Top Landing Spots for Ducks Winger Frank Vatrano Amid NHL Trade Rumors

The Anaheim Ducks figure to be one of the most active sellers going into the 2024 NHL trade deadline (March 8), as they have some intriguing pieces that will be attractive to contenders.

One of those players is goal-scoring winger Frank Vatrano, who might be the most valuable player they have for the trade market. His trade value might also never be higher.

Not only is he having a huge year offensively with 22 goals, 16 assists and 38 points in 51 games (a 35-goal, 61-point pace over 82 games), but he is also signed through next season at a very reasonable salary-cap hit of just $3.65 million per season. That production, plus the remaining contract term and the team-friendly salary should make him an outstanding addition to any team and a key trade chip for the Ducks to keep adding to their rebuild.

The Ducks are not under any pressure to trade him, but if they want to maximize the return this might be the time.

So let's take a look at a handful of teams that would make sense as potential landing spots.

The Rangers are one of the most logical landing spots for Vatrano, and we've seen this work out before. It was only two years ago that the Rangers, desperately seeking 5-on-5 goal-scoring depth, acquired Vatrano as part of a huge series of deadline moves to strengthen their roster.

Vatrano was a perfect fit and scored 13 goals in 42 games (regular season and playoffs) to help the Rangers reach the Eastern Conference Final. They were unable to re-sign him after the season, and he ended up in Anaheim on his current three-year deal.

The Rangers find themselves in a nearly identical situation.

Their record is great, but their underlying numbers in terms of shots and scoring chances during 5-on-5 play are lacking, and they do not have great scoring depth on their wings beyond their top line and power play. The Ducks are also a perfect trade partner because it could all be part of a more significant trade if they wanted to include center Adam Henrique as well.

Adding Vatrano and Henrique in a package deal would solve most of the Rangers' depth issues on the wing and down the middle and significantly upgrade their roster to put them among the top teams in the Eastern Conference.

A package deal would require—at a minimum—the Rangers' first-round pick and a good prospect, but if the Rangers' goal is to compete for a Stanley Cup in a year where nobody in the East looks dominant, that price should not hold them up.

The Kings not only need more offense, but they also need some kind of a spark to get their season back on track. Vatrano could be a perfect fit for what they need.

Over the first month of the season, the Kings looked like one of the best teams in the NHL and like they were ready to take a massive leap forward toward serious Stanley Cup contention. But the season has rapidly unraveled since then, and they find themselves in a wild-card spot in the Western Conference having already changed coaches.

The coaching change might help somewhat, but they still need more help on the ice, especially as it relates to putting pucks in the net. The Kings have no problem defending or driving possession (top-five in goals against, shot attempt share and expected goal share) but are only a middle-of-the-pack team offensively.

As of Tuesday, Vatrano would immediately be the leading goal-scorer on the Kings' roster.

The only question here is whether or not the Ducks would be eager to deal their leading goal-scorer, who is under contract for next season, to their biggest divisional rival.

There might be an extensive tax on what the return package would have to be to make that trade work.

But in terms of what the Kings need, Vatrano should be the exact type of player they are looking for in a trade.

The Avalanche are already one of the best goal-scoring teams in the league, but a lot of that is because of the top of their lineup with Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar. They could still use some depth at both center and wing. They never really replaced Gabriel Landeskog (injury) or Nazem Kadri (free agency), and that has resulted in a thinner, more top-heavy roster that has not matched the level of the dominant 2022 Stanley Cup-winning team.

Henrique might make more sense given the Avalanche's need for a second-line center, but like the Rangers, they could be another team that could be in the market for a package deal.

Just throwing out a hypothetical here, but could it be a situation where maybe the Avalanche uses somebody like Bowen Byram as a trade chip to get both?

Byram still has enormous potential, but the Avalanche defense is extremely crowded and Byram has not yet taken a big step forward. You obviously would not want to give him up for purely a rental, but if you could get two key players, one of which is signed for another season at a cheap price, it could be an intriguing starting point for a Ducks team that is looking to add impact players that would fit in with their current core of young players.

The Islanders are far from a lock to make the playoffs. They're facing a pretty steep uphill climb. But the Islanders aren't run like most teams, and their general manager, Lou Lamoriello, does not work like most general managers.

The fact that he was willing to make a coaching change and bring in Patrick Roy to run the show is a pretty good indicator he isn't willing to throw in the towel on this season. He is never really willing to throw in the towel on any season.

The Islanders have one of the oldest teams in the league, so their time is now. They want to try to compete, they desperately need goal-scoring and adding a veteran player signed beyond this season is the type of move Lamoriello has seemed to go for with the Islanders. He usually re-signs the player after acquiring them, but he is always looking for multiple years from players and not necessarily rentals.

Vatrano would already be signed beyond this season.

As a bonus, it would keep their divisional and cross-city rivals from acquiring a player they would probably love to have. That would not only be beneficial this season, but also into next season.

Advanced statistical information comes from naturalstatrick.com. Salary information was obtained from capfrendly.com.