Teams around the National Hockey League are preparing to start training camp in less than two weeks and one team to keep an eye on is the Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks are looking to take a step forward this season in their rebuild and have a number of great pieces in their system that'll eventually help them become a contender again.
While the Ducks aren't expected to be competitive this season, they could look to offload a couple of veterans on their roster, those being John Gibson and Cam Fowler, as Elliotte Friedman mentioned in his most recent episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast.
During the podcast, Friedman said that the Anaheim Ducks are exploring the trade market and evaluating their options for veteran defenceman Cam Fowler, who has been with the organization since being drafted 12th overall back in 2010.
After missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs six years in a row, along with a shoulder injury that kept him out of the postseason in 2018, it's safe to assume that if he's traded by the Ducks, Cam Fowler would want to join a contending team and one option could be the Vancouver Canucks.
Fowler would come into Vancouver and play a top-four role for Rick Tocchet's group. The cost to acquire Cam Fowler might be high given how the Ducks value him. The Windsor, Ontario native also has a modified no-trade clause with a four-team no-trade list and it's unclear if the Canucks are one of those teams.
The 32-year-old has two years remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $6.5 million per season. If the Canucks were to acquire Cam Fowler, they would either need the Ducks to retain a portion of his salary, which would drive up the price even more, or move out some money. Either way, it wouldn't be an easy move for Vancouver to make, but with Fowler being a consistent 30+ point player, can play on both the powerplay and penalty kill, it would be a good fit for Patrik Allvin and the Canucks.
POLL | ||
7 SEPTEMBRE | 198 ANSWERS Ducks place top end defenceman on the trade block: Option for Patrik Allvin and the Canucks? Should the Canucks try to acquire Cam Fowler? | ||
Yes | 78 | 39.4 % |
No, I'm confident in the defensive group we have | 120 | 60.6 % |
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