Ducks' Silfverberg proving he belongs in Anaheim, not Vegas

Jakob Silfverberg is having a postseason to remember.

In 13 games played so far, the underappreciated Anaheim Ducks winger is yet again producing when it matters most, racking up nine goals and four assists. His nine tallies ties him for the playoff lead with Pittsburgh Penguins rookie Jake Guentzel.

With the Cup only seven victories away, Anaheim will obviously take all it can get from the Swedish national. But the more Silfverberg produces, the more unlikely it becomes that he will be unprotected when the expansion draft kicks off in mid-June.

Anaheim, just like every other NHL franchise, has two options for protecting its players for the upcoming expansion draft:

Option one; protect seven forwards, three defensemen, and one goalie. Or, option two; protect eight skaters total (both forwards and D-men) and one goalie.

Either way you slice it, Silfverberg is making Anaheim's protection selection that much more complex. But how can you let a player like that walk away, especially when he does some of his best work in the spring?

Silfverberg was acquired in 2013 from the Ottawa Senators along with Stefan Noesen and a first-round pick in exchange for Bobby Ryan. At the time, the Ducks were roasted in NHL circles for giving up a bona fide 30-goal scorer in Ryan for two relative unknowns and a pick.

The Senators have recently begun reaping the benefits of Ryan's impact. The Ducks, on the other hand, have been benefiting from Silfverberg's since the 2015 playoffs when he was arguably the Ducks' best player - this postseason has been much of the same.

However, Silfverberg can get it done in the regular season, as well. During the 2016-17 campaign, he put up career highs in both goals (23) and assists (26) while impressing with his wicked-fast release and nose for the net.

So who do the Ducks protect and who gets to spend their foreseeable future on the strip in Sin City? That's the million-dollar question that will be answered June 17.

Hypothetically, if general manager Bob Murray could convince veteran blue-liner Kevin Bieksa to waive his no-movement clause, the Ducks would have another slot to protect a player like Silfverberg or Rickard Rakell with no issue.

The situation is an interesting one for Anaheim, but it simply cannot let a player like Silvferberg walk away. He continues to prove that he was worth the price to acquire him and then some - he has earned a protection slot.

You just can't teach clutch and Silfverberg has been exactly that.