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Anaheim Ducks Hire Kevin Dineen As AHL Coach

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The Anaheim Ducks recently promoted their AHL head coach Dallas Eakins to the NHL, leaving a vacancy behind the bench for the San Diego Gulls. That vacancy has been filled today with the announcement of Kevin Dineen as the team’s next head coach. GM Bob Murray released a short statement on the hiring:

Kevin brings more than 30 years of valuable experience as a player and coach in professional hockey. We are committed to continue a winning tradition in San Diego, and Kevin will help the organization achieve those goals.

Dineen, 55, played 19 seasons in the NHL and amassed 760 points in 1,188 regular season games. A two-time 40-goal scorer, he was also a strong defensive forward that would never back down from a physical engagement—he recorded 2,229 penalty minutes over his long playing career. Immediately joining the Columbus Blue Jackets front office after his retirement, Dineen was quickly promoted to assistant general manager before eventually taking on the head coaching job for the Portland Pirates of the AHL.

After spending several years in the minor league coaching ranks, Dineen was given his first chance at the NHL level when he was hired as head coach of the FLorida Panthers in 2011. He led the Panthers to a 38-26-18 record and their first playoff appearance in more than a decade in his first season with the team, but things didn’t go so smoothly in the following year and just 17 games into his third season he was fired. Dineen would end up coaching the Canadian women’s team at the 2014 Olympics, winning gold.

He had served as an assistant coach with the Chicago Blackhawks for the last several seasons, but was fired along with head coach Joel Quenneville last November.

Ducks Avoid Arbitration With Chase De Leo

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The Ducks have avoided salary arbitration with center Chase De Leo.  CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that Anaheim has signed him a one-year, two-way contract.  The deal will pay him $750K in the NHL, $100K in the AHL, and contains a guaranteed salary of $130K.

Anaheim acquired the 23-year-old just before last year’s free agent period opened up in a trade with Winnipeg.  The change of scenery certainly helped De Leo as he posted career highs across the board with AHL San Diego, collecting 20 goals and 35 assists in 66 games.  His performance was good enough to earn him a brief recall to the Ducks, his first NHL action in three years.

With the recent re-signing of center Derek Grant and the addition of winger Nicolas Deslauriers last month, there doesn’t appear to be much of an opening for De Leo to make a case for a full-time spot with Anaheim in 2019-20.  However, another strong showing with the Gulls should have him in the mix for another recall at some point next season.

Ducks Sign Michael Del Zotto

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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.

Ducks Sign Andreas Martinsen

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The Ducks have added some depth and grit on the wing.  They announced (Twitter link) that they’ve signed Andreas Martinsen to a one-year, two-way contract.  Eric Stephens of The Athletic adds (via Twitter) that the deal is worth $750K in the NHL and $250K in the minors.

The 29-year-old split last season between Chicago and their AHL affiliate in Rockford.  In 24 games with the Blackhawks in the first half of the year, he had a goal and three assists while chipping in with 83 hits; his 3.46 hit per game average was in the top ten league-wide among players with at least 20 games played.  Meanwhile, with the IceHogs, he had a bit more of an offensive impact with three goals and eight helpers in 38 games.

Martinsen has a total of 152 NHL games under his belt between Colorado, Montreal, and Chicago.  It’s likely that he will start next season in the minors and having cleared waivers at some point in each of the last two seasons, he will probably once again pass through unclaimed.  However, as someone that can hold his own on the fourth line when needed, he should see some action with Anaheim at some point in 2019-20.

Anaheim Ducks Sign Jani Hakanpaa

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The Anaheim Ducks officially announced their contract with Anthony Stolarz today, but also had some more news for their fans. Jani Hakanpaa has signed a one-year contract with the team marking his return to North America after four years with Karpat of the Finnish Liiga. Eric Stephens of The Athletic reports the deal is for $850K and is a one-way contract.

Originally a draft pick of the St. Louis Blues, Hakanpaa played three years in the minor leagues between 2012-15 but failed to catch on in the NHL. After returning to Finland though, the 27-year old continued his development and last season recorded 11 goals and 23 points in 52 games. Most notably, he was part of the gold medal-winning team at the most recent World Championship, showing that he could defend well against NHL players from around the league.

The 6’5″ defenseman has led Liiga in plus/minus for two consecutive seasons, and was a huge part of Karpat going to back-to-back league championships (winning once). While he doesn’t provide a ton of upside, the Ducks needed to add some depth for this season as they had just nine defensemen under contract in the whole organization. Only two of those names were right-handed, meaning Hakanpaa actually might have a good shot at cracking the roster out of camp if no further NHL additions are made.

Penguins Re-Sign Joseph Blandisi

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Joseph Blandisi will extend his stay with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Acquired mid-season from the Anaheim Ducks, Blandisi played in only six games with the Penguins and was held off the score sheet, but did enough to earn a new contract anyway. TVA’s Renaud Lavoie reports that Pittsburgh has signed Blandisi to a one-year, two-way deal with a minimum $700K salary at the NHL level.

Blandisi is likely happy to have some certainty heading into next season after being traded in each of the past two seasons. A former New Jersey Devils prospect, Blandisi played well as a rookie, recording 17 points in 41 games to go with a near point-per-game AHL campaign, but was moved to Anaheim in 2017-18 after his numbers failed to improve the year before. However, Blandisi was held scoreless in the three games apiece in each of his two seasons with the Ducks, prompting another trade to Pittsburgh. While his NHL production did not improve with the Penguins, his AHL scoring remained consistent.

Blandisi is not especially big, but plays an aggressive, hard-nosed game. With minor league production that hints at an ability to score – even if the NHL numbers don’t match just yet – and a physical style that can work well in a checking role, the 24-year-old is a nice depth piece and will push for play time in Pittsburgh next season.

 

Anaheim Signs Anthony Stolarz

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After standing pat on day one of free agency, the Anaheim Ducks have come alive today with their third signing. Goaltender Anthony Stolarz, a Group 6 unrestricted free agent, has signed with the team, reports TVA’s Renaud Lavoie. It is expected to be a two-year, one-way contract for Stolarz worth $750K.

After parts of five seasons in the Philadelphia Flyers organization to begin his pro career, Stolarz finally got a change of scenery when he was dealt to the Edmonton Oilers in February for Cam Talbot. Stolarz was immediately considered a likely backup candidate for Edmonton moving forward, but failed to impress in six appearances with the team down the stretch and by all reports the Oilers made no attempt to keep him.

Stolarz now joins yet another team in Anaheim and hopes he can get his career back on track. Stolarz was a second-round pick in 2012 and injuries have prevented him from playing up to the expectations of his high draft price. Still just 25 though, Stolarz still has upside and his underlying numbers, in both the NHL and AHL, have been good when healthy.

Managing their depth in net could be tricky for the Ducks, however. Anaheim re-signed Ryan Miller to a one-year deal and may see Stolarz as the future backup to John Gibson after that deal expires, but in 2019-20 the team will either have to carry all three goalies or risk losing Stolarz on waivers. How it all plays out will be interesting to watch.

Anaheim Ducks Sign Poturalski, Pietila; Add Sutter To Staff

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The Anaheim Ducks were totally quiet on July 1st, the only team in the league not to formally sign any players. They’ve made up for it this afternoon, confirming one expected signing, announcing another, and adding a legendary coach to their organization. The Ducks announced that they have signed forwards Andrew Poturalski and Blake Pietila to matching one-year, two-way $700K contracts, while also naming Darryl Sutter as an adivsor to the coaching staff.

Poturalski, 25, was named the MVP of the Calder Cup Playoffs this year after recording a league-high 23 points in 18 playoff games en route to a championship for the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers. Poturalski was also one of the top regular season scorers, netting 70 points in 72 games. Yet, the University of New Hampshire product did not see any NHL time with the Carolina Hurricanes this season and was expected to depart in search of better opportunity. Anaheim is a team collecting affordable depth options up front and Poturalski could emerge as a regular player for the team.

Pietila, 26, comes from the opposite situation in New Jersey. The Devils were forced to use Pietila, as well as a number of his AHL teammates, frequently last season, but the former Michigan Tech standout did little with the opportunity. In fact, Pietila has just four points in 38 career NHL games. However, he did set a career high in AHL production this past season, recording 46 points in 50 games with the Binghamton Devils. The Ducks hope he can continue to be a near point-per-game player in the minors with the potential to put up offense in the NHL.

Sutter, 60, needs little introduction. A veteran of close to 1,300 games behind the bench, Sutter is a former rival of Anaheim’s as the two-time Stanley Cup-winning coach of the Los Angeles Kings, not to mention past stops in Calgary, San Jose, and Chicago as well. Working as an adivsor to Dallas Eakins and his staff, Sutter is one of the wisest minds in hockey and will be a major asset for the Ducks.

Ducks Expected To Sign Andrew Poturalski

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The Ducks are on the verge of landing one of the top performers in the AHL this past season. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that Anaheim is set to sign winger Andrew Poturalski, formerly of the Carolina Hurricanes. The terms of the deal have not yet been disclosed.

Poturalski, 25, was named the MVP of the Calder Cup Playoffs this year after recording a league-high 23 points in 18 playoff games en route to a championship for the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers. Poturalski was also one of the top regular season scorers, netting 70 points in 72 games.

Yet, the University of New Hampshire product did not see any NHL time with the Hurricanes this season and was expected to depart in search of better opportunity. Anaheim is a team collecting affordable depth options up front and Poturalski could emerge as a regular player for the team.

Anaheim Ducks Acquire Nicolas Deslauriers

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In their second trade of the day, the Montreal Canadiens have dealt two-way forward Nicolas Deslauriers to the Anaheim Ducks, the team announced. In return, the Habs have acquired Anaheim’s 2020 fourth-round pick. This is yet another salary dump for Montreal, as they free up cap space ahead of the opening of free agency on Monday.

In Deslauriers, the Ducks land an affordable and effective bottom-six option. The 28-year-old Deslauriers has shown modest offense at times, albeit inconsistently, but his real value comes in his physicality and ability to create turnovers and win puck battles. Although Anaheim has great depth up front in regards to a number of pro-ready prospects, Deslauriers is the type of experienced, gritty forward who can help to protect the young offensive talent. At $950K, he hardly makes a dent in the salary cap to provide an underappreciated but critical service.

It is somewhat of a surprise that the Canadiens moved the Quebec native, but Montreal is clearly gearing up to spend money on a major addition this off-season. On top of that, they continue to stockpile 2020 draft picks for a draft that they are hosting. The Ducks’ fourth-rounder makes it 12 selections for Montreal next year, eight of which come in the first four rounds. This is thus another deal that plays into a bigger plan for the Habs.

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