Instant Analysis: Ducks And Oilers Swap Defenders

The Anaheim Ducks and Edmonton Oilers exchanged very similar defensemen just prior to the 3:00 PM trade deadline.

The Trade

To Anaheim: D Lubomir Visnovsky
To Edmonton: D Ryan Whitney, 6th Round Pick

From Anaheim’s Standpoint

Visnovsky makes 1.6 million dollars more against the cap than Whitney, which is a fairly accurate representation of the upgrade Anaheim is getting on the back end. Visnovsky is a small (5′10″) but extremely effective offensive defenseman. He will help the powerplay and log a ton of minutes along with Scott Niedermayer and James Wisniewski. Once Niedermayer retires at season’s end, Visnovsky will be the team’s most important defenseman. Visnovsky is 33 and will likely never reprise his monstrous production of ‘05-’06, a year in which he notched 67 points. However, on pace for a healthy 43-point output this year, Lubo should produce 40+ points for the remaining three years of his contract. Injuries may be a concern for the Ducks, as the Slovakian Olympian has struggled with his health for the past two seasons.

From Edmonton’s Standpoint

As a rebuilding team, the Oilers benefit by getting younger with this deal while saving 1.6 million against the cap. For the remainder of the year the Oilers are likely to be hurt by this trade, considering Whitney’s down season and Visnovsky’s expertise on the powerplay. In Whitney, the Oilers get a player whose stock has dropped considerably over the past two seasons. After scoring 59 points in ‘06-’07, Whitney looked to be on the rise — a potential superstar offensive defenseman. However, he’s since trailed off and been traded twice. You must wonder why both the Ducks and Penguins were okay with dealing Whitney, after he had shown such promise. The Oilers should be well enough acquainted with Whitney to find out why by season’s end. Despite what may ail his game, Whitney performed decently during the high stakes Olympic tournament.

Final Thoughts

The Ducks strongly believe this deal will get them into the post-season. It’s fair to say that most of the hockey world was blindsided by this deal; Whitney seemed like a building block in Anaheim and Visnovsky’s 5.6 million dollar contract appeared very tough to move. However, both General Managers involved believe they have made the right move for their team. For now, it’s a win for the Ducks, but the Oilers could be the eventual winners.

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