3 NHL teams that should make a trade for Corey Perry

Recent rumors from a plethora of sources have suggested that the Anaheim Ducks might be trying to use Corey Perry as trade bait this summer.

Bleacher Report recently sparked the rumor, saying that the Ducks are initiating a rebuild very soon. As a result, aging players such as Perry may not fit into the lineup anymore.

An interesting comment to come from the article suggests that:

"per Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register, saying that “…if your team plays fast, you can make players faster. And that’s the first thing that has to be addressed around here.” That is part of the reason why Corey Perry is holding down the 25th spot on TSN’s trade bait board."

Anaheim recently had another playoff run come very short from a sweep to the San Jose Sharks in the opening round. It’s been the trend with the squad in recent playoff runs; they just can’t make it to the final destination.

It’s also been the same core for the Ducks for quite some time. If the rumors are true, the management in Orange County may be making the right decision. Ryan Getzlaf, Andrew Cogliano and Perry himself all do not seem to be enough in today’s NHL.

Plus, Perry’s age along with the rest of the Ducks’ core players suggest that a decline is coming very soon. It’s time for the 33-year-old to move out of the core in order to fit a surrounding role for any club he may play for.

If that’s the case, Perry could be the perfect player in most situations. A veteran with a Stanley Cup and loads of playoff experience who just came off a 17-goal and 49-point season to add to his near 800-point career.

There’s no doubt that the player still has some talent left in the tank, but that doesn’t mean there will still be some sort of obstacle in the way. In other terms, Perry comes for a pretty penny. It’s going to be difficult for Anaheim to find a team not only willing to eat the contract, but simply wanting to think about a deal in the first place.

It’s already eliminating a lot of teams off of Perry’s potential suitors, but there still may be some options available. Here are three teams that should at least keep an eye on Perry’s scenario over the summer.

3. Vancouver Canucks

With the Sedin twins gone, things offensively are likely going to be a bit too bleak and young. Vancouver is going to need some sort of veteran presence to not only make up for the Sedin’s, but to help the youth movement going forward.

It was another season of expected disappointment from the Canucks. The British Columbia side finished with 73 points which was only three points ahead of the Arizona Coyotes for last in the Pacific Division.

However, there’s a lot of promise within the organization. It all revolves around Bo Horvat offensively, and then it trickles down to prospects such as Elias Pettersson and Thatcher Demko.

These boys are going to need somebody to guide them along with the rebuild. Plus, Vancouver is going to need way more than 218 goals for if they are even going to sniff a playoff spot in the Western Conference for the years ahead.

In the time ahead, there might be a lot of shifting within the Canucks’ lineup for the next few months on the offense. Perry could simply fit anywhere in that lineup.

With a hefty amount of money available, the Canucks would surely be able to take Perry’s contract. They would have to send back some sort of prospect or pick to Anaheim, but with the winger’s age, it couldn’t be that serious.

The biggest obstacles within this move would be in-division trading, which rarely happens. Plus, Vancouver seem very committed to the younger project, meaning they might not be so quick to make big moves soon even if that means progression within the standings.