Could Vancouver Canucks and Anaheim Ducks be trade partners this offseason?
It’s a story of two teams going in opposite directions.
But often, those teams make the best trade partners. Could that be the case for the Vancouver Canucks and Anaheim Ducks this offseason?
The Ducks ended a seven-season playoff drought this spring. Not only that, but they made many Canucks fans smile by knocking off the Edmonton Oilers in Round One.
They’re a young team on the rise, but there are still some imperfections with their roster. Imperfections that the Canucks could help correct.
Vancouver could help Anaheim with two potential issues: filling their need for a cost-controlled veteran defender, and taking an inefficient contract off of their books.
Why Ducks could call about Canucks’ Hronek
The 2026 playoffs were a coming-out party for a handful of Ducks players, but arguably none of them were as impactful as Jackson LaCombe.
In Round One, LaCombe successfully helped tilt the ice in Anaheim’s favour when he was matched up against Connor McDavid, something not many defenders have been able to do.
LaCombe found success in the playoffs despite not having a top-pair caddie to play alongside.
Jacob Trouba had a bounce-back season, but he isn’t the player he once was, and the Ducks were outscored 10-8 with LaCombe and Trouba on the ice at five-on-five in the playoffs.
The rest of Anaheim’s right side is in flux. Trouba, John Carlson and Radko Gudas are all pending unrestricted free agents who are on the wrong side of 30.
Enter, Filip Hronek.
Could the Anaheim Ducks and Vancouver Canucks swing a deal that includes Filip Hronek? (James Guillory/Imagn Images)
Yes, there’s been lots of chatter about how the 28-year-old has a no-move clause, and the previous management regime flat out said they didn’t want to trade him.
Ryan Johnson, however, noted shortly after being hired that there are no untouchables among Canucks veterans.
Acquiring Hronek would give Anaheim a cost-controlled, top-pair calibre defenceman to pair with LaCombe for the foreseeable future. It would also give Hronek the ability both to mentor young players, as he has in Vancouver, and compete for a Stanley Cup much sooner than he would for the Canucks.
Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek has already shown a propensity to trade big assets for a veteran, right-shot defenceman, trading a first and third round pick for the 36-year-old blueliner.
If he’s willing to trade that for a potential in Carlson, what might he give up for Hronek?
The Noah Dobson trade represents an interesting blueprint for a potential Hronek deal. New York Islanders GM Mathieu Darche traded two mid-first-round picks and Emil Heineman for the defender at last year’s draft.
Hronek might have a slightly lesser value, but a first and second-round pick should be the floor for any potential deal.
The last wrinkle in potentially trading Hronek to the Ducks is that another division rival, the San Jose Sharks, also makes a lot of sense as a destination for the Czech defender. If Canucks GM Ryan Johnson really wants to show his mettle, getting these two teams in a bidding war for Hronek would represent a strong start to his tenure.
Vatrano may be perfect addition for Canucks
The Ducks currently have about $40 million in cap space entering the offseason. However, a large portion of that will be eaten up by extensions for Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Pavel Mintyukov, and Owen Zellweger, along with the fact that they have to completely rebuild the right side of their blueline.
If the Ducks are looking to shed an inefficient contract, could they look to trade Frank Vatrano?
The 32-year-old is just two seasons removed from scoring 37 goals back in 2023-24. However, he endured a hellacious season in 2025-26, posting just five goals and nine points in 50 games. Vatrano didn’t play a single postseason contest for Anaheim either, while depth players like Jeffrey Viel, Tim Washe, Jansen Harkins, and Ross Johnson did.
Vatrano had a difficult season both on and off the ice. He suffered a shoulder injury in December, and also took time away from the team after his brother passed away from cancer.
Perhaps the Ducks want to move off of Vatrano, who has a seven-team no-trade list, while the Massachusetts native might want a team that will actually give him playing time.
The other wrinkle with Vatrano was the unorthodox, deferred salary deal he signed in 2025. It includes $9 million in deferred money, as Vatrano will get paid $900,000 per year for 10 years from 2035 onwards.
That would add an extra wrinkle in negotiations, as the CBA suggests Vancouver would be on the hook for the majority of that, salary was retained in a trade.
Regardless, Vatrano would be an interesting target for the Canucks, especially if the Ducks were willing to attach a draft pick to get off of his contract. Perhaps they’d be even more willing to move him based on the bizarre nature of his contract.