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The Anaheim Ducks announced today that they’ve traded forwards Adam Henrique and Sam Carrick to the Edmonton Oilers, along with a seventh-round pick in this year’s draft as part of a three-team trade also involving the Tampa Bay Lightning. In exchange, the Ducks acquired Edmonton’s first-round pick in this year’s draft, along with a fifth-round pick in 2025, while retaining salary.
A beloved teammate, leader, father and friend for his seven seasons in Anaheim. Thank you @AdamHenrique, for your lasting impact on our team. pic.twitter.com/AWijfWO9Gx
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) March 6, 2024
As a pending unrestricted free agent and the Ducks’ biggest trade chip, Henrique was always expected to be moved prior to the deadline. A reliable, versatile forward, Henrique could either end up on the wing in Edmonton’s top six, or potentially center a line in the middle-six. Now 34 years old though, he wasn’t going to be part of the team’s long-term plans, but Anaheim managed to get a really good return here.
Henrique was on waivers just three years ago, but after rebuilding his value with a series of consistent years, the Ducks did a great job capitalizing. The market for Henrique had already been set by the Sean Monahan trade to an extent, but it’s still a great job from Pat Verbeek to pull the first-round pick.
Carrick had also emerged as a good depth fit over the last few years as well, providing a bit of stability to the team’s fourth-line. He was able to bring intensity to the Ducks’ lineup and put forth fairly consistent efforts as one of the team's better forecheckers. With Carrick also set to become a free agent as well though and now 32 years old, Carrick also wasn't going to be around for the coming years. There’s also certainly an argument that Isac Lundestrom’s best fit with the team could could be as a long-term fourth-line center, and letting go of Carrick still leaves the option for Lundestrom to fit there next season, if the team can improve the top/middle-six above him.
Overall, it’s a bit of a no-lose trade for the Ducks, and they got back a good return. Neither Henrique or Carrick were going to be with Anaheim in the next phase of their rebuild, and considering just three years ago Henrique was on waivers and Carrick wasn’t even an NHL regular in his late 20s, and it's tough to complain about the Ducks' return here.
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