The NHL Trade Deadline is nearly upon us and with it means the rumors are swirling. And while there are rumors that carry some weight as teams make a playoff push or rebuild for the future there are some that are pure fiction.

February 25th at 3 pm EST is the NHL trade deadline. From now until then fans will be looking at numerous websites and tweets to get the latest rumors to see if their team will make the big flashy move on deadline day. Anaheim Ducks fans have been keeping a close eye on the rumors to see which pieces could be moved as the season has been one to forget for sure. One of the most popular sites for Ducks fans and all fans for these rumors is hockeybuzz.com.

For reasons that don’t seem to make much sense as personal experience has shown that hockeybuzz gets very few trade rumors correct. But then again they get a lot of people talking, this article included so they accomplish that if nothing else. The rumor that appeared on the site February 11th and you can see here is this:

“FROM A top NHL source: The Vegas Knights are talking to the Anaheim Ducks about Ryan Getzlaf (e4) More to come on this for sure..”

The e4 you see after Ryan Getzlaf is the sites ranking system. The founder of hockeybuzz is a person that goes by the pseudonym Eklund, to remain anonymous and ranks trade rumors using an e1-e5 scale. The scale can be found on the site’s FAQs and reads as follows:

E1 – This is a rumor that comes from a single reliable source, not in any way directly connected to the players or teams involved.

E2 – This rumor is simply more than one reliable sources not in any way directly connected to the players or teams involved and not connected to each other. It does not have to equate to two E1’s. It could be several E1’s.

E3 – This rumor comes from a single source with ties somehow to the players or teams involved.

E4 – This rumor comes from more than one source with ties to the players or teams involved.

E5 – This rumor comes from a source telling Eklund the deal is 100% done and just has not been announced yet.

So the site is claiming a trade by the Ducks of Ryan Getzlaf to the Vegas Golden Knights is coming from more than one source with ties to Getzlaf or the Ducks/Knights? This is all kinds of crazy and shouldn’t be met with any other reaction than a laugh. But if convincing is needed look no further than these two reasons.

What Possible Good Does It Do?

At the end of the day, trades are supposed to help both parties. Whether it’s finding the missing piece you need upfront or a high draft pick to start your rebuild trades are supposed to be beneficial for both parties. The Ducks have had a season from hell and regardless of all the coaching turmoil and need to shake the roster up how does trading your captain and the current face of your franchise help you? Getzlaf is still a great player and one that can take over a game why would you trade someone like him and trade him to a division rival no less. Getzlaf still has 2 years left on his deal after this season so why would you want to face him numerous times a season and battle him for a division championship and playoff spot?

Speaking of Getzlaf’s contract, it is for 8.25 million over those next two years. The Knights could absorb that as they currently sit with about 12.5 million in cap space. However, the Knights have players to sign in the summer such as William Karlsson and the likes of Max Pacioretty, Marc-Andre Fleury, and Alex Tuch all receive significant pay raises come next season. The Knights wouldn’t be able to keep Getzlaf without moving someone significant. And the Ducks don’t need the likes of Reily Smith or Johnathan Marchessault to help with their rebuild. There is no scenario where this makes any sense for what the Ducks and for that matter, the Knights want to do long term.

Keep Butts in the Seats

The Ducks have done everything but outright say they are throwing in the towel. They still can mathematically make the playoffs but with how they have played and their current state would they make any noise? Probably not. The Ducks are angling for a high draft pick and getting to the summer where they can re-evaluate, re-shape the roster and implement a new system (for real this time) with a new coach. However, they still need to play this season out and at the end of the day, the NHL and the Anaheim Ducks are a business. They need to make money and stay as relevant as possible.

Trading the face of your franchise, the captain, a fan favorite, and a player you can still get to be a huge part of trying to bring a Cup to Anaheim in his final two seasons may make even the die-hards walk away. Ryan Getzlaf allows fans to keep some faith and some sense of normalcy. Ryan Getzlaf gets people to buy merchandise and puts butts in the seats. The Ducks need to maintain some semblance of stability perhaps now more than ever. Trading Ryan Getzlaf would send this organization into a tailspin. And it’s a tailspin that they may not ever recover from. Fan faith is at a low that hasn’t been experienced since the Ducks infant seasons. Making a trade like this could fully rattle the fan base and in a market that needs to constantly stay relevant, it is not a risk the Ducks should take.

Ryan Getzlaf has two years left on his deal, perhaps two years left in the NHL and two years left to win a Stanley Cup. And if that’s the case it should be with the Anaheim Ducks, the only team he’s ever known.