Best-selling author Idowu Koyenikan once said, “There are certain life lessons that you can only learn in the struggle.” For Anaheim Ducks management, this quote should be posted somewhere in the bowels of the Honda Center in big, bold letters. During the 2016-17 NHL season, Anaheim boasted a defensive lineup that included Shea Theodore, Brandon Montour and Hampus Lindholm. All three were traded from the organization within the next five years. But why? Why did they flourish elsewhere?
Sometimes the hardest lessons learned become the most valuable. Can these past mistakes enlighten the front office when they consider the future of the blue line with Jamie Drysdale, Olen Zellweger, Pavel Mintyukov and Tristan Luneau? Some would say the Ducks have gone through the struggle to learn the blueprint for success. It is without question that Anaheim has fallen on hard times. From a defensive standpoint, last season was the worst in franchise history. Ducks goalies saw an average of 39 shots per game — a record high in the salary cap era. The club also allowed a league-high 4.09 goals-against per game, and their penalty-killing percentage ranked second to last at 72.14 percent.
The top four of Cam Fowler, John Klingberg, Kevin Shattenkirk and Dmitri Kulikov combined for 114 points but also had a collective minus-82. The trio of Theodore, Montour and Lindholm tallied 167 points together with their respective teams but finished with an eye-popping plus-74. Now, one can argue that they played on much better squads, but those numbers really jump out at you when you notice the extreme differences. Montour and Theodore just squared off in the Stanley Cup Final and were major factors in their teams’ successes this past season. Lindholm anchored a defense in Boston that led the Bruins to a record-breaking 135 points. What did the Anaheim organization not see in them?
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Now don’t get me wrong, when a team is rebuilding, they have to give up top players to obtain prospects, but one miss leads to another. Does general manager Pat Verbeek trade Lindholm if the team had success with Theodore — and then Montour — still there in Anaheim? Many folks believe in second chances, and that’s exactly what the front office now has with their top prospect pool. But it’s hard not to look back and think about what could’ve been.
Theodore Heads to the Desert
At the 2017 Expansion Draft, Anaheim wanted to hold on to defenseman Josh Manson, so they gave up Theodore, who was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights, to ensure they selected defenseman Clayton Stoner. Since then, Theodore has become a top-pairing defenseman, registering 264 points in 397 games with the Golden Knights. He has been a part of two Cup Final teams and was instrumental in their win over the Florida Panthers in this year’s Final. Theodore tallied 13 points in 21 playoff games and hoisted Lord Stanley’s Cup for the organization’s first championship title in franchise history.
Theodore didn’t get much of a shot in Anaheim, as he only appeared in 53 games during his two years in Orange County. His first season in the league was the 2015-16 season, but he was only 20 at the time, and his game hadn’t fully developed. But one has to think where the team would be in the rebuild if Theodore had flourished here before getting shipped out. Top-pairing defensemen don’t grow on trees; he is still only 28 with a lot of hockey left in him. I have to imagine the scouting department is kicking themselves over this one.
Montour Heads East
Anaheim traded Montour to the Buffalo Sabres for prospect Brendan Guhle and a first-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. Unlike Theodore, he played in 169 games over three seasons with the Ducks and registered 63 points during that span while topping out at a plus-11. In Buffalo, he was marred by injuries and only played in 112 games over three seasons while never surpassing 18 points. The former second-round pick may be somewhat of an anomaly, though.
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He was traded to the Panthers during the 2020-21 season, where his game began to take off. In his first full season with the club, he played 81 games and registered 11 goals and 26 assists while finishing a plus-15. For an encore, he erupted for 16 goals and 57 assists this past season while helping Florida reach the Cup Final. His coming-out party came during the playoffs, as he tallied eight goals and six assists in 21 games for the Panthers. He was by far and away the team’s best defenseman during this run.
The 29-year-old is definitely considered a late bloomer, but the talent always seemed to be there. Did Anaheim not see enough in him to warrant a trade out of town? Although he suffered a shoulder injury during the playoffs, he is expected to once again be that top-pairing, right-handed defenseman that general managers around the league crave.
Lindholm to Beantown
This move isn’t a head-scratcher as much as the other two. As a colleague here at The Hockey Writers pointed out to me, Lindholm’s prime years coincided with the twilight years of Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Ryan Kesler. The 29-year-old Swede was a solid defenseman for Anaheim for nearly nine seasons. His point total never eclipsed the 34 he had with the team during his second season in 2014-15, but the move to Boston ignited a fire for his offensive output.
Last season, Lindholm torched his career-high with 53 points in 80 games played. The problem with the Ducks was his availability. The former sixth-overall pick missed 126 games between the 2016-17 and 2020-21 seasons but left Anaheim with a plus-74 over his career there. Highly impressive for a team that has struggled from the blue line for multiple seasons.
Verbeek had to make a decision here as this was his first big and most important deal with the Ducks. Anaheim had already committed to the rebuild. Would a soon-to-be 28-year-old defenseman fit with their timeline to compete? In Verbeek’s head, the answer was no. Lindholm was traded to Boston at the deadline along with Kodie Curran for Urho Vaakanainen, John Moore, a 2022 first-round pick, and second-rounders in 2023 and 2024. That is quite the haul. The general manager then selected Nathan Gaucher with the first-rounder in 2022, and he looks to be a long-term asset at center with the team moving forward.
It’s hard to fault Verbeek for this one, as his hands were tied. I think it’s safe to say that transaction worked well for both teams. Whereas former GM Bob Murray made the Theodore and Montour trades, Verbeek seems to have made the right call with Lindholm. The Ducks couldn’t sign him to a long-term deal with the reset button now being pushed and some young stars coming up through the minors.
The Struggle Is Real
Hindsight is 50/50. Every team in professional sports can look back and say, “Would’ve, could’ve, should’ve.” An NHL general manager could rack his brains doing so. This time it feels different. It’s hard to imagine this year’s crop of blueliners in Anaheim being worse off than the 2022-23 pairings. Drysdale is now healthy and looking to be a big factor in a contract year. Radko Gudas was signed during the offseason to bring that grit on the back end that this team has so desperately missed. Ilya Lyubushkin was just acquired in a trade last week with the Sabres, and more than a few young studs are knocking on the door.
Ducks fans may get a glimpse into the future this season, as I could see Zellweger and Mintyukov getting some valuable ice time at certain points. Anaheim appears to be on the right path for now. The struggle may have finally paid off in Orange County.