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West Notes: Watson, Blues, Ducks

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Predators winger Austin Watson pleaded no contest to his domestic violence charge today, notes Natalie Neysa Alund of The Tennessean.  Watson will spend the next three months on probation and has been placed on judicial diversion.  That means that if he abides by the terms set, his case will be expunged.

In the meantime, the NHL released a statement (Twitter link) indicating that they will initiate a full investigation into the matter to determine what, if any, supplemental discipline will be warranted.  Unlike other leagues, the NHL does not have a blanket domestic violence policy so any discipline is determined on a case-by-case basis.

More from around the West:

  • With Joel Edmundson re-signing with the Blues earlier today, the team is down to a pair of remaining restricted free agents in fellow defensemen Petteri Lindbohm and Jordan Schmaltz. GM Doug Armstrong told Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that they expect to get a deal done with Schmaltz but that there’s no rush to do so.  Meanwhile, Timmermann suggests that Lindbohm could potentially sign overseas given his uncertain status on the depth chart.  If that was to happen, St. Louis would retain his rights.
  • After locking up center Adam Henrique to a five-year extension last week, Ducks GM Bob Murray told Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register (Twitter link) that they hope to lock up goaltender John Gibson and winger Jakob Silfverberg to long-term deals as well. Both players are entering the final year of their respective contracts with Gibson being eligible for restricted free agency with arbitration rights next summer while Silfverberg will is set to become an unrestricted free agent next July.

Pacific Notes: Kovalchuk, Kings, Canucks, Ducks

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Los Angeles Kings free agent signee Ilya Kovalchuk finally spoke to the media today after agreeing to sign a three-year, $18.75MM deal with the Kings on June 23. The 35-year-old superstar has now spent the past five years in the KHL, putting up some great numbers and has made it clear that he believes that despite his age, he has three or four good years left in him, according to Fox Sports’ Jon Rosen.

The winger said one of his main reasons for choosing the Kings was because he wanted to play next to a high-end center like Anze Kopitar. Kovalchuk could be a perfect complement to Kopitar. The 35-year-old has been playing some of the best hockey of his career, posting 63 goals in his last two KHL seasons as well as winning MVP for Team Russia in the Olympics this past year.

Kovalchuk also believes he is young for 35, but declined to say that he could put up a 30-goal season next season, according to Helene St. James of the Los Angeles Times. Kovalchuk last posted a 30-goal season in the NHL back in the 2011-12 season when he scored 37.

  • Sticking with the Kings, Lisa Dillman of The Athletic (subscription required) does a Q&A with head coach John Stevens, who says that the Kings had no choice, but to place more responsibility on young players on their defense. The team has five veterans to hold down the core of the defense in Drew Doughty, Jake Muzzin, Alec Martinez, Dion Phaneuf and Derek Forbort. However, the team will have to rely on younger players, like Paul Ladue, Daniel Brickley and Kurtis MacDermid to fill out the rest of the roster. “There comes a point in time especially with the [salary] cap where you’ve got so many young guys. You have to make decisions,” Stevens said.
  • Jason Brough of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that after assessing the offseason in which the team spent money on multiple bottom-six forwards, the Vancouver Canucks are putting all their success next season on the scoring ability of their young prospects. For one, the team lost three of the team’s top five scorers and now besides Bo Horvat and Brock Boeser, the team will need to get increased scoring output from other forwards, including Elias Pettersson, Sven Baertschi, Nikolay Goldobin, Brendan Leipsic and Jake Virtanen. If they can’t make up for that offense, it should be another long season.
  • Eric Stephens of The Athletic (subscription required) looks at the Anaheim Ducks salary cap situation now and in one year from now to see if it will improve. Unfortunately the Ducks will not have much in terms of bad contracts that will come off the books in a year and the team will have to deal with other salary cap challenges instead. The team must deal with the cost of bringing back forwards Adam Henrique and Jakob Silfverberg, who will be unrestricted free agents as well as goaltender John Gibson, who will be a restricted free agent.

 

Injury Notes: Baertschi, Byfuglien, Ducks

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The Vancouver Canucks were dealt another blow today when it was announced that Sven Baertschi will miss four to six weeks with a broken jaw. The young forward won’t need surgery, but it is still a huge chunk of the season to miss right as the Canucks are trying to prove they’re more than just a hot start.

The team is already without Bo Horvat for some time, and are still trying to get Brandon Sutter back into the lineup. While Brock Boeser does his best to keep the offense moving, other players will need to step up both at even-strength and on the powerplay.

Expansion Primer: Anaheim Ducks

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We’re continuing to break down each team’s situation as it pertains to the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft, coming up next week: which players are eligible, and which will likely warrant protection or may be on the block. Each team is required to submit their protection lists by 4pm CDT on June 17th. The full rules on eligibility can be found here, and CapFriendly has provided a handy expansion tool to make your own lists.

The expansion scenario for the Anaheim Ducks is one of the more fascinating stories of this off-season. Ever since the rules of the Expansion Draft were announced, fans have been wondering how the Ducks could traverse such a difficult process for teams with depth at all positions. That was even before Anaheim marched to a Pacific Division title and Western Conference championship appearance behind career-best seasons for Rickard Rakell, Jakob Silfverberg, Cam Fowler, and Josh Manson. Neither the 7-3 scheme nor the 8-skater scheme offer the Ducks enough protection to emerge June 21st unscathed and they have been desperately looking for trade help since they were eliminated from the postseason. Will they find it? Or will the best player on the division rival Vegas Golden Knights be a former Duck?

Eligible Players (Non-UFA)

Forwards
Corey Perry (NMC), Ryan Getzlaf (NMC), Ryan Kesler (NMC), Rickard Rakell, Jakob Silfverberg, Andrew Cogliano, Antoine Vermette, Jared Boll, Logan Shaw, Sam Carrick, Chris Wagner, Corey Tropp, Emerson Etem, Nicolas Kerdiles

Defense
Hampus Lindholm, Sami Vatanen, Cam Fowler, Kevin Bieksa (NMC), Simon Despres, Clayton Stoner, Josh Manson, Jaycob Megna

Goaltender
John Gibson, Dustin Tokarski

Notable Exemptions

Nick Ritchie, Ondrej Kase, Shea Theodore, Brandon Montour, Jacob Larsson

Key Decisions

The first decision the Ducks really need to make is what scheme they want to use. Many at first thought that the Anaheim would have to use the 8-skater format to protect four defenseman: centerpieces Hampus Lindholm, Sami Vatanen, Cam Fowler, and Kevin Bieksa, who has a No-Movement clause. However, as the season went on, that decision became even more difficult. Bieksa fell out of favor under head coach Randy Carlyle and will almost surely waive his clause or, if he refuses, be bought out. Yet, young Josh Manson has developed into a shutdown defender like no other in Anaheim. While puck-movers like Lindholm, Vatanen, or Fowler could be replaced by up-and-coming prospects Shea Theodore, Brandon Montour, and Jacob Larsson or a healthy Simon Despres, the Ducks would be hard-pressed to replace the skill set of Manson.

So, the Ducks could go eight skaters and protect Lindholm, Vatanen, Fowler and Manson. The problem with that is then Anaheim would lose a young impact forward. Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, and Ryan Kesler have No-Movement clauses, but would be locks to be protected regardless. That would leave just one slot left and two budding stars, Rickard Rakell and Jakob Silfverberg, in need of protection, not to mention iron man Andrew Cogliano. Vegas fans were salivating at the though of either Rakell or Silfverberg lining up on the Knight’s first line next year, but after the seasons they had, that seems next to impossible. The Ducks are in win-now mode and can ill-afford to lose one of their vital top-six forwards, especially in such a weak free agent market.

Instead, Anaheim will likely choose to go seven forwards and three defenseman as their protection scheme. Perry, Getzlaf, Kesler, Rakell, Silfverberg, and Cogliano will all be safe, as will three of the Ducks’ top four defenseman. Rather than lose the fourth for nothing, Anaheim has recently boosted its efforts to trade Vatanen. If they cannot, they will have to make a call between he and Manson, as Lindholm and Fowler have separated themselves from the pack as the team’s top two defenders.

The Ducks will also have to make a call about their seventh and final forward. Other noteworthy top-nine regulars like Nick Ritchie and Ondrej Kase are exempt from the draft, so the decision will probably come down to veteran Antoine Vermette or youngster Logan Shaw or Nicolas Kerdiles. Either way, Anaheim is in good shape with meeting the two-forward quota with the likes of Jared Boll and Chris Wagner both qualifying while not really in the conversation for protection. Vermette had a good first season in Anaheim, but he is 34 years old and has lost a step on his famous two-way game. The 25-year-old Shaw plays a physical game and contributed 10 points in 55 games in 2016-17, but was only given limited ice time and doesn’t have the ceiling of a player like Kerdiles. Yet, Kerdiles only played in one regular season game and four playoff games, notching just one assist. His AHL numbers suggest that he could do much more if given the chance though.

Projected Protection List

Scheme: 7F/3D/1G

Forwards

Corey Perry (NMC)
Ryan Getzlaf (NMC)
Ryan Kesler (NMC)
Rickard Rakell
Jakob Silfverberg
Andrew Cogliano
Nicolas Kerdiles

Defensemen

Cam Fowler
Hampus Lindholm
Sami Vatanen

Goalie

John Gibson

If the Ducks are unsuccessful in trading Sami Vatanen, Josh Manson could be the prize of the draft for the Golden Knights. The 25-year-old righty has the makings of top-pair defensive blue-liner who could anchor an entire defense. However, he just simply hasn’t reached that level yet, while Vatanen is an elite puck-mover.

If the Ducks do trade Vatanen, Manson is safe and Vegas won’t touch Kevin Bieksa, nor would would they likely take a chance on the injury-riddled Simon Despres. Minor league-caliber keeper Dustin Tokarski won’t generate any interest either. At this point, that decision on the final forward becomes key. Vegas will be on the lookout to get as much upside as possible in the Expansion Draft, and that is what Kerdiles provides. Anaheim can best protect their forward corps by retaining the young winger’s services. Vegas may have interest in Antoine Vermette as a veteran leader, but it’s doubtful. By default, Shaw could be the pick, but it wouldn’t be a major loss for the Ducks.

From potentially losing Jakob Silvferberg, Rickard Rakell, or Manson, if the Ducks can trade Vatanen and get Bieksa to waive his No-Movement clause, they could in fact leave Vegas with very little to choose from and could escape expansion with largely the same team that nearly made the Stanley Cup Final this season.

Golden Knights Notes: Expansion Draft Targets, Gallant, Yakupov

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The NHL purposefully designed the rules regarding the expansion draft to give the league’s newest member the best possible chance to compete right away. Teams have two options in terms of whom to protect from their current roster: they can either choose to protect seven forwards, three defensemen and a goalie or they can go the alternate route of eight skaters and one goalie. Any player with two seasons or less of experience playing professional hockey in North America are exempt. Undoubtedly, many teams will confront some tough choices when it comes to whom they potentially lose to the Golden Knights later next month.

Rob Vollman, writing for ESPN.com, examines who among the four Stanley Cup semi-finalists Vegas GM George McPhee is most likely going to garner significant interest from the veteran hockey executive. From the reigning champion Penguins, Vollman suggests that unless the club can convince Marc-Andre Fleury to waive his NMC and subsequently trade him to another club looking for a #1 between the pipes, one of Pittsburgh’s goaltenders would be the best choice for McPhee and the Golden Knights. However, should the Penguins proactively move one of their ’tenders – almost assuredly Fleury – prior to the expansion draft, Vollman suggests blue liner Brian Dumoulin as the best choice given his penalty killing prowess and ability to play solid defensively.

According to the scribe, Anaheim, barring some shifty maneuvering, may risk losing Josh Manson or Jakob Silfverberg to their new division rivals. Manson, as a right-hand defenseman who can move the puck and plays with bite, would be an excellent addition for Vegas.

Because of their defensive depth, Nashville will likely choose to protect eight skaters, with four being blue liners. This means the Golden Knights will probably have their pick from a group which includes forwards Calle Jarnkrok, Craig Smith and Colin Wilson. Ultimately, Vollman thinks Jarnkrok would be the sensible choice given his affordable cap hit ($2MM annually through 2021-22) and his strong two-way play.

Given the lack of proven goal scorers likely to be available to McPhee in the expansion draft, Vollman wonders whether Vegas could be convinced to take the onerous contract of Bobby Ryan off of Ottawa’s hands. Ryan, who has five years – at which point the winger will be 35 – and an annual cap charge of $7.25MM, has struggled since joining Ottawa four years ago and finished with just 13 goals in 62 contests this past season. However, he has played better in the playoffs recording five markers and 14 points in 16 games. Vollman doubts McPhee would take that hefty contract on without the Senators offering them further incentive to do so but also notes the $7.25MM price tag would make it much easier to reach their targeted floor of $43.8MM in salaries. And at 30, there is hope Ryan can provide at least a few seasons of solid offensive production for a club who will likely struggle to put the puck in the net.

In other Golden Knights news:

  • The Golden Knights have done well in hiring veteran coach Gerard Gallant to be the franchise’s first bench boss, at least if some of his former charges and current contemporaries are correct. NHL.com’s Brian Hedger penned an article on Gallant, who is currently an assistant with Canada’s entry in the 2017 IIHF World Championship, which included quotes from Michael Matheson and Nick Bjugstad, who each played for Gallant in Florida. Matheson, a young defenseman who rejoined Gallant on Team Canada for this tournament, said: “He’s a tremendous coach and I loved my time with him. He just gives his players a lot of confidence. He realizes that you’re going to make mistakes but that it’s not the end of the world. He’s just going to put you back onto the ice because he has confidence in you.” For his part, Bjugstad said: “He’s one of my favorite coaches ever,” and indicated he was well-liked in the room in Florida. “Everyone respected him. He had a young team with us, and it didn’t take him long to kind of push us to that next level, the next step. There’s no reason he can’t do it with the next team.” Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper also offered up strong praise for Gallant: “I think it’s a great get for Las Vegas. I got to meet Gerard at the [World Cup of Hockey 2016], and that’s a big reason he’s here with us today. He’s extremely knowledgeable about the game, the guys play hard for him and I think he’ll do a [great] job in Vegas.” Gallant’s ability to help develop young players and earn the respect from his charges should do him well in his new position. While the Golden Knights will have access to quality NHL talent via the expansion draft, the organization will still likely rely on building with youth through the draft and it may be a few seasons before they are ready to compete regularly for the postseason.
  • With the probable lack of proven goal scorers available to Vegas in the expansion draft, the club will likely look for other ways to add offensive talent to the organization. The Golden Knights have already inked free agent center Vadim Shipachyov, a skilled Russian who was expected to draw significant interest from several NHL clubs this summer. He may well slot in as the team’s #1 center to begin the season. But, as talented as Shipachyov might be, he is more of a playmaker than a goal scorer and Vegas will have to add more talent around their new #1 pivot. Luke Fox of Sportsnet suggests that former top overall draft pick Nail Yakupov is just the sort of player Vegas should take a chance on as they search for impact offensive talent. Yakupov, who suffered through the worst season of his career with St. Louis in 2016-17, scoring just nine points in 40 games, has said he has no desire to return home and play in the KHL. Fox believes the 23-year-old winger is worth a short-term, small money deal for Vegas, or for another team starved for cheap offense, perhaps L.A. Signing Yakupov would certainly make a lot of sense for Vegas. The presence of Shipachyov could help ease Yakupov’s adjustment to the desert and provide the talented winger with the type of setup man that could help him thrive.

Ducks’ Defensive Depth Holding Their Own Despite Injuries

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Defensive injuries seem to be mounting throughout many NHL playoff teams, but the defensive depth of the Anaheim Ducks as well as their 2-0 lead over the Calgary Flames is why there is little mention of Anaheim’s struggles. Injuries to Cam Fowler (knee) and Sami Vatanen (upper body) as well as season ending losses of Clayton Stoner (abdominal surgery) and Simon Despres (concussion) have forced a lot of the Ducks’ young blueliners to take a greater role.

NHL’s Adam Brady writes that Korbinian Holzer, Josh Manson, Brandon Montour and Shea Theodore have all had to step up and play big minutes, despite only having 10 games of playoff experience combined, coming into Saturday’s game. Despite the lack of experience, they have shined, with the exception of a shaky 10-minute period between the first and second frames when the Flames scored twice to tie the game. Montour and Theodore even assisted on offense on Jakob Silfverberg’s first-period goal.

“We stated before the playoffs started, that we thought we were going to have to use nine defenseman through the course of the playoffs season,” coach Randy Carlyle said this morning just before his Ducks got on a plane to Calgary for Games 3 and 4. “We’ve at eight right now, and that’s great for our younger kids, getting the exposure and experience of playoff hockey and should only bode well for their future. I don’t see them intimidated by it, not in the first two games anyway.”

Holzer, at 29 years of age and hardly a youngster, played in his first-ever playoff game after Vatanen was forced to miss Game 2 yesterday. He was actually sent out as a starter with Manson to start the game. “For me, it was a great feeling and I was excited,” Holzer said. “There were a little more butterflies than normal. It was kind of like your first NHL game. But it was good that I started the game, to get those nerves out of the way early, and after that I thought it was a good experience.”

With Fowler out indefinitely, Vatanen will be reassessed tomorrow morning before Game 3. If he is forced to miss Game 3, the young defenders will be ready. “Obviously those guys are elite players, but for us as a whole core, anybody can play any role with the depth that we have,” Montour said. “So we were very calm out there. All of us can skate and play hard in our own end. I think that showed last night, and we’ve just got to keep it going.”

Deadline Primer: Anaheim Ducks

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With the trade deadline now less than two weeks away, we continue to take a closer look at each team. Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs?

After four years of taking the division crown with Bruce Boudreau behind the bench, the Anaheim Ducks have a familiar face in Randy Carlyle taking them to the promised land this season. The team is firmly in a playoff spot, though could easily finish third in the division behind San Jose and Edmonton, and will have to take on Hart candidates Connor McDavid or Brent Burns in the first round.

It will be tough sledding down the stretch for the Ducks, who recently lost Antoine Vermette for 10 games (unless reduced by the appeal). They appear to be buyers at the deadline, though with the amount of highly sought after assets in their system, it may not be draft picks that they’re using as currency.

Record

31-19-10, 3rd in Pacific Division

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$2.86MM – full-season cap hit due to LTIR space, 46/50 contracts per CapFriendly.

Draft Picks

2017: ANA 1st, ANA 2nd, ANA 3rd, ANA 4th, ANA 5th
2018: ANA 1st, ANA 2nd, ANA 3rd, ANA 4th, ANA 5th, ANA 6th

Trade Chips

The Anaheim Ducks have an oft-mentioned group of defensemen that almost the whole league is interested in. While Hampus Lindholm seems untouchable, the other six—Cam Fowler, Sami Vatanen, Josh Manson, Brandon Montour, Shea Theodore and Jacob Larsson—have all been rumored to be available at (vastly) different prices. The Ducks will face an expansion draft problem if they don’t move a defenseman (or two), but that doesn’t necessarily mean it will happen at the deadline. Josh Manson

If they choose to move any of them, they could potentially make the biggest splash on March 1st. Young defense is one of the most sought after commodities in the NHL, and with both rebuilding and contending teams looking for help on the back-end they would have no shortage of suitors.

Other than their blueline depth, the team does have some excellent prospects that they could use in the pursuit of a big fish (if one surfaces). Sam Steel and Max Jones were both picked in the late stages of the first round last summer, and though they’re having very different seasons—Steel is dominating once again with 103 points in 51 games, while Jones has battled injury and suspension, only playing in 29 games thus far—they both still hold excellent value.

There is also the case of Jonathan Bernier, who the Ducks would love to move now that they have Jhonas Enroth playing so well in San Diego. Bernier comes with a hefty cap hit, and moving him would help them make any additional moves. Since he is an unrestricted free agent this summer, perhaps a rebuilding team would be willing to take him on for the rest of the season in a salary-heavy swap.

Five Players To Watch: D Josh Manson, D Cam Fowler, G Jonathan Bernier, LW Ryan Garbutt, D Shea Theodore

Team Needs

1) Top Six Winger – The Ducks are committed long-term to their big three up front of Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Ryan Kesler, and Rickard Rakell and Jakob Silfverberg have fit in well on the wings this season. But as they head into the playoffs, they could use another legitimate scoring winger to help take the load off those five players. Nick Ritchie and Andrew Cogliano are fine players, but would look better slotted in a little lower in the lineup.

2) Depth Center – Anaheim is going to feel the loss of Vermette most in the faceoff circle, where he has won more than 60% of his almost 1000 draws this season. He is a huge part of their defensive zone coverage, getting the majority of the draws in his own end and on the penalty kill. They’ve moved Rakell back to his natural center ice position for the time being, but that has only created another problem in the top six. Depth centers don’t cost a ton, but Anaheim would be smart to go out and get one that could move up to the third line in the case of an injury in the playoffs—and no, Nate Thompson isn’t that guy.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Injury Updates: Avalanche, Malkin, Ducks, Devils, Hansen

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The Colorado Avalanche are set to get a boost to their lineup tonight in Anaheim as they have activated defenseman Tyson Barrie and winger Rene Bourque off of injured reserve, reports Mike Chambers of the Denver Post (Twitter link).

Barrie missed the last four games due to a lingering lower body issue.  He leads all Avalanche blueliners in scoring with 23 points (3-20-23), a mark that puts him third on the team overall.  On the flip side, his -23 rating is tied with New Jersey defenseman Damon Severson for last in the league.

As for Bourque, he has made the most of his successful training camp tryout, scoring nine goals for the Avs this season which is tied for the third most on the team.  He had missed the last three contests with a lower body injury and if he can stay healthy over the next month, he’s a potential candidate to be dealt given his low cap hit of $650K.

Other injury news and notes from around the league:

  • While Pittsburgh center Evgeni Malkin won’t play tonight against the Predators, head coach Mike Sullivan told Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he is making “significant progress” from a leg injury that caused him to miss their last game before the All-Star break as well as the All-Star Game itself.  There is no firm timetable for his return but the fact he skated before practice would suggest that Malkin, who sits third overall in NHL scoring with 54 points (22-32-54) in 47 games, is nearing a return.
  • The Ducks will also have some reinforcements tonight against the Avalanche as they will have center Nate Thompson and right winger Jakob Silfverberg back in their lineup, notes Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register (Twitter link). Thompson has missed the entire season after tearing his Achilles’ tendon during the offseason although he got into three AHL games on a rehab stint last week.  Silfverberg missed the last three contests with a head injury and is tied for fourth in team scoring this season.
  • New Jersey blueliner Andy Greene is targeting Friday’s game against the Flames as a return date from his arm injury, writes Fire and Ice’s Andrew Gross. He took part in the full morning skate today but isn’t quite ready to suit up tonight.  Greene has missed the last 11 games as a result of the injury.  Gross adds that winger Beau Bennett (lower body) skated on his own the last two days while blueliner John Moore (concussion) has undergone testing the last couple of days but hopes to skate on his own as soon as tomorrow.
  • Via the Canucks’ Twitter feed, right winger Jannik Hansen isn’t likely to play on Thursday against the Sharks but is getting closer to returning to the lineup. He has been out since late December after suffering a knee injury.  Hansen hasn’t played a whole lot this season but has made an impact when he has been healthy, collecting nine points (5-4-9) in 18 games.

Ducks Notes: Silfverberg, Shaw, Tropp, Theodore

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The Anaheim Ducks are just hours away from one of their biggest games so far this season, as they prepare to square off with the Central-leading Minnesota Wild. A win tonight in Minnesota will give the Ducks 63 points on the year, pulling them into a three-way tie atop the Western Conference with the Wild and Chicago Blackhawks. It would also extend their Pacific Division lead to five points over the rival San Jose Sharks and the upstart Edmonton Oilers. The team is so excited for the match-up, they’re even hosting a watch party for fans back at the Honda Center in Anaheim, featuring former greats Teemu Selanne and Scott Niedermayer.

However, when the puck drops on the big game tonight, one player fans won’t be watching is dynamic winger Jakob Silfverberg. The team announced yesterday that Silfverberg is considered day-to-day with an upper body injury was left behind in Anaheim, ruled out for the team’s two-game road trip to Minnesota and Winnipeg, where they’ll face the Jets on Monday night. This marks the first game that Silfverberg has missed in 2016-17. The durable winger played all 82 games for the Ducks last year and missed just one game the year before, so back-to-back absences are a rare occurrence in his young career. Silfverberg has 13 goals and 16 assists so far this season, which puts him on pace for his best year to date.

It will be difficult for the Ducks to replace the young scorer, but early-season acquisition Logan Shaw will be given the first try.  Shaw will line up alongside Andrew Cogliano – yet another Anaheim iron man – and Ryan Kesler on the Ducks’ mighty second line. Although Shaw has just two points on the season, he is a big physical player who head coach Randy Carlyle likely hopes can crash the net and capitalize on some of the chances created by Cogliano, Kesler, and company.

  • To fill the roster spot currently vacated by Silfverberg, the Ducks have also recalled winger Corey Tropp from the AHL’s San Diego Gulls. If Tropp makes an appearance for Anaheim, it will be his first in the NHL for almost two years. Tropp’s recent career has been somewhat of a wild ride; he carved out a role for himself as a reliable bottom-six winger for the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2013-14 and 2014-15, only to be traded away to the Chicago Blackhawks as part of the package for Brandon Saad in 2015. Chicago stashed Tropp in the minors and then traded him to the Ducks at the 2016 NHL Trade Deadline for veteran Tim Jackman. Although Tropp did not make an appearance in Anaheim last season, he chose to re-sign for two years with the team this summer. It seems he has finally earned his first Ducks call-up, as he is scoring at nearly a point-per-game pace in the AHL with 8 goals and 21 assists in 32 games. Whether or not Tropp sees any NHL action on this recall remains unknown, but he certainly seems like a player who deserves another shot at the big time.
  • The Ducks promoted defenseman Shea Theodore from the Gulls as well. This has become a weekly/nearly daily ritual by Anaheim as they balance cap savings with exposing their young defensemen to as much NHL action as possible given their extreme depth on the blue line. Theodore may not have to put up with the balancing act much longer though, as many recent reports have indicated that teams are calling the Ducks about he and fellow young and under-utilized defenseman Brandon Montour. Anaheim has not been shy about their desire to add another impact forward before the Trade Deadline, and offering up an NHL-ready defenseman like Theodore may be their best bet at finding a team to deal with.

Ducks Reassign Noesen, Theodore To San Diego

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The Anaheim Ducks have reassigned defenseman Shea Theodore and forward Stefan Noesen to the San Diego Gulls of the AHL, the team has announced. Both players have already made this commute several times already this season as the Ducks take advantage of breaks in their schedule to reduce their daily salary cap commitments and bank space ahead of this year’s trade deadline.

Noesen, originally acquired by the Ducks in the Bobby Ryan trade, has appeared in just nine games this season and has tallied a single goal, the first of his brief NHL career. He was selected by Ottawa with the 21st pick in the 2011 entry draft and was shipped by the Senators along with fellow forward Jakob Silfverberg and a 2014 first-round draft choice – a pick which turned into Nick Ritchie – in the July 5, 2013 trade sending Ryan to Ottawa.

Theodore has dressed for 23 games this season for the Ducks and has registered seven points. He was drafted by Anaheim in the first round of the 2013 entry draft with the 26th overall selection. For his career, the native of Langley, British Columbia has seen action in 42 contests, recording four goals and 11 assists while averaging better than 18 minutes of ice time per game.

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