NHL trade rumors: Can Ducks keep both Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf?

The Anaheim Ducks face a difficult dillema heading into this summer, as the team must attempt to re-sign both Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. The two forwards have been the centerpiece of the Ducks offense and have both been the two highest-paid players on the team, and it could prove difficult to keep both players without completely breaking the bank.

Pierre LeBrun of ESPNspeculates that the Ducks will be able to re-sign Getzlaf, but keeping Perry might not be as easy.

On the other hand, every GM in the league watched as Nashville kept Ryan Suter past the trade deadline last season, as did New Jersey with Zach Parise. Then the GM saw both players walk out the door July 1, getting nothing in return.

This is just me guessing, but there's a real chance the Ducks contemplate trading Perry if he's not signed by April 3, no matter their position in the standings. Again, no one has told me that; it's just me reading the tea leaves, especially when you consider how sour the Ducks were after losing Justin Schultz to free agency last summer.

The Ducks sit on top of the Pacific Division and look primed to make a serious push in the postseason, especially if Viktor Fasth proves to be more than just a flash in the pan in net. Perry is just two seasons removed from 50 goals and 98 points and last season, in what some saw as down year, Perry had "just" 37 goals and 60 points in 80 games.

Teams will be hungry for a player like Perry, especially those deep in the playoff hunt on the East Coast, and could pay a pretty penny at the deadline for his short-term services. The Ducks will be hard pressed not to listen to serious offers should Perry remained unsigned as April approaches.