Forward Mike Santorelli has decided where he’ll take his talents to, inking a one-year deal with the Anaheim Ducks, worth $875,000.
BREAKING: #NHLDucks sign Mike Santorelli to a one-year contract: http://t.co/TVvX0LkJWH pic.twitter.com/qEz6KTAB8G
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) August 17, 2015
Before Santorelli was traded to the Nashville Predators last season, he was doing an exceptional job in Toronto. With 11 goals in 57 games and a 10.8% shooting percentage, Santorelli was a great add to the top-nine. Unfortunately, he couldn’t do as much with Nashville in 22 games, putting up only 1 goal and 4 points, and a minus-7 rating.
Unable to avoid injuries, Santorelli’s last full season came in 2010-11, which is also the last season that he scored 20 goals and hit 40 points. His 2013-14 season looked promising given he only played in 49 games, where he scored 10 goals and 28 points, averaging a career-high 18:34 ice-time. On a decent-to-good team, Santorelli is an exceptional bottom-six player that adds a tenacious work ethic and can notch some points on the side. He should never be counted on as the go-to guy but he is one that can turn a top-nine into a good looking line-up.
Santorelli’s Corsi% improved from 46.7 to 49.6 upon his move to Nashville and prior to joining Toronto, he was at the 50-54% rank. Same goes for his Fenwick%, which went from 45.7 to 49.7, which is a good indicator that his numbers took a drop due to the poor overall possession numbers of the Maple Leafs. What’s most important to note is how Nashville utilized Santorelli’s abilities. In Toronto, he was deployed in defensive-zone starts at 50.4%. In Nashville, that number shot up to 60.6%. Yet his advanced stats improved with more defensive-zone time.
