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Ducks feeling sense of uncertainty as the NHL’s trade deadline nears

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NEW YORK — It might not happen today, tomorrow or the next day, but the Ducks’ roster is likely to change, perhaps dramatically, before the NHL’s trade deadline next Monday. There’s no telling exactly what might happen or who might be on the move, but something significant is bound to happen.

“Whether you’re on the best team or not, there’s always names in your locker room that are getting floated around,” Ducks defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk said. “There’s a lot of guys who haven’t gone through it in this locker room, who haven’t experienced it. It can be a tough time of year for that reason.”

It’s the nature of the business, especially for a team with a new general manager, eager to make his mark and continue an ongoing rebuilding project that’s shown signs of progress and with several noteworthy players who are eligible to become unrestricted free agents at season’s end.

The Ducks’ 4-9-1 skid since the All-Star break Feb. 4-5 likely hasn’t swayed GM Pat Verbeek’s desire to either re-sign defensemen Hampus Lindholm and Josh Manson and forwards Nicolas Deslauriers and Rickard Rakell or trade them before they walk away for nothing in return.

Lindholm, in particular, has been the subject of nearly non-stop speculation for several weeks. It’s been reported that he would like a contract extension of more than the five years that’s been offered. If an agreement can’t be reached, he could fetch a good deal in trade before Monday.

The Ducks are the only team Lindholm, 28, has known, the franchise that picked him sixth overall in 2012. His departure would leave a considerable void in the Ducks’ lineup and, equally important, sever ties among many teammates that go back to his arrival as a 18-year-old rookie.

It also could be a shock to the system of the Ducks’ many young players. Shattenkirk remembers what that was like. After all, he was traded from the Colorado Avalanche after playing 46 games to the St. Louis Blues to complete a multi-player deal during his rookie season in 2010-11.

“You don’t know what kind of changes are going to be made,” Shattenkirk said. “That’s really the message. You can’t control what’s going to happen. I think I learned that getting traded my rookie year. It was a great lesson in this league to know that a lot of things are out of your hands, so you just go out and play. You do the best you can. Give everyone the best impression of you that you can and the rest kind of takes care of itself.”

There is always a sense of dread that bonds will be broken, friendships ended.

“The thought is in the back of your head, ‘If he goes, he’s a good friend, there’s a bond there, there’s chemistry there,’” Shattenkirk said. “Especially this year, since we’ve taken some steps. In a perfect world, you want everyone to grow together and achieve that goal together.

“The reality is, it just never happens. You play on a team that wins the Stanley Cup and not everyone is there the next year, either. That’s the reality of our situation and I think the more these guys get the experience, the more they’ll be able to cope with it.”

FACTS AND FIGURES

Cam Fowler’s next assist will be the 279th of his NHL career, tying him with Steve Rucchin for fifth place on the Ducks’ all-time list. Ryan Getzlaf holds the franchise record with 731 assists and counting, 200 more than second-place Teemu Selanne. … Troy Terry’s next point will be the 100th of his career. He has 44 goals and 55 assists in 186 career games in the NHL, all with the Ducks.

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