The Shifting Market Price for Adam Henrique
With a pair of centers recently dealt from the trade block, Adam Henrique's value could be higher than ever.
The Shifting Market Price for Adam HenriqueHeading into the 2023-24 season, the Anaheim Ducks were hoping to make significant strides toward exiting their rebuild. It could be argued those strides have been made, but the standings haven’t reflected that notion. Today, the March 8th NHL trade deadline is right around the corner and the Ducks sit in 30th according to the NHL league standings. That firmly places them in the “seller” category.
Before the season, if one were to imagine the Ducks sitting at the bottom of the standings for the sixth consecutive season, forward Adam Henrique would have been seen as their most significant trade chip. That remains the same today as he’s reportedly the most likely Duck to be moved this trade deadline season. If one were to guess the market and estimate what acquiring someone like Henrique could cost a contending team in a trade, based on previous trade seasons, a second-round pick would have seemed like a fair price.
Henrique has had a successful season despite the season his Ducks have had in the standings. He’s scored 16 goals and 20 assists for 36 points in 55 games so far in 2023-24. He needs 16 more points to eclipse his previous career high for points in a season he set in 2011-12. His contract carries a cap hit of $5.825 million and if the Ducks retain half of that in a trade (which they can do and would benefit them), a contending team could add him and it would cost $2.9125 million against their cap.
As the season has progressed, the market for Adam Henrique, especially in the last month, has changed drastically. Two of the most sought-after centers on the trade market were traded (Elias Lindholm and Sean Monahan) and their former teams received hefty returns.
Lindholm was traded on Jan. 31 from the Calgary Flames to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Andrei Kuzmenko, Joni Jurmo, Hunter Brzustewicz, a 2024 first-round pick, and a conditional 2024 fourth-round pick. Monahan was moved on Feb. 2 from the Montreal Canadiens to the Winnipeg Jets for a 2024 first-round pick and a conditional 2027 third-round pick.
While Lindholm (.65), Monahan (.71), and Henrique (.67) were all producing at a similar points-per-game average pace at the time the former two were traded, Lindholm and Monahan could be seen as more attractive pieces than Henrique. Lindholm (29) is two years removed from a 42-goal campaign in 2021-22 and is a perennial Selke Trophy contender. Monahan (29) is under a contract that carries a cap hit of $1.985 million, nearly $1 million less than that of Henrique with 50% retention.
The advantage Ducks’ General Manager Pat Verbeek has now is that Adam Henrique is now the most attractive player that can play center left on the market. Joining him are names like Nic Dowd, Scott Laughton, and Mikael Granlund. A bidding war could come to fruition for Henrique’s services between several contending teams in need of a boost to the middle six of their forward group ahead of their respective playoff pushes.
Henrique is a versatile forward who can play in any spot in a lineup. He can play all three forward positions and is a perfect on-ice complimentary piece to a middle-six scoring line. While his foot speed isn’t among the league’s most prolific, he processes and plays at a fast rate. He excels in tight areas of the ice (in corners or front of the net) and has a high motor to win pucks back. He is never out of position defensively and uses his stick well to break up plays and his body well to protect pucks. He’s been a mainstay on the Ducks’ penalty kill for the last few seasons as well.
It’s not difficult to see why Henrique’s skillset could be attractive for a team heading into the playoffs with their sights set on a deep run. The Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Edmonton Oilers, New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, and Toronto Maple Leafs are all teams who could express interest in the next two weeks. Henrique’s contract carries a 10-team NTC.
While a second-round pick as a trade deadline haul would have been seen as a fair price for Adam Henrique one month ago, that ever-evolving market may have shifted. By no means would it be seen as a failure if that’s what the price ends up as, but one could see how “disappointment” could now be a word associated with that return.