The Anaheim Ducks have signed 27-year-old left-handed defenceman Ben Hutton to a professional tryout. The deal will carry him through training camp where the team can then decide to sign him or not. If not, Hutton will once again become a free agent.
Hearing Ben Hutton is joining ANA on a PTO
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) January 10, 2021
Ben Hutton Signs PTO
Hutton, Originally drafted in the fifth round 147th overall by the Vancouver Canucks, spent last season with the Los Angeles Kings. Hutton has so far only played for Vancouver and Los Angeles in his five-year NHL career. In those five years, he has scored 15 goals and 71 assists for 86 points in 341 games. That puts him at a career average of about 21 points per season.
Last season with Los Angeles, Hutton scored four goals and 12 assists for a total of 16 points in 65 games played. He was on pace to score about 20 points over a full 82 game season. Hutton also dominated in possession, as he had a Corsi of 55.8 percent and a relative Corsi of 3.6 percent. He averaged 18:16 minutes per game.
Hutton played over half of his games last season partnered with two different players at even strength. His most common defence partner was Kings rookie Matt Roy, with who he played with 44 percent of the time. His second most common was Drew Doughty, who he played with 27 percent of the time at even strength.
What This Means for the Future
Being added to the organization’s blueline, Hutton will provide a steady two-way presence. He can put up a decent number of points while also playing reliable defence. He saw barely any power-play time last season, as he averaged just seven seconds per game. He does have some special teams value though, as he averaged 1:24 on the penalty kill per game. He will be a solid depth addition to the Ducks defensive core.
Overall, the team is getting a solid defenceman who could realistically play on their second or more likely third paring. He’s a reliable number four or five defenceman.
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