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Ducks GM says Selanne, Koivu are only ‘untouchables’

Anaheim Ducks v Nashville Predators

of the Anaheim Ducks of the Nashville Predators on March 24, 2011 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.

Frederick Breedon

The Anaheim Ducks made a stunning run to a playoff spot last season, but in a way, that might have deceived management into thinking that the team is better than it actually is. The 2011-12 season has been a cruel reality check, but Randy Carlyle’s firing might not be the only big move.

Ducks GM Bob Murray spoke with The Los Angeles Times’ Helene Elliott, revealing that veteran forwards Saku Koivu and Teemu Selanne are the only players who might be “untouchable” in trades. As much as that has to do with Selanne retiring with the Ducks, the biggest reason might be that Selanne and Koivu’s contracts have no-movement clauses. (In other words, Selanne could get his way if he asks for a trade.)

The biggest - and maybe most worrisome - takeaway is that Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan could be had at the right price. Murray said that he’s not looking to rebuild and give up on this season, but core players will decide if they stay by how they play.

Murray could be playing with fire

Look, there’s no denying that the Ducks’ big three of power forwards are coming up small. The problem is that Anaheim is a low-budget team that often competes largely based on Selanne + those three, who carry affordable cap hits. Here’s what those players are getting in terms of cap hits and their all-important yearly salaries via CapGeek.com:

Ryan Getzlaf: 2011-12 cap hit: $5.325 million; 2011-12 salary: $5.75 million
2012-13 cap hit: $5.325 million; 2012-13 salary: $6.125 million;

Corey Perry: 11-12 cap hit: $5.325 million; 11-12 salary: $5.375 million
12-13 cap hit: $5.235 million; 12-13 salary: $4.875 million

Bobby Ryan: 11-12 cap hit: $5.1 million; 11-12 salary: $5.263 million
12-13 cap hit: $5.1 million; 12-13 salary: $5.623 million
13-14 cap hit: $5.1 million; 13-14 salary: $5.623 million
14-15 cap hit: $5.1 million; 14-15 salary: $5.623 million

OK, so maybe that trio isn’t earning the $16 million-or-so that they’re receiving this season, but you’re not going to find much better value in a trio of scorers than that. This thought is especially true since their current struggles and Murray’s back-against-the-wall situation will only encourage rival GMs to exploit the situation with low-ball offers.

Deep down, Getzlaf-Perry-Ryan should be the Ducks’ only untouchables,* but we’ll just have to see if cooler heads prevail.

* - Yes, that means trading Selanne should be considered, especially if they can get some quality talent in exchange for what might be his final NHL season.