NHL Trade Deadline Breakdown

The Anaheim Ducks made a number of trades over the recent days leading up to the NHL trade deadline. Some of these will affect the Gulls, some of these will not. Here is my breakdown of each trade with some commentary for how it may influence the Gulls down the stretch and in future seasons.

Ondrej Kase traded to Boston for David Backes, Axel Andersson and a first found pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.

Given Andersson is injured and his numbers cant really be quantified because of that this is one of those wait-and-see trades.  The twenty year old Swede has 22 points in 41 games with Moncton in the QMJHL this season, his first in North America. It is interesting that he is playing in Juniors when the Bruins could simply have him playing in Providence given he was drafted out of Europe and the CHL rules do not apply to him. None the less he can and will join the Gulls at the conclusion of his Junior season. The same time that Ducks prospect Benoit-Olivier Groulx and Moncton team-mate will also come to San Diego as a Black-Ace.
I love Kase and had mentally prepared myself for him to be moved ever since the nixed Faulk trade back in September.  His injury issues were just too big of a concern long term. Backes is a salary dump but like Ryan Miller helped a young John Gibson, perhaps Backes becomes another voice to help Getzlaf lead the youngsters who clearly needed a lot of help this season in their first full year in the NHL.
The first round pick will likely be late but the Ducks have been rumored to be heavily scouting a Swedish right-shooting defender ticketed to go in the late first round by the name of Helge Grans. He reads as a Power Play specialist that likes to rush the puck but knocks on his game include his skating and some decision making.

Derek Grant traded to Philadelphia for Kyle Criscuolo and a fourth round pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.

Anaheim get a fourth round selection back for 2020 after dealing their one away last off-season to acquire Nicolas Deslauriers.
It is largely an unspoken understanding that Anaheim will likely sign Grant back in the off-season so although the short term loss hurts, the gains received hopefully outweigh that. Criscuolo is a twenty seven year old right shooting center/winger, he is a tad undersized at 5’8″ 181lbs. He will play on the Gulls for the rest of the season but will be yet another veteran that will have to compete among an already very full roster of veteran players for ice time. He has 24 points in 40 games with the Phantoms this season and is on an expiring one year two-way deal.
The fourth round pick is conditional and could end up being either the Flyers or the Predators selection depending on which is higher by seasons end.

Nick Ritchie traded to the Boston Bruins for Danton Heinen

The Ducks might miss Ritchie more than they know – it’s one of those trades where you look at their lack of analytics department and worry.  He does take a lot of penalties – and usually unnecessary ones at that – but he does also drive play.
Heinen – could really surprise though.   He is a multi-dimensional player whose compete level likely replaces that of the departed Kase.  He had very good numbers at the University of Denver and put up 44 points in 64 games in his first pro season in the AHL.  He spent all of last season in Boston, getting 34 points in 77 games and has 22 points in 58 games this year. We won’t see him on the Gulls.

Daniel Sprong traded to the Washington Capitals for Christian Djoos

Going full circle from Marcus Petersson to Christian Djoos. This one was kind of a wash.  The Ducks clearly were not going to give Sprong a shot so it was time to move on.  Murray was quoted as looking for and targeting Power Play specialists – specifically mentioning Djoos as one of those.  He does have lengthy NHL experience despite being 25, getting in a 63 game season in Washington in 2017-2018 under Coach Barry Trotz.  Last year – as the Capitals moved on from Trotz, the 5’11” 168lb left shooting defender produced just 10 points in 45 games for the Capitals.  This year he has spent the majority of the season with Hershey, putting up 32 points in 42 games.  He has proven in the past he can put up decent numbers and perhaps Murray has found a project that can salvage that Petersson deal.  He is not waiver exempt but has been included on the Gulls roster for the Ducks seasons end – when Waivers are not applicable.  He should help the San Diego Power Play immensely for that final stretch drive, while the departure of Sprong means a spare veteran spot opens up.

Korbinian Holzer traded to the Nashville Predators for Matt Irwin and a sixth round pick in the 2022 NHL entry draft

This is one of those deals where you have to wonder what Nashville Predators GM David Poile was thinking.  Sure we all love Holzer, he is a great team player, good guy to have in the locker room and has been an almost average third pairing NHL defenceman but to get any kind of value for him was something I dont think anybody expected.   The Predators are barely holding onto the final wildcard spot and I guess figure to have Holzer as depth for their defensive core whilst moving on from 32 year old Matt Irwin.  Irwin as we saw from the Ducks match against the Oilers tonight, slotted right into the line-up, had a few hiccups and was a tad slow at times but also brought a visible amount of experience and contributed with some smart plays.  He shoots right and is on an expiring contract – at this point he feels like a space filler for the remainder of this season while the Ducks figure out what to do with their defensive core over the summer.   The sixth round pick is a bonus which gives Anaheim insurance if they do decide to end up playing Joel Persson in 25 or more NHL games next season (see below).

Devin Shore traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Sonny Milano.

The deal that got everyone talking as Bob Murray managed to deal an oft-scratched and under-used Shore for the former 16th overall pick with “head-case baggage” despite obvious and still developing talent.  A lot of people will say this is like when Anaheim initially acquired Daniel Sprong but this instance feels different.  For one – from watching him play tonight against the Oilers I could see compete and defensive back-check; for more – he wasn’t just a trigger man, the subtle down-low pass he made to Rakell at one point shows he has a knack for setting up sneaky scoring plays.  Milano had 18 points in 46 games this year and is not waiver eligible, we won’t see him on the Gulls this year but that also means one of the Ducks less developed talents can spend more time with San Diego honing their craft and contribute in a winning environment to conclude the season and potential playoff run.  More on that later in a follow up article to this one.

Angus Redmond & a conditional seventh round pick in the 2022 NHL entry draft traded to Edmonton for Joel Persson

The last deal to make its way through the channel was perhaps the most perplexing.  Not because the Ducks sought and obtained Persson – the first year Swedish defencemen who has 16 points in 27 games with Bakersfield this season.  But because Edmonton was happy to deal away the 25 year old right shooting defender when they possibly knew how badly the Ducks needed right shot defencemen.  Angus Redmond (sorry Beef fans) was a regrettable College signing and was somehow given a three year entry level deal back in 2017.  The closest he came to Duck fans radar was a brief stint with the Gulls last season when both Boyle and Glass went down with overlapping injuries.  That was a feel good story at the time and I do feel terrible disparaging the guy given how the Ducks have treated him – not having an ECHL affiliate has meant the poor guy has not really had a place to call home for three years until this season – where has put together a stellar year with the Newfoundland Growlers.  It feels to me however – that the Ducks got the better end of the deal here; Persson is still young and fills a desperate need in the Ducks depth chart.  The seventh round pick is conditional on whether Persson plays 25 or more NHL games with the Ducks next year.