The Anaheim Ducks are on the verge of suffering a first-round sweep at the hands of the San Jose Sharks, which could lead to major changes for the franchise.

TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger told TSN Radio Vancouver 1040 on Tuesday it may be time for the Ducks to move part of their core, despite reaching the conference final last season.

“I feel something substantive has to be done in Anaheim if they go out with a whimper," Dreger said. "And based on the shellacking [in Game 3] at the hands of the San Jose Sharks, that’s more and more how it’s looking. How do you not do something of significance?

“And I’m not pointing the finger at [general manager] Bob Murray, but ownership has considerable say in all of this. Maybe at some point ownership looks at what they’ve got in management and says, ‘Okay, it’s time to give someone else with a fresh look a crack at this operation.’

“But if Bob Murray stays on board then, yeah, he’s got tough decisions to make with [head coach] Randy Carlyle and most definitely with the core of that team. Because the core of that team is the head of that snake, as they say, and they’re not producing. They’re not getting it done. So change is needed.”

Murray is in his 10th season as general manager of the Ducks and the team has made the postseason in all but two years under his watch. The team hired Randy Carlyle in 2016 to replace Bruce Boudreau, who led the Ducks to the conference final just once in five seasons.

The Ducks have a veteran core made up of Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Ryan Kesler, all three of whom carry cap hits north of $6.8 million. Getzlaf, signed at $8.25 million through 2020-21, finished second on the Ducks with 61 points this season behind only Rickard Rakell despite missing significant time due to a fractured cheekbone. Rakell, who scored 34 goals this year, is signed for just $3.79 million through 2022.

Perry, who has the highest cap hit on the Ducks at $8.625 million, has seen his production drop over the past two seasons, posting 17 goals this season and 19 a year ago after a total of 110 over the previous three seasons. Kesler, whose cap hit is $6.875 million, battled injuries throughout the season and contributed just eight goals and 14 points in 44 games this year. 

Despite a dip in production and their large cap hits, Dreger said he believes the Ducks could still move on their bigger pieces. He believes a market could form for one of the faces of the Ducks franchise after July 1.

“Yeah, oh absolutely. Absolutely,” said Dreger. “I don’t have any doubt in my mind that there would be teams with considerable interest in Perry and Getzlaf if they were willing to break it up.

“Especially a veteran, experienced team. A team like the St. Louis Blues, for example – I don’t have their cap in front of me, so it’s not easy to do those kind of things. But if they don’t land John Tavares, as an example – if the San Jose Sharks don’t land John Tavares – any team that’s after John Tavares doesn’t get him, why wouldn’t you consider one of those guys?

“Now, there’s a big difference between John Tavares and maybe Getzlaf and/or Perry, but these guys are proven winners. So I would think individually they would have a strong market.”

The Ducks lost Game 3 of their first-round series against the Sharks 8-1 and will try to avoid the sweep on Wednesday night.