- Last night on Hockey Night in Canada, SportsNet’s Jeff Marek added a new name to the list of trade deadline candidates: Max Comtois. The young forward has struggled to stay in the lineup this year, and has struggled when he is in the lineup. Comtois has just six points in 31 games this season, missing time with a hand injury and COVID-19 earlier in the year, and has been scratched lately as well. It certainly has been a turn this year for Comtois, after leading the Ducks with 33 points in 55 games last season.
Ducks Rumors
Anaheim Ducks Prefer To Re-Sign UFAs
9:15 pm: In his 32 Thoughts segment on Hockey Night in Canada Saturday evening, Elliotte Friedman reiterated the Anaheim Ducks desire to extend Hampus Lindholm if possible. However, he notes that the organization has expressed concern regarding the potential term of a Lindholm extension.
6:41 pm: With the trade deadline soon approaching, and the Anaheim Ducks on the outside looking in of the Western Conference playoff picture, speculation about the Ducks trade chips has started to heat up. Elliott Teaford of The Orange County Register reports that Ducks’ General Manager Pat Verbeek made clear to season ticket holders yesterday that his primary intention was to re-sign his impending unrestricted free agents, including defensemen Hampus Lindholm and Josh Manson, and forward Rickard Rakell.
Verbeek had stated at an event for season-ticket holders that while he is working on extending those players, he would look to trade them if he did not believe he could extend them. Verbeek’s primary concern, he said, would be allowing those players to leave in free agency, not having gotten something back for them, or of course re-signing them. Teaford also added that while Verbeek mentioned having ongoing discussions with Lindholm on an extension, he did not mention any of the Ducks’ other unrestricted free agents by name.
If the Ducks do choose to re-sign the trio of Lindholm, Manson, or Rakell, it could come at a high cost. Lindholm is currently in the final year of a six-year, $31.5MM contract he signed with the Ducks in 2016, carrying a cap hit just north of $5.2MM. Lindholm has been one of the Ducks’ best defensemen the past few seasons, even during some lean years in Anaheim. This season, Lindholm has put up 20 points in 53 games, and is second on the team to Cam Fowler in average time-on-ice at 22:43 per game. Lindholm is expected to received a fairly significant raise over his $5.2M cap hit, however if he is dealt, the price for the 27-year-old could be rather significant as well.
Manson is in the final year of a four year, $16.4MM contract he signed with the Ducks in 2017, a contract which has seen Manson emerge as a sturdy, reliable defender for the Ducks through their rebuild. Manson could expect a similar contract this offseason, however a veteran, right-handed, shutdown defenseman like Manson could certainly be a valuable asset to sell on the trade deadline market.
Rakell has been a name mentioned in recent rumors and by Teaford here as well. The forward could be an intriguing name on the deadline market, as a proven point-producer carrying a cap hit just below $3.8MM. However, he may be a player the Ducks could look to extend at a reasonable cost. Rakell is in the final year of a six-year, $22.8MM contract he signed in the fall of 2016, before he began to truly break-out for Anaheim. However, Rakell’s production has dissipated since his stellar 34 goal, 35 assist 2017-18 season. While Rakell is almost certainly due a raise this time around, he may be a player the Ducks could keep at a fair price for a proven scoring touch.
In addition to this trio, the Ducks unrestricted free agents also include Ryan Getzlaf, Sam Carrick, and Nicolas Deslauriers.
Trade Deadline Primer: Anaheim Ducks
As the calendar turns to March, the trade deadline is inching closer. Where does each team stand and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Anaheim Ducks.
The youth is here in Southern California, perhaps a bit earlier than planned. Jamie Drysdale, Trevor Zegras, and Troy Terry are just part of the young core that’s helped to spearhead the Ducks into the playoff conversation early in the season, although things have begun to fade recently. Sonny Milano and Isac Lundestrom have also made sizable contributions to the Anaheim lineup this year.
But Anaheim has stuttered in recent weeks, now under .500 in their last ten games and two points out of a playoff spot despite playing more games than everyone else. Now in battle with more experienced teams like Nashville, Dallas, and Edmonton, the Ducks simply aren’t in a position anymore to consider selling assets for a playoff run, if they ever were. How the Ducks and new general manager Pat Verbeek navigate the Trade Deadline in this stepping stone season could have big dividends for their future.
Record
26-21-9, (.545), fifth in Pacific Division
Deadline Status
Seller
Deadline Cap Space
$38,364,807 today, $55,628,970 in full-season space, 0/3 retention slots used, 45/50 contracts used per CapFriendly
Upcoming Draft Picks
2022: ANA 1st, ANA 2nd, ANA 4th, ANA 5th, TOR 5th, NSH 6th
2023: ANA 1st, ANA 2nd, ANA 3rd, ANA 4th, ANA 5th, ANA 6th
Trade Chips
The name that likely jumps off the page for many NHL fans is defenseman Hampus Lindholm, who’s in the final season of a $5.21MM AAV deal and is a pending UFA. However, the Ducks do hope to extend Lindholm, so unless it becomes apparent in the next few weeks that an extension isn’t possible, he likely won’t be moved.
One forward who could likely get shipped out of town after many years of speculation is Rickard Rakell. He’s also a pending UFA with a cap hit of $3.79MM, an extremely reasonable hit for Rakell, who has 15 goals and 26 points in 46 games this season. He would provide great middle-six depth for any team looking to add another scoring winger to their lineup, and with Anaheim’s breadth of forward prospects, he may not really fit into their long-term plan at this point.
There’s also Nicolas Deslauriers, who was nearly a Pittsburgh Penguin at last year’s trade deadline. Now a pending UFA as well with a $1MM cap hit, the gritty fourth-line checking winger is the type of player playoff teams salivate over to complete their lineup. He has nine points in 53 games this season.
There’s also the question of captain Ryan Getzlaf, who’s again a pending UFA after signing a one-year deal to remain in Orange County. He’ll likely control his own destiny, but if he wants to chase another Stanley Cup in what could be his last season, Anaheim would likely oblige.
Defenseman Josh Manson is definitely another trade candidate and another pending UFA. One of the better defensive defensemen in the league, he can handle top-four minutes with ease and can play a bruising game. But he’s on the shelf right now with an injury, and it’s uncertain whether he’ll be healthy before the Trade Deadline. If he’s not, he can’t be moved while on injured reserve.
Team Needs
1) Defense Prospects — Anaheim’s starting to get good things out of their young defensemen like Drysdale and Josh Mahura. But the team’s prospect pool remains top-heavy as players like Jacob Larsson begin to flame out. The team’s best defensive prospect right now is likely Jackson LaCombe out of the University of Minnesota, and while he’s solid, they could use another piece or two like him to help round out their list of prospects. If teams are willing to part with players instead of draft picks in any deadline deals Anaheim makes, they’d do best to shoot for a ’D’.
2) More Draft Picks — The Ducks only have six selections in each of the next two drafts, trading away their 2022 3rd for an additional 2021 3rd last year and trading away their 2023 7th for Alexander Volkov, who has since departed the organization. The team should definitely be in a contending position in three or four years at this trajectory, and they’ll need more players from these upcoming drafts to step into the lineup on cheap, entry-level deals as they begin to spend to the salary cap again.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Buddy Robinson Clears Waivers
March 3: Robinson has cleared waivers and can now be assigned to the minor leagues.
March 2: The Anaheim Ducks have placed Buddy Robinson on waivers today, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. This is his second time on waivers in 2021-22, after clearing just before the start of the regular season.
Given that Robinson, 30, has played in 23 games for the Ducks this season, he needed to go on waivers again before heading to the minor leagues. The 6’6″ winger doesn’t play much, but you notice him when he’s out there for Anaheim, racking up hits and generally imposing his will on the opposition physically.
Robinson has even set a career-high with four points this season, taking his total to seven through 44 NHL games. He also has two fighting majors and 43 hits, while averaging fewer than ten minutes a night.
If a team is looking for some size, he can certainly fill that role, but with a limited amount of upside at the NHL level and a whopping $400K minor league guarantee, it seems unlikely that a team would want to nab Robinson at this point. He is much more valuable in the minor leagues, which any claiming team wouldn’t be able to send him until getting him through waivers themselves.
More On Anaheim Ducks Deadline Strategy
Since the beginning of the season, even before Pat Verbeek took over as general manager, the Anaheim Ducks have been one of the most talked-about teams in the league when it comes to potential trades. Rickard Rakell, Josh Manson, and Hampus Lindholm, all on expiring contracts, could be huge pieces that move at next month’s deadline. The Ducks meanwhile are still in a playoff hunt, even with their recent struggles. The team is at 25-21-9 on the season and just three points out of a divisional playoff spot, let alone the wildcard race.
Recently, reports emerged that the team has reached out to Lindholm’s camp to try and make progress on a potential extension. The question then became whether the team would try to continue those negotiations through the trade deadline if a deal hadn’t yet been hammered out. Verbeek made it pretty clear how he feels about that while speaking with Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic:
I think going into this, I’m looking at it like we could make the playoffs, we could miss the playoffs. At the end of the day, there’s no guarantee I can get those three free agents back. I’m going to attempt to sign them, if it doesn’t happen, I just can’t let them walk out the door free.
With just three weeks to go before the March 21 deadline, the Ducks have nine games to show Verbeek whether they’re true playoff contenders–though that may not even matter. They could win all nine and it seems as though the new GM would have to move on, should extensions not be on the table with Rakell, Manson, and Lindholm.
For Anaheim, this isn’t just one crucial player that they might normally keep for a stretch run. These are three sought-after talents that could bring back assets that could drastically change the direction of the franchise. Lindholm alone will bring back a huge package if he’s dealt, especially if an acquiring team believes they can sign him long-term. At 28, he is still in the prime of his career as a true first-pairing defenseman capable of playing in all situations. Averaging nearly 23 minutes a game, Lindholm has 20 points in 53 games, plays hard defensive matchups, and logs plenty of time on the penalty kill.
Manson and Rakell too could bring back substantial packages, if lesser ones than Lindholm. The former is a tough-as-nails defensive defenseman that punishes attackers in front of the net and in the corners, though his offensive upside is limited. The latter, a two-time 30-goal scorer, is having a nice bounce-back season with 14 goals and 25 points in 45 games and could likely slot into the top-six on several contenders. The fact that all three of them come at reasonable cap hits–Lindholm at $5.2MM, Manson at $4.1MM, and Rakell at $3.8MM–makes them a possible target for almost anyone, especially if the Ducks ate a bit of salary for the post-deadline stretch of games.
The Ducks already have a wave of young talent making an impact at the NHL level, making this a crucial set of decisions for Verbeek that could have a serious impact on the league’s playoff picture for years to come. There’s no guarantee that any future picks or prospects ever turn into someone like Lindholm, and taking him out of this lineup could have serious ramifications. Fans of the team should be happy to hear that their big assets aren’t going to be allowed to walk away for nothing though, which would certainly seem like the worst of the three possible outcomes in this situation even if they do make a playoff run this season.
Anaheim Ducks Hoping To Extend Hampus Lindholm
Time is ticking on Anaheim Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek, who now has fewer than one month to make a decision on whether to trade or hold onto some of the most sought-after pending free agents in the league. Rickard Rakell, Josh Manson, and Hampus Lindholm are all on expiring contracts and could bring back quite a few assets on the trade market, but are also key members of a Ducks team that is trying to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2018.
There is of course the possibility that the Ducks extend any one of those players before the deadline, taking out any risk of losing them for nothing in the offseason. That appears to be the tactic Verbeek is trying to take with Lindholm, as Pierre LeBrun explained on TSN’s Insider Trading:
When you talk to other teams around the league, they view Hampus Lindholm as the number one rental defenseman on the market–if he is indeed on the market. One of the first things that Pat Verbeek has done is reach out to Lindholm’s camp, led by agent Claude Lemieux, and start the process of seeing if there is enough common ground to sign an extension before the trade deadline, to remove Hampus Lindholm from the trade market. That would be a heartbreaker for a lot of teams who would love to throw some assets at Anaheim for a player who plays 23 minutes a night on the top pairing.
Earlier in the segment, Darren Dreger had noted that the Toronto Maple Leafs could now be interested in Lindholm after Jake Muzzin’s recent injury, though they will have to take their time to see what his recovery timeline is like. Of course, the Maple Leafs wouldn’t be the only team interested in the 28-year-old Lindholm. One of the most consistent two-way performers in the league since the moment he entered the NHL, Lindholm has 20 points in 50 games this season while playing in all situations. There’s no one that averages more even-strength ice time on the Ducks than the 6’4″ defenseman, and he has shown an ability to contribute both on the powerplay and penalty kill.
If you’re looking for someone who can reshape your entire defense corps, Lindholm is the kind of talent you can target. Though with any player like that, it will come at a cost. Not only will Lindholm cost you a big package at the deadline, but any team hoping to extend him after acquiring him would need to put a huge offer forward. Just recently, Eric Stephens of The Athletic suggested that on any extension, the pending free agent defenseman would be looking at a raise over the $6.75MM he earns this season, making him a huge commitment to any team, including the Ducks. Lindholm himself told Stephens that being on a competitive team in the playoffs is important to him, something that Anaheim is still chasing.
The Ducks currently sit just outside the playoff picture in the Western Conference, two points behind the Los Angeles Kings for the final wildcard spot. That’s with 52 games played though, the most in the league and two more than both Los Angeles and the Edmonton Oilers, who currently hold the final spot in the Pacific Division. With a negative goal differential on the season and a so-so record recently, it’s not clear that the exciting Ducks will be able to actually take that next step and contend this season.
It does seem that playoff contention is coming though, with young talents like Troy Terry, Trevor Zegras, Isac Lundestrom, and Jamie Drysdale already showing how dynamic they can be at the NHL level. Third-overall pick Mason McTavish will be there soon enough to help, meaning on a long-term deal, Lindholm could certainly expect several years of postseason play in Anaheim.
Anaheim Ducks Part Ways With Dave Nonis
The Anaheim Ducks continue to make changes in the leadership of their front office, as Eric Stephens of The Athletic reports that Dave Nonis has left the organization. Nonis had been with the Ducks since 2015, taking on the AGM role three years ago.
Anaheim has completely revamped its front office since Bob Murray resigned from the position of GM last year. Recently, they named Pat Verbeek his full-time replacement after a search was conducted with Jeff Solomon serving in the interim. Scott Niedermayer was also added as a special advisor after helping with the search and will work directly with Verbeek.
Nonis, meanwhile, will now be a candidate for other openings around the league. The long-time executive served more than a decade with both the Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs before joining the Ducks, often connected to Brian Burke, now the president of hockey operations in Pittsburgh. Nonis’ name has also been connected to other jobs over the last few years, including Philadelphia’s search in 2018 that ultimately ended with Chuck Fletcher.
Last night, the Ducks showed exactly the type of team they have been all year. Wildly exciting at both ends of the rink, winning a 7-4 match against the Vancouver Canucks that included three points for budding star Trevor Zegras. The new management has some tough decisions to make in the coming weeks and it appears as though Nonis will not be part of those discussions any longer.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Anaheim Ducks
Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2021-22 season and beyond with contract statuses as of the beginning of the year. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.
Anaheim Ducks
Current Cap Hit: $70,352,981 (under the $81.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
D Simon Benoit ($809K this season)
D Jamie Drysdale ($925K through 2022-23)
F Trevor Zegras ($925K through 2022-23)
Potential Bonuses:
Benoit: $82.5K
Drysdale: $850K
Zegras: $850K
Total: $1.7825MM
Zegras has certainly outperformed his entry-level deal. While they’re still sheltering him a little, he’s effectively Anaheim’s top offensive center now and a centerpiece to build around for the future. We’ve seen teams move quickly to try to sign these players to max-term contracts and it stands to reason that new GM Pat Verbeek will be doing so here. Montreal’s recent extension for Nick Suzuki (eight years at just under $8MM per season) is one that will inevitably come up in those discussions. As for the incentives, he has a chance at reaching all four of his ‘A’ bonuses but other than time on ice, the other ones should come down to the wire.
Drysdale’s first full NHL season has had some ups and downs but more of the former than the latter which is good for a 19-year-old blueliner. He’s another player Verbeek may want to sign to a long-term contract but unless Drysdale takes a big step forward next season, it may be difficult to find a price point where both sides are content with the risk (paying too much too soon for Anaheim and giving up on potentially higher earnings for Drysdale). A short-term bridge deal could fall in the $4MM range while a long-term pact could be double that. The youngster has a chance of getting two or three of his ‘A’ bonuses. As for Benoit, he’s logging light minutes in a depth role and players like that often sign their second contract for a fairly low AAV in exchange for one-way money. He’s a strong candidate for that type of deal.
Signed Through 2021-22, Non-Entry-Level
F Sam Carrick ($750K, UFA)
F Nicolas Deslauriers ($1MM, UFA)
F Ryan Getzlaf ($3MM, UFA)
F Ryan Kesler ($6.875MM, UFA)
D Jacob Larsson ($1.2MM, RFA)
D Hampus Lindholm ($5.206MM, UFA)
F Isac Lundestrom ($874K, RFA)
D Josh Manson ($4.1MM, UFA)
F Sonny Milano ($1.7MM, RFA)
F Rickard Rakell ($3.789MM, UFA)
F Buddy Robinson ($750K, UFA)
F Sam Steel ($874K, RFA)
Potential Bonuses:
Getzlaf: $1.5MM
Let’s get Kesler out of the way first. He’s on injured reserve but is eligible for LTIR since he isn’t coming back and his playing days are over. They don’t need to make that placement unless they’re in need of cap space and they’re not going to need that. There has been some talk that a team already in LTIR may be interested in him to expand their LTIR pool so that’s something to keep an eye on.
Getzlaf has had a nice bounce-back season. He still isn’t scoring much but his playmaking is still making him one of their better offensive contributors. He’ll be 37 in the spring and will likely be going year-to-year from here on out which will keep him eligible for incentives as he has now. A similar contract for him in the summer is certainly reasonable. Rakell is an interesting pending UFA when it comes to the trade deadline. He has two 30-goal seasons under his belt but 2017-18 was the last time he scored that many times; it’s also the last time he scored 20. That makes his value a little difficult to pin down. His career numbers say he’s a scoring winger that’s owed a nice raise but his more recent ones have him more of a second-line player in line for a smaller raise to around $4.5MM or so.
Despite suffering an upper-body injury that has kept him out for nearly a month, Milano already is having a career year despite his role not changing all that much. He’s eligible for salary arbitration with a $1.8MM qualifying offer. His track record isn’t the best which should limit an award but an extra million or so should be achievable. Deslauriers is one of the last true enforcers in the league. The need for them is dying down but he plays well enough to log a regular shift which should allow him to get a similar contract this summer. Robinson and Carrick are serviceable role players but neither have done enough to command much more than the minimum at the NHL level.
Steel and Lundestrom both signed their qualifying offers as bridge contracts to try to prove themselves. It has worked well for Lundestrom as he has become a regular in the middle six while playing full-time down the middle. He isn’t producing a lot so he’s not going to want a long-term contract this summer but with arbitration eligibility, doubling his AAV is a realistic goal. It hasn’t worked well for Steel, however. He hasn’t produced enough to move into a more prominent role and he’s not the type of player that thrives in a limited role. He’ll get a small raise but probably not much more than that.
Lindholm remains an under the radar number two defender. His offensive numbers rarely stand out but he’s no slouch at that end while being very strong defensively. At 28, he’s still young enough to command a max-term deal and with the role he plays, he can add a couple of million on his current price tag. Manson is another significant rental on the back end. However, he hasn’t been able to duplicate the offensive output he had in 2017-18; he basically has as many points in parts of four seasons combined since then. That will limit his market somewhat. He’s still physical, strong in his own end, and a right-shot defender so there will be plenty of interest but it would be surprising to see his price tag go much larger than $5MM. Larsson has spent most of the season in the minors but gets a mention here as Anaheim can’t clear his full contract off the books when he’s with San Diego. They may attempt to get him to sign for less than his qualifying offer to keep him around but otherwise, he’s a non-tender candidate.
Signed Through 2022-23
F Max Comtois ($2.0375MM, RFA)
F Derek Grant ($1.5MM, UFA)
D Josh Mahura ($750K, RFA)
D Kevin Shattenkirk ($3.9MM, UFA)
G Anthony Stolarz ($950K, UFA)
F Troy Terry ($1.45MM, RFA)
A year ago, Comtois was in the middle of a career year and led the Ducks in scoring. It looked like he had established himself as a capable top-six power forward but the bridge deal showed some uncertainty as to whether he could play like that on a long-term basis. That hesitance proved to be accurate as Comtois has struggled mightily this season and has gone back to more of a reserve role. Lots can change but for now, a long-term contract in 2023 seems unlikely. Instead, a one-year deal or a medium-term pact that buys out one or two UFA years may make more sense. Grant is a serviceable depth center that’s making too much for the role he fills. He should be able to get another contract after this one but it should be closer to the $1MM mark. As for Terry, he has clearly impressed this season and is Anaheim’s leading scorer by a considerable margin. All of a sudden, he has gone from a role player to a top liner and if he can keep this up, a long-term contract in the $6MM to $7MM range would become a serious option.
Shattenkirk has had a much better second season in Anaheim than his first, leading their defensemen in points while logging his usual 20 minutes per game. He’ll be 34 at the end of this deal and will be able to sign a multi-year deal without any 35+ risk. Another three-year pact could be done around this price point with the expectation that he will need to play a bit of a lesser role by the end of it. Mahura is a low-cost depth piece and will need to play his way into a regular spot in the lineup to have a chance to earn a bigger deal even with salary arbitration rights at that time.
Stolarz had been more of a depth goalie in the past which made it understandable that he took a low-cost two-year deal to give him some stability. However, he has done pretty well this season and should have himself positioned for a bigger deal in 2023. His path is somewhat similar to Laurent Brossoit who inked a contract with a $2.325MM AAV last summer.
Signed Through 2023-24
F Adam Henrique ($5.85MM, UFA)
F Max Jones ($1.295MM, RFA)
F Jakob Silfverberg ($5.25MM, UFA)
Henrique has had a nice bounce-back year after clearing waivers at one point last season. He has adapted well to playing on the wing and has become a quality part of Anaheim’s top six. He’s still not providing a great return on his cap hit and his next contract will undoubtedly be considerably less than this one but compared to how things looked last season, this is a nice step in the right direction. The same can’t be said for Silfverberg. He’s struggling to score despite heavy minutes and even his possession numbers aren’t pretty. The 31-year-old is better off as a bottom-six piece at this point and that’s a pretty high price tag for someone that is best suited now to be a checker. Jones is in the first season of a three-year bridge deal but has played just twice due to a torn pectoral muscle. That makes this season a write-off but there’s still enough time for him to outperform this deal. He’ll be owed a $1.5MM qualifier in 2024.
Anaheim Ducks Place Josh Manson On IR
The Anaheim Ducks announced via a team release today that they’ve placed defenseman Josh Manson on injured reserve, with The Orange County Register’s Elliott Teaford reporting Manson is week-to-week with a finger injury. The team recalled defenseman Greg Pateryn from the AHL’s San Diego Gulls to take Manson’s spot on the active roster.
Manson has continued to play a top-four role with the Ducks in his eighth NHL season. After what was a rough season defensively for him last year, as it was with most of the team, his play has rebounded in 2021-22.
Many expected the big-bodied, aggressive defender to be a large trade chip at this year’s trade deadline, but with the Ducks continuing to remain in the playoff hunt well into February, Manson could remain in Anaheim for the rest of the season if the situation proves right. He’s a pending unrestricted free agent with a $4.1MM cap hit.
Playing in 43 of Anaheim’s 48 games this season, Manson has registered three goals and four assists for seven points while averaging 19:43 per game. In his absence, expect more usage for younger Ducks defensemen like Jamie Drysdale and Josh Mahura.
Pateryn will likely serve as an extra body during the length of his call-up. The team’s shuffled him up and down this season, but with Anaheim, he’s gotten into just eight games, averaging 13:53 a night.
Anaheim Ducks Add Scott Niedermayer To Hockey Ops
After helping in the search for the Anaheim Ducks new general manager, Scott Niedermayer will take on a role in the front office. The Ducks have announced that Niedermayer is now a special advisor to the hockey operations department and will work with new GM Pat Verbeek. In a statement, Verbeek explained:
I’m really excited that Scott has taken on an enhanced role within our hockey operations staff. His winning culture and great hockey mind will help all of our players and staff moving forward.
One of the most decorated defensemen in NHL history, Niedermayer spent five seasons with the Ducks at the end of his career and won the Conn Smythe while leading them to their only Stanley Cup in franchise history. A four-time Cup winner himself, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2014. It wasn’t just the NHL where he found success though. Niedermayer is a member of the Triple Gold club, with gold medals at the World Championships and Olympics, a gold medal winner at the World Cup and World Juniors, and a Memorial Cup winner (not to mention two-time WHL champion). Everywhere he goes, success followed him as he smoothly glided around the ice in control of any game he was part of.
For years, Niedermayer was also the owner of the Kootenay Ice of the WHL, but sold his part of the franchise a few years ago and rejoined the Ducks as a development coach for a time. He’ll now join the front office, even if it is in a limited role for the time being, and hope to drop a bit of that winning magic on the next wave of talent in Anaheim.