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Amid trade rumblings, Ducks giving young d-men ‘every opportunity’ to make team

2009 NHL Entry Draft, First Round

MONTREAL, QC - JUNE 26: General manager Bob MurrayY of the Anaheim Ducks talks to the media during the first round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft at the Bell Centre on June 26, 2009 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images)

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Let’s piece some things together in Anaheim, shall we?

-- Prized young d-man Hampus Lindholm, still without a contract, hasn’t reported to camp and is training in his native Sweden. The RFA blueliner is reportedly seeking an eight-year extension from the club, at a minimum of $6 million annually.

-- Last week, NBC’s Pierre McGuire told TSN 1040 the Ducks are in trade talks with an Eastern Conference team “to unload a significant contract,” which would help them sign Lindholm and fellow unsigned RFA Rickard Rakell.

-- Over the weekend, the Ducks iced three of their youngest (and brightest) d-man prospects: Shea Theodore, Brandon Montour and Jacob Larsson, with head coach Randy Carlyle offering the following (per the O.C. Register):

“Those kids are all vying for a longer look and they’re going to cut their teeth in the NHL at some point,” Carlyle said. “It’s our job as an organization to make sure we don’t push people too quickly ahead. When they earn it, they get the opportunity.

“In today’s game, it’s a real luxury to have that quality of young player coming along. And we’re going to make sure that we give them every opportunity to prove to us that they can play in the league and hopefully they can continue to make these decisions tough ones.”

Interesting stuff.

Financially speaking, the Ducks are in a tough situation on defense. In June, they made Sami Vatanen their highest-paid blueliner -- four years, $19.5 million, a $4.875M cap hit -- putting him ahead of the likes of Cam Fowler and Kevin Bieksa ($4M per each, through 2018), Simon Despres ($3.7M through 2021) and Clayton Stoner ($3.25M though 2018).

Lindholm is expected to sign, and will undoubtedly surpass Vatanen as the club’s most expensive rearguard.

Which means a d-man could be on the move.

Fowler’s name has come up on several occasions. Earlier this summer, the 24-year-old said he was surprised he hadn’t been traded already, this after his name was tied to both the Red Wings and Canadiens.

Despres’ contract kicks in this year, and he doesn’t have a no-movement clause. Same with Stoner, who’s been a disappointment since coming over from Minnesota.

Bieksa would be tougher to trade, given he’s armed with a NMC and is starting to wear down with age, having turned 35 in June.

The bright spot for the Ducks is that they’ve got flexibility -- and it’s on the cheap. Theodore, the 26th overall pick in 2013, made his big league debut last season and fared well, scoring eight points in 19 games while playing 14 minutes a night during the playoffs.

Theodore is still on his entry-level deal.

Mountour, 22, has yet to make his NHL debut but is also thought of highly, and is also on his ELC. Larsson, the club’s first-round pick in 2015, was signed to his ELC in May and, despite being just 19 years old, has good pro experience, having spent the last two years with Frolunda of the Swedish Hockey League.

Add it all up, and the Ducks look primed to make a move.