Ducks UFA Defenseman Target List

The Anaheim Ducks traded Erik Gudbranson to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for a fifth-round pick on Thursday afternoon, an unexpected move given Anaheim’s relative lack of right-shooting defensemen both on the roster and in the American Hockey League.

Gudbranson, acquired from Pittsburgh in exchange for Andreas Martinsen and a seventh-round pick early last-season, had possibly the best season of his career with the Ducks, posting respectable defensive numbers on a pairing with Cam Fowler.

However, the Ducks found themselves in a cap bind going into the free agency window, and have now opened up an additional $4 million in cap space by moving on from Gudbranson. Anaheim now has roughly $4.7 million in space to work with as free agency opens today. There is little reason to believe that they will simply hang on to that newfound space.

Gudbranson’s departure creates a significant question mark on the blue line for Anaheim. As things currently stand, here is the Ducks’ likeliest defense lineup heading into the 2020-21 season:

Hampus Lindholm  -- Josh Manson

Cam Fowler -- Kodie Curran

Christian Djoos -- Jani Hakanpaa

Jacob Larsson

Curran, the former Swedish Hockey League Most Valuable Player and Defenseman of the Year, is a left-shooting rearguard who is accustomed to playing on the right side. The Ducks didn’t just pluck him out of Sweden to toil in the minors, so he probably gets a shot in the top-four fairly quickly.

Djoos showed enough to be a third-pairing guy at the end of last year (if not more), while Hakanpaa is an RHD whose only logical spot is on the third pairing. Larsson had the trust of head coach Dallas Eakins, but he has legitimate competition now in Djoos.

Beyond Lindholm, Manson, and Fowler, there just aren’t enough established names for the Ducks to remain a competitive team in the way that general manager Bob Murray envisions them to be. Despite some of Gudbranson’s limitations, his presence helped to maintain a more logical pecking order.

The marketplace is rife with righties, so let’s take a look at some of the names the Ducks may (or should) target, and how much those names make sense, to begin with.

Sami Vatanen

Vatanen, who was shipped to New Jersey in 2018 in exchange for Adam Henrique, nominally fits what the Ducks are looking for. He’s an RHD with plenty of NHL experience, he can help on the power play, and a feel-good hometown return (or discount) always plays well with the fans.

According to Evolving Hockey’s contract projections model, his cap hit would come in at $4.35 million a year for three years, which is almost exactly what the Ducks currently have in cap space. Despite his power-play strengths though, Vatanen’s five-on-five game, which was never a strength, to begin with, faded badly last season:

At that potential cap hit, I’m not convinced Vatanen is worth the investment. On a three-year term though, it might make sense as a holdover until one Jamie Drysdale arrives in town. As a bonus, his defensive game helps the Ducks remain in the running for a top pick in next year’s draft.

Tyson Barrie

Barrie’s name has been bandied about on Twitter as a possible fit for the Ducks, but there’s just no way that happens. EW projects his cap hit at over $8 million a season. Even if the flat cap dampens that some, Anaheim would have to unload even more salary to make it work. I just don’t see this as a possibility.

Troy Stecher

Stecher is a surprise addition to the UFA pool thanks to the Canucks not qualifying him. He’s 26 -- squarely in his prime -- and his cap number could end up being reasonable. Anaheim may be interested thanks to a touch of recency bias -- Stecher did perform well for Vancouver in the playoffs. His on-ice numbers took a dip last season, although his three-year sample looks a lot better. He doesn’t bring much of anything to the power play, but if the Ducks can get him on a reasonable deal, he could make sense to fill out the top-four.

Kevin Shattenkirk

The Ducks were in on Shattenkirk last summer. He ended up taking a shorter deal to chase a Stanley Cup in Tampa Bay, which worked out quite well for him as he’ll be getting both a championship ring and a large payday. Anaheim won’t be able to get him at a discount this time around, and there could end up being a bidding war for his services.

I’m sure the Ducks would love to have him, as he remains an excellent power play quarterback, but they may just end up getting priced out of this one. He will likely be searching for some long-term stability, and as a 31-year old defenseman, I’m not sure that makes much sense fo a rebuilding team like the Ducks, despite how good he still is. If Anaheim somehow manages to land him though, he certainly makes them a legitimately better team in the short term.

Tony DeAngelo

DeAngelo isn’t an unrestricted free agent, but the Rangers seem open to trading him. Only 24 years of age, he profiles as the kind of player that could both help the Ducks in the short term while still being in his prime once the team is ready to contend again. He brings an elite offensive game to the right side, and his game could still grow in the coming seasons as he enters his statistical prime. Anaheim would likely have to give up some significant assets to obtain him, but if the price is right, they shouldn’t blink. DeAngelo is that good.

Of course, the Ducks will almost certainly do something completely different from the options I have laid out. However, moving on from Gudbranson almost necessitates them to make a move, especially considering Murray’s public comments about being a competitive club next season. Just when most thought the Ducks would have a quiet off-season, Murray flipped the script on everyone.