Ducks Sign Michael Del Zotto

Michael Del Zotto is on his way back to Anaheim.  TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie reports (Twitter link) that the defenseman has signed a one-year, $750K contract with the Ducks.  The deal represents a significant pay cut as he made $3MM in each of the last two seasons.

Del Zotto saw action with three different teams last season.  He started with Vancouver but after being in and out of the lineup, he was traded to Anaheim in January.  While he played more of a regular role with the Ducks, he was only with them for a little more than a month.  With Anaheim selling down the stretch, he was sent to St. Louis for a sixth-round pick at the trade deadline where he was a healthy scratch for a considerable amount of time including the entire postseason.  Overall, he suited up in 42 games, recording a goal and nine assists while logging 17:02 per night of playing time.

While that’s a significant step back offensively considering he has surpassed the 30-point mark three times in his career already, the 29-year-old is still a good enough puck mover to potentially be useful on a third pairing.  Clearly, Anaheim GM Bob Murray liked what he saw from Del Zotto in his brief stint with Anaheim and now he’ll get an opportunity to lock down a regular role with them for 2019-20.  With only three full-time NHL players signed on their back end at the moment, he should have a good chance of suiting up when the puck drops in October.