{"id":88466,"date":"2020-10-08T17:14:22","date_gmt":"2020-10-08T21:14:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=88466"},"modified":"2020-12-26T16:24:02","modified_gmt":"2020-12-26T21:24:02","slug":"ottawa-senators-acquire-erik-gudbranson-from-anaheim-ducks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2020\/10\/08\/ottawa-senators-acquire-erik-gudbranson-from-anaheim-ducks\/","title":{"rendered":"Ottawa Senators Acquire Erik Gudbranson from Anaheim Ducks"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Anaheim Ducks<\/a> have traded defenceman Erik Gudbranson<\/a><\/strong> to the Ottawa Senators<\/a> in exchange for a 2021 fifth-round pick.<\/p>\n

Ottawa Receives Erik Gudbranson<\/h2>\n

One day after the NHL draft, the Ottawa Senators have acquired another defender. Gudbranson is a 28 year old, right-handed defender. The Ottawa native played 51 games at the NHL level between the Pittsburgh Penguins<\/a> and the Ducks. In that time frame, Gudbranson scored four goals and five assists for nine total points. He has previously suited up for the Penguins, Ducks, Vancouver Canucks<\/a>, and the Florida Panthers<\/a>. The 2013 third overall pick has appeared in 518 games and scored 73 points. In 17 playoff games split between Florida and Pittsburgh he has tallied one point, a goal in the 2019 postseason for the Penguins.<\/p>\n

Gudbranson is a defensive defender with little offensive upside. He had 76 hits with the Ducks last season in his 44 games with the club. Standing at 6′-5”, 217 pounds, he is a big bodied blue-liner with plenty of gas in the tank. He has the ability to play 20 minutes of ice time a game and can be crucial in slowing down offensive weapons from the opposing team. He is signed through next season at a $4 million AAV. Ottawa has an abundance of cap space with $38 million to spend. They need to get to the cap basement. This moves helps that.<\/p>\n

What This Means for the Future<\/h3>\n

Ottawa has acquired three new defenders in the last week. Josh Brown<\/a><\/strong>, fifth-overall pick Jake Sanderson<\/strong>, and now Gudbranson. They are in no position to be making a playoff push, but with their recent moves the past few days, they look to be setting themselves up for a playoff appearance for the 2021-22 season. With newly acquired goaltender, Matt Murray<\/a><\/strong>, in-between the pipes, this team is taking a new form to complement their franchise rebranding.<\/p>\n

The Senators have just under $40 million in cap space to work with this offseason. They have five restricted free agents to try to re-sign for next season, most notable of that group is Murray and forward Chris Tierney<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Main Photo:<\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>