The NHL's trade deadline isn't until next week, but some teams aren't waiting around to wheel and deal.
The Anaheim Ducks snatched up one of the more attractive rental forwards on the market Friday afternoon when they landed Patrick Eaves from the Dallas Stars in exchange for a conditional second-round pick.
The 32-year-old Eaves is in the final year of his current deal and carries a cap hit of only $1 million. That's very good value for a guy with 21 goals prior to March. The Calgary native should be able to provide some additional offensive help for Anaheim down the stretch.
As for the conditions of the pick being sent to Dallas, here's an explainer courtesy of NHL.com:
Based on draft position, Dallas will receive the middle pick of Ottawa, San Jose or Toronto's second-round selections in 2017 per the conditions in which Anaheim acquired the pick from Toronto in a previous trade. Should Anaheim advance to the third round of the postseason and Eaves plays in 50% or more of their games in the first two rounds, the selection becomes the Ducks first-round selection in the 2017 NHL Draft.
Anaheim currently ranks 20th in the league in goals-per-game (2.56) and are looking to improve on that as they head towards the playoffs. The Ducks currently sit at 74 points, which has them tied with Edmonton for second place in the Pacific Division.
