Did The Ducks Win Their Trade?

The Anaheim Ducks have so many injuries in their lineup that they're looking for any kind of help they can get. Today, they finally got some help in a much-needed trade.

The Ducks sent defenseman Sami Vatanen and a conditional third round draft pick to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for forwards Adam Henrique and Joseph Blandisi, as well as a third-round pick in the 2018 draft.

Both teams made this deal because they're in a tight-knot group for a playoff spot. The Devils are currently holding the third playoff spot in the Metropolitan Division with 32 points, while the Ducks are one point out in the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference, and this team will most likely mean more for the Ducks rather than the Devils.

Vatanen has not played well for the Ducks this season, getting only one goal and three assists. He also has a minus-six rating in 15 games so far this season for the Ducks, which is why the Ducks were willing to unload him to get more pieces to make up for the injuries they've had. Trading Vatanen also gets rid of the extra defenseman they have, considering how many defensemen they've had so far this season.

There's more depth right now on the Ducks right now than anywhere else, with guys such as Hampus Lindholm, Cam Fowler, Josh Manson, and Brandon Montour leading the charge for this team, along with veteran guys like Kevin Bieksa and Francois Beauchemin, so it became clear that Vatanen, with his production, was not going to be a mainstay in Anaheim that much longer.

The bigger problem for the Ducks is their talented scoring depth, which is why they went out and got two scoring guys in both Henrique and Blandisi. They're currently 26th in the NHL in scoring. The Devils are 9th. It had to happen.

I'm assuming the Devils made this trade to clear cap room. Not only is Vatanen a guy they can build around, but he also has some solid possession numbers. Although Henrique was still in the middle of a deal with the Devils, this trade does loosen up some money and Vatanen is getting paid much less than Henrique. The Ducks, meanwhile, can hold on to Henrique for another couple of years, as he is signed through 2019, which gives GM Bob Murray some comfort, knowing there's an able forward in his lineup.

As for the Devils, they'll have to try and chug along without two of their biggest assets, despite their lower numbers than usual. They didn't win the trade, but it felt like they didn't have a choice. They're not a money team like many teams such as New York or Los Angeles and they needed to unload guys who not only they felt weren't going to come back, but also try to look towards the future while building now. Let's face it: They're still rebuilding, despite what they're doing this season, and this is probably another example of it.

The Ducks won. The Ducks absolutely won. They're fighting to stay in it and they got their reinforcements. Now they have to make up ground in the West and see if they can get into a firm playoff spot.