The trade deadline for this season has come and gone. The Anaheim Ducks were involved in just one trade. Today we look back at a number of interesting trades in the Anaheim Ducks history over the last 25 years, and how they have shaped the team we know today.
Trades that shaped Anaheim Ducks History
With the departure of Chris Wagner, one can only wait to see if it will work out in Bob Murray‘s favour. The Ducks have made some interesting trades in the 25-year history of that hockey club. Whether it’s the franchise-changing trade that brought Teemu Selanne onto the team. The deal that sent Bobby Ryan to the Ottawa Senators and gave the Ducks long-term payoffs Jakob Silfverberg and Nick Ritchie. Or the immediate impact of the Adam Henrique for Sami Vatanen trade. Consequently, interesting trades in Anaheims history have shaped the team for better and worse.
Teemu Selanne
Teemu Selanne is synonymous with the Anaheim Ducks organization. He came into the franchise in 1996. The then-Mighty Ducks of Anaheim sent Chad Kilger, Oleg Tverdovsky, and a third-round pick to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for Selanne, Marc Chouinard, and a fourth-round pick. Neither team had any way of knowing how that trade would shape the young Mighty Ducks franchise. Selanne came into Anaheim and found instant chemistry with Paul Kariya and Steve Rucchin. Together they were one of the most potent lines in the NHL. Selanne left the Ducks on a trade deadline deal that sent him to the San Jose Sharks in the 2001-02 season.
Selanne would return to Anaheim in the last season as the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, 2005-06 as a free agent. He signed a one year deal and had a resurgent campaign. He helped lead the Ducks into the western conference final where they fell to the Edmonton Oilers. The following season Selanne returned on a one-year deal. This time the Ducks would not end the season in heartbreak. The newly named Anaheim Ducks won the Stanley Cup. Selanne led the Ducks in goals with 48 and points with 94.
Selanne retired in 2014 after playing 21 seasons in the NHL amongst four teams. He holds three NHL records. Most goals (76) and points (132) by a rookie in the 1992-93 season and most goals (684) by a Finnish born player. He holds 12 Mighty Ducks/Anaheim Ducks records. As a result, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2017 with Paul Kariya.
Jakob Silfverberg and Nick Ritchie
Bobby Ryan had a falling out with the Ducks in the 2012-13 season. He was a 30-goal scoring forward that the Ducks drafted second overall in the 2005 NHL entry draft, while the first pick that season was Sydney Crosby. On July 5, 2013, he was traded to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Jakob Silfverberg, Stefan Noesen in addition to first-round draft pick that turned into Nick Ritchie.
Jakob Silfverberg established himself on the Ducks shut down line alongside Ryan Kesler and Andrew Cogliano. He broke the 20 goal plateau in 2015-16 and 2016-17. Also has become an important player on the Ducks roster. He has a habit of going into goal-scoring areas. Silfverberg heats up and gets hot fast, but he can also go long periods of time without scoring goals. Overall he is a great fit for the Ducks roster.
Nick Ritchie has established himself well as a hard checking gritty player. This season he has found himself a home on the Ducks third line with Ondrej Kase and Adam Henrique. The third line held the team up for a time this season. They combined for 17 points in five games. Ritchie lead that stretch in assists and had a game-winning shootout goal.
Adam Henrique
Originally drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the 2008 NHL entry draft. He came to the Ducks in November in exchange for Sami Vatanen. Henrique had an immediate impact on the Ducks. Coming into the franchise he went on a five-game point streak, centring the top line while captain Ryan Getzlaf was out with injury. Henrique and Corey Perry had chemistry and played well with each other. After the captain’s return, Henrique centred the shutdown second line. While he found his home on the third line alongside the previously mentioned Nick Ritchie and Ondrej Kase. He has a knack for the power play and equally as important, penalty killing. As a result, he fits in well with the team’s overall style of play.
2018 NHL Trade Deadline
The trade deadline this year sent Chris Wagner to the New York Islanders in exchange for Jason Chimera. A trade that many fans don’t like, Wagner was a fan favourite. But Bob Murray has never been afraid of trading the fan favorrites to get his point across. The Ducks are back in action on Friday against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
