Rakell Trade Talks Regain Steam

Photo: AP

By Michael Walters

Last month Rickard Rakell was the trade talk of the town in Anaheim. He was listed at the top of every hockey trade bait list known in the world. He was on fire recording 12 points during a six game span.

He then cooled off a bit for the rest of March and was injured on the 28th after an awkward collision with Kyle Clifford. The trade talks seemed to die down as Rakell’s return was unknown. He missed the next four games until he returned last night in the game against Colorado. Rakell looked good and had five shots on goal despite not scoring.

The trade talks have appeared to heated up again according to Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal. He says there are several teams that are interested in him, which include Boston and Edmonton. He believes if he is dealt then the Ducks will get a first round pick as part of the return.

Previous teams that were mentioned as being interested in Rakell include Calgary, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Toronto. Rakell’s value was at an all time high in the month of March. The value might not be as high as before, but it seems to be back on the rise.

Other Players of Interest

Josh Manson continues to be a name that Anaheim is getting calls on. According to Frank Seravalli on the DFO Rundown Podcast, Carolina inquired about him, but he doesn’t think a deal with happen between Anaheim and Carolina. There is still interest from other teams, but he does have a modified no trade clause where he has a 12 team no trade list.

Rakell, Manson, Danton Heinen, Adam Henrique, and Jakob Silfverberg were all previously mentioned as trade options according to the Athletic. It appears there has been more interest in Henrique recently per a source, but the Ducks would likely have to retain a good amount of his salary for any kind of deal to be made. He also has a modified no trade clause, in which he has a 10 team no trade list.

We discussed the possibility of these players(and others) being traded here: To Trade or Not To Trade.

Some other names to keep an eye on include Jani Hakanpaa, Ben Hutton, and Jacob Larsson. Hakanpaa has played solid for Anaheim while Hampus Lindholm has been out. He is a unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, so maybe a team will want him and give him an extension.

Hutton and Larsson started the season playing okay enough for a bottom six pairings, but overall have struggled. Larsson has three assists in 35 games and has an on ice rating of -16. His last assist came on January 24th. Hutton has been slightly better with five total points on the season(one goal + four assists). His on ice rating is -13. General Manager Bob Murray may want to try to unload them as a result, but there isn’t much value in a return for either one.

Murray’s phone is ringing, but the question is how many trades will he make before the trade deadline.

For more trade deadline discussion listen to our hockey podcast by clicking below or visiting us at Podomatic, Rumble, Spreaker, or YouTube.

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April 10th, 2021