Late last night, the Nashville Predators and Anaheim Ducks came to terms on a swap of minor league players. The Predators announced (in the middle of their 4-3 win over the Calgary Flames) that they had acquired defenseman Andrew O’Brien from the Ducks, with forward Max Gortz going the other way to Anaheim. As of now, both players are expected to remain at the AHL level.
With Roman Josi, P.K. Subban, and Petter Granberg all sidelined with injury and Anthony Bitetto struggling to stay healthy as well, the Predators have been in desperate need of some additional defensive depth. In acquiring O’Brien, Nashville receives a player without much flash or offensive upside, but who has grown into a more responsible defender in the past couple of seasons. The 24-year-old was a fourth-round pick by the Ducks in 2012 from the Chicoutimi Sagueneens of the QMJHL. He had performed well in his first two junior seasons with the team, but not enough to draw much attention. The following year, O’Brien was traded to the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, where began to build a reputation as a physical, shutdown defenseman. At 6’4″, 200 lbs., O’Brien hulked over much of his QMJHL competition and was a difficult match-up. It showed in his team-leading +19 rating (and 113 penalty minutes). However, when O’Brien joined the pro ranks in 2013-14, this physical advantage made less of an impact against bigger, stronger, and more experienced competition. As a result, he spent much of his first season down in the ECHL. The past two seasons, O’Brien has become a mainstay on the blue line for the Ducks’ AHL affiliates, again racking up penalty minutes but also contributing modest offense and learning how to better use his strength and frame in his own zone. Thus far in 2016-17 though, O’Brien has not seen much action, appearing in just ten games while buried under Anaheim’s notoriously deep defensive depth. Trading O’Brien is not much of a loss for the Ducks, but is an opportunity for him to show how he has grown as a player and to carve out a new role for himself with the Milwaukee Admirals and maybe even the Predators themselves eventually.
Unlike Nashville, Anaheim has no immediate need for forward depth, but in acquiring Gortz the team has obtained some great future potential. The 23-year-old Swedish product is in just his second pro season in North America and opened some eyes in his first year. Gortz was a sixth-round pick of the Predators in 2012, but was tied up playing in the Swedish Hockey League until 2015-16. He immediately showed how playing against men in an elite pro league can benefit young players, as he overcame the adjustment to North American hockey rather quickly. Gortz scored 18 goals and 29 assists for 47 total points last year, while playing to a +14 rating as well. At 6’2″, 200 lbs., Gortz’s size was apparent, but his ability to use that size in front of the net and on the forecheck came as a pleasant surprise to many. However, perhaps disappointed in the lack of opportunity to earn a spot in Nashville or potentially just due to the changes in the team around him, Gortz has struggled to replicate last year’s success in 2016-17. He has just a goal and three assists in 30 games so far, and instead of pushing for an NHL job has likely become an afterthought for the Predators. If it meant getting much needed defensive support, Nashville was probably happy to move the disappointing forward. A change of scenery with the San Diego Gulls may be exactly what Gotz needs though, and with great size and skill could still reach his NHL goals with the Ducks in the near future.