Next up in my offseason series covering the free agency successes and failures in the history of the Anaheim Ducks is goaltender Jonas Hiller, who arrived in Anaheim in 2007 after many winning seasons for HC Davos in the Swiss National League.
Backing Up a Ducks Goaltending Legend
Hiller signed with Anaheim in the middle of its championship run in 2007. Starting goaltender Jean-Sébastien Giguère was one of the most important pieces to that victory, and signed a four-year extension during the summer. Shortly into the 2007-08 season, then-general manager Brian Burke placed former backup Ilya Bryzgalov on waivers, leaving Hiller firmly cemented as Giguère’s number two.
Hiller Takes the Reins in 2010
While Giguère put up impressive numbers in 2007-08, including 35 wins and a career-best 2.12 goals-against average (GAA), remarkably similar to those of his Stanley Cup-winning season, he ultimately failed to regain the form that carried the Ducks to such great playoff success. Despite a similar roster, the Ducks fell to the Dallas Stars in the first round of the 2008 Playoffs.
Ever since arriving, Hiller gradually ate into Giguère’s playing time. He put up great numbers in his backup season and appeared in 46 games the next year. Sensing that maybe a tide was turning in net, Giguère at one point stated his desire to retire over becoming a backup (from ‘Ducks’ Giguere: “I’d rather retire than be a backup goalie”,’ Daily News, Nov. 10, 2009). A slightly different reality played out for Giggy, as he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in January 2010 in exchange for Jason Blake and Vesa Toskala. The net was officially Hiller’s.
Highlights of Hiller’s Tenure With the Ducks
Hiller was an impact player for the Ducks and part of a core that included some prime years of Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Cam Fowler, and Sheldon Souray, not to mention the still-impactful Scott Niedermayer. He didn’t come close to replicating the success of his predecessor, who is arguably the most impactful player in the history of the franchise, but comparison is the thief of joy, and we should look at Hiller’s tenure independently of Giguère’s. Let’s look at what made him a worthwhile signing:
2009 Upset of San Jose Sharks
Hiller’s play in this series alone warrants labeling his signing as a success. He was remarkable for the Ducks in this series victory, which remains one of the biggest upsets in Stanley Cup Playoff history when considering the regular season point differential between the two clubs.
Related: Ducks Free Agent Success: Scott Niedermayer
Anaheim won the series in six games, largely because of Hiller’s brilliance. He put on a goaltending clinic, posting a .957 save percentage (SV%), two shutouts, and 10 goals against the entire series. His team in front of him outplayed the opposition from start to finish, too.
Regular Season Success
Upon taking over full-time starting duties, Hiller put up some impressive numbers in the regular season, not unlike many of the Ducks goaltenders during the franchise’s 12-year run as a perennial playoff contender. In his six seasons with the team as a starter, he never had a GAA above 2.73, which is really good. He had a 30-win season to his name, as well as two 29-win seasons. In 2007-08, the season he backed up Giguère, he posted a record of 10-7-1 with a GAA of 2.06. Despite the small sample size, that’s pretty remarkable. In 2013-14, one of the best seasons of his career, when he won 29 games in 50 starts, he tied the NHL record for most consecutive wins during the regular season with 14. He currently shares that record with Sergei Bobrovsky, Tom Barrasso, and Tiny Thompson. Pretty elite company, if you ask me.
2010 Olympic Games & 2011 All-Star Game
While a member of the Ducks, Hiller represented his native Switzerland in the 2010 Olympic Games and represented the Ducks alongside Perry in the 2011 NHL All-Star Game. Not many players get to do either in their career, let alone both, which is a testament to both his play during that time and his abilities as a goaltender.
Hiller Was a Great Find by Brian Burke
Hiller played less than 500 games in his NHL career, with his best work coming in Anaheim. In his traditional butterfly style, he was dynamic, calm, and reliable as he backstopped the Ducks in the early 2010s. While the team didn’t have much playoff success during his run, only advancing past the first round once, his play was largely responsible for one of the team’s biggest playoff series wins. That alone is enough to consider him a successful free agent signing.
