NHL Trade: Ducks acquire Patrick Eaves from Stars

The Anaheim Ducks have added a scoring wing, as they have acquired Patrick Eaves from the Dallas Stars for a conditional draft pick. 

Going into the trade deadline, the Anaheim Ducks knew they had to add offense, but they preferred to do so without having to give up one of their promising defensemen.

The Ducks have found a way to do it, acquiring upcoming free agent forward Patrick Eaves from the Dallas Stars for a conditional pick.

"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."

Basically, if you’re a Stars fan, root for the Ducks. The better they do in the postseason, the better the draft pick the Stars will get. Anaheim gets a quality scoring wing in Eaves who is having a career season. Through 59 games, he has a career-best 21 goals and 37 points. Eaves has done considerable damage on the power play, as 11 of his goals and 16 of his points have come with an extra man.

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This is a bit of a risky move for the Ducks, but it’s a necessary one. Eaves will have to get used to Anaheim’s power play quickly in order to be an optimal piece for them. Since a considerable amount of his value lies in the man advantage and not at even strength, he can’t afford to have a cold streak. The Stars did quite well in this trade, potentially netting a first round pick and at worst getting a second rounder.