Anaheim Ducks forward Corey Perry (Morris Lamont/QMI Agency/Files)
Call it Bob Murray’s big decision.
With the NHL trade deadline set for April 3, nobody is under more intense scrutiny than the Anaheim Ducks GM with all-star forwards Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf both set to become unrestricted free agents on July 1.
While Murray has maintained publicly he wants to keep both players in the fold, he’s going to have cough up a lot of cash from the Ducks’ bank if Perry and Getzlaf are both going to stick around Anaheim past this season.
The belief is to keep Perry and Getzlaf, Murray is going to have to ante up with big, front-loaded contracts for both. You know, the ones that were a “hill to die on” during the CBA negotiations before the league decided it couldn’t afford to lose the season.
Many don’t believe -- of the two -- Getzlaf is going anywhere because he’s settled into Anaheim. There was talk before the lockout the two sides were close to a long-term agreement in the $60-million range. That hasn’t materialized yet.
