Possibility of a Trade Appears Highly Unlikely

Another day closer to Tuesday’s NHL trade deadline meant no news of note in the Duck camp.

Pierre Gauthier, team president/general manager, was as vague as ever when asked Sunday about possible moves.

“We’ll see,” he said. “It’s not fair to speculate, but you should always listen.”

Gauthier did not make a trade last season while general manager of the Ottawa Senators. Jack Ferreira, former Duck general manager, made three deals before the deadline last March.

The tension among the players is certainly not as heavy it was last March, when the Ducks were all but eliminated from the postseason by the deadline. Unlike last season, rumors have been few and far between this season.

It’s quite possible Gauthier stands pat for the regular-season’s final 12 games. And that would be just fine by goalie Guy Hebert.

“I think we’ve grown by leaps and bounds since training camp,” Hebert said. “And one of the reasons we have gotten better is because there have been so few changes since training camp. We picked up Marty McIinnis [from Calgary via Chicago on Oct. 27] and that could be our key pickup for the entire season.

“But that’s what the team president and the general manager do for a living. Anybody can be traded. It looms over everybody’s head. [But] Pierre told us he likes the chemistry we have.”