwing out generic opinions that "Some GM" will throw out a "better RD" offer in vague terms then it is fair game to call that person out to prove their work to support their argument.

Just find 1 example of a team with RD depth that has a player to offer that is better than Andersson.

Right now there are only 6 RD with more points than Andersson. Makar, Bouchard, Heiskanen, Fox, Carlson, and Seider. 0 of those teams would offer their top RD for McQueen.

Also, I disagree with your notion that the Ducks would prioritize youth. They already have 5 D in their NHL roster who are under 25 with Soldberg and Luneau in the pipe. They need a vet to help lead the young guys and to fill the organizational hole in RD as most of their young guys are LD. (Especially if both Gudas and Trouba walk in the summer)

Now, having said all of that, I do not believe it is a simple transaction. Definitely not Andersson for McQueen, 1:1. But the Ducks are on top of the division and I do not think you are really aware of the reality of their org or their org needs. Taking a quick look at r/AnaheimDucks it seems that their fans feel that their team needs a #1RD to be a contender right now.

Cept we don't need a prime aged top6; scoring is a non issue right now.

Our last missing piece right now is an elite RHD. I like Moore and Helleson developing the way they are, but as of exactly right now, neither would be the answer for a deep cup run. We need to find someone who can eventually replace Gudas, and then Trouba down the line. Luneau is good but I don't see him reaching LaCombe's tier.

[Jason14h]

People are really going to be disappointed in the Andersson return just like the Hanifin trade is my prediction based on names being thrown out .

Really hope I'm wrong!

[Toonage]

If it was similar to the Vegas return, absolutely, but Ras has played so much better this year than at the end of last, even as a rental I suspect he'll get better than what was last offered. How much? We'll see.

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

I think McQueen is 2-3 years from being in the NHL at all, probably closer to 3. And I think he's 4-5 years away from playing any sort of prominent role, if at all.

So there's no urgency for the Ducks to make moves now based on anything that happens with him.

So if McQueen (a very top draft pick) is 4-5 years away from playing any sort of prominent role, if any, with the Ducks, query why lesser prospects with the Flames are going to be putting us in playoff contention in a few years when we move into the new rink?

[ForeverFlameFan]

Originally Posted by Wolven

It is a valid argument. What is unreasonable is to have someone call out a generic opinion to show their work and back up their opinion and then you say "you do it". If Cliff thinks 10+ teams can offer a RD better than Andersson then he should back up that claim. There are only 30 other teams to look at and when lazy people are throwing out generic opinions that "Some GM" will throw out a "better RD" offer in vague terms then it is fair game to call that person out to prove their work to support their argument.

Just find 1 example of a team with RD depth that has a player to offer that is better than Andersson.

Right now there are only 6 RD with more points than Andersson. Makar, Bouchard, Heiskanen, Fox, Carlson, and Seider. 0 of those teams would offer their top RD for McQueen.

Also, I disagree with your notion that the Ducks would prioritize youth. They already have 5 D in their NHL roster who are under 25 with Soldberg and Luneau in the pipe. They need a vet to help lead the young guys and to fill the organizational hole in RD as most of their young guys are LD. (Especially if both Gudas and Trouba walk in the summer)

Now, having said all of that, I do not believe it is a simple transaction. Definitely not Andersson for McQueen, 1:1. But the Ducks are on top of the division and I do not think you are really aware of the reality of their org or their org needs. Taking a quick look at r/AnaheimDucks it seems that their fans feel that their team needs a #1RD to be a contender right now.

Andersson can leave July 1st, that's what you're not getting. A pending UFA doesn't fetch McQueen and never will. I doubt PV is going to pull a Forsberg/Erat deal.

[Psytic]

Originally Posted by Jason14h

People are really going to be disappointed in the Andersson return just like the Hanifin trade is my prediction based on names being thrown out .

Really hope I'm wrong!

Carlo got Minten and a 1st. Nelson got Ritchie and a 1st. If we get another Hanifin type return for either of these guys its on mgmt being the second coming of Mike Milbury. There's no way we should accept less than that.

[ForeverFlameFan]

Originally Posted by Psytic

Carlo got Minten and a 1st. Nelson got Ritchie and a 1st. If we get another Hanifin type return for either of these guys its on mgmt being the second coming of Mike Milbury. There's no way we should accept less than that.

Carlo had term. Nelson is a center. So, those aren't good comparables. Definitely should get more than Hanifin. I'd say a 1st, replacement d-man we can flip in a year, and a very good but not the best prospect from their pool. Thinking like #3-6 prospect depending on who they're willing to give up and how good their prospect pool is. If it is a terrible one, we better be getting their best prospect in return.

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by Psytic

Carlo got Minten and a 1st. Nelson got Ritchie and a 1st. If we get another Hanifin type return for either of these guys its on mgmt being the second coming of Mike Milbury. There's no way we should accept less than that.

Carlo had this year of term left and the Bruins are retaining.

That is the deal to watch though as it has been reported that Carlo was plan B to Andersson last year but the Flames chose to hold onto him.

[Wolven]

Originally Posted by ForeverFlameFan

Andersson can leave July 1st, that's what you're not getting. A pending UFA doesn't fetch McQueen and never will. I doubt PV is going to pull a Forsberg/Erat deal.

lol, what?

Andersson can also sign an extension. He can do so the day he is traded. He could also do so in June after a playoff run. All of those things are possible.

To get McQueen out of the Ducks, Andersson almost certainly needs to be open to an extension and Verbeek needs to be ready to pay him. Right now the Ducks have $40M in cap space for next season, which sounds like a lot but they still need to sign Carlsson, Gauthier, Zellweger, Mintyukov, and Moore.

Even though I expect Carlsson and Gauthier to get big contracts, they should be softened by the fact that they are just coming off their ELCs and have a lot of RFA years to incorporate. If they are $10M AAV or under then that should leave plenty of space for the D.

I think the Ducks could easily offer Andersson $9Mx8 and not hurt their cap structure too much. Most of that cap space is with Trouba ($8M) and Gudas ($4M) right now.

[Braden]

Originally Posted by Wolven

I appreciate your uninformed opinion. Maybe put an ounce of effort into understanding the situation before sounding off?

No, they do not need McQueen to play #3C. They have players that can do it immediately (Strome/Granlund) and they have 4 other prospects that are likely #3C or better as their ceiling that can take over the role in the future.

Ahh I see mentioning the word homer hurt your feelings, in that case I apologize

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by The Cobra

So if McQueen (a very top draft pick) is 4-5 years away from playing any sort of prominent role, if any, with the Ducks, query why lesser prospects with the Flames are going to be putting us in playoff contention in a few years when we move into the new rink?

Did I ever said that would be the case? I think this re-build is going to take a lot longer than that.

Maybe you are talking about management, but even then the language has changed where Maloney in the Francis article framed it as "We're hoping to have a little pop in momentum going into the new building. "

I don't know what that really means.