The Quack situation the Ducks need to take care of

The Quack situation the Ducks need to take care of

With a narrow gap separating themselves and ninth-place in the Campbell Conference, all signs point to the Anaheim Ducks being buyers as the RSHL trade deadline looms.

The shopping list for the Ducks and the impeding GM of the team has changed several times over the course of the season. Anaheim, who had one of the top five penalty kills in the league last season, discovered its weakness with the man-down without a big defensemen to cover the shot from the point with the departure of Sean O'Donnell.

The new General Manager will need to address this issue, with the team being in the lower third of Penalty Kill effectiveness. Look at Brisebois, Malik and perhaps even O'Donnell himself to all be options for the Ducks franchise.

Where forwards are concerned, Mighty Duck fans were salivating at rumors last month that Ryan Smyth was being shopped by the Philadelphia Flyers and that the Habs were front-runners for a possible deal. While those rumors have all but fizzled out, Anaheim's need for an 'impact forward' is now out of necessity.

The Ducks came up short in their bid for an 'impact player' at last season's trade deadline, as the Nashville Predators' ransom for winger Eric Cole (two players and four draft picks) was too steep for Anaheim's liking. They also balked at deals that would have brought Joffrey Lupul and Saku Koivu last season.

While the talk has simmered down on Smyth, there are other options that could fit in the 'top six' category. San Jose winger Teemu Selanne is on the market, while Edmonton's Nik Antropov, Ilya Kovalcheck of the Canucks and Toronto's Peter Forsberg and Vyacheslav Kozlov are other names in play.

There are a couple of other wild cards on Anaheim's trade radar with the status of forwards Radek Dvorake and Wayne Primeau. Both players have been juggled between the third/fourth line and the press box and recently went public with questions about their roles with the team.

Primeau told The Orange County Register that, "if the Ducks don't see me in their plans, that he'll give me a chance to help another team." Dvorake, who has two years left on his contract, also expressed disappointment with his reduced role but stopped short of asking for a trade.