Ducks Send Kurtis Foster Off to the New Jersey Devils

The Ducks made a small trade today with the New Jersey Devils when they sent defenseman Kurtis Foster and goalie prospect Timmo Pielmeier in exchange for forward Rod Pelley, defenseman Mark Fraser and a 7th round draft pick.

Kurtis Foster has only played 9 games with the Ducks this season, but that was enough to show he wasn’t right for the teams blue line. He made constant turnovers, left players wide open and was overall not playing good D. He has 1 goal, 1 assist and a -5 rating so far. Their defense has been just awful this season especially without Lubomir Visnovsky in the lineup. This trade has zero effect on the Ducks. If anything, getting rid of Foster will create more space for when Lubo does return.

Also sent off was goaltending prospect Timmo Pielmeier. In 9 games this season with the Elmira Jackals (ECHL), he has gone 4-5-0 with a horrible 3.45 goals against average and a .896 save percentage. Needless to say, we’re not going to miss him.

In addition to a 7th round draft pick, the Ducks gained some young players.On the side, I am also a New Jersey Devils fan. Being born in New Jersey and having a diehard Devils fan as a father grew on me as a kid. I’ve seen both Pelley and Fraser play and each one have some good, and some bad features about them. As a Devils fans, I wished for these two to be sent off for quite some time, but I wish it wasn’t the Ducks who got them.

Rod Pelley-

The best thing I can say about Pelley is that the kid has heart. He’s tough and he gives it his all every single game. The problem is…. he’s not very good. He is currently pointless this season in 7 games. Last season he played 74 games, scoring 3 goals and adding 7 helpers. Pelley is obviously not known for his scoring, but his energy could be very beneficial to the Ducks, who often look sluggish and dead out on the ice. He can be a top fourth liner, but I wouldn’t expect him to see much NHL time.

Mark Fraser-

Mark Fraser was selected 84th overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. Fraser started getting noticed by Devils fans IN THE 2009-2010 season after excelling with the Lowell Devils (AHL) the season prior. He was awarded a starting roster spot with the team where he dominated on the blue-line. The next season he only played 26 games due to injury and he has not seen a ton of time this season with the Devils. Fraser is NOT an offensive-defenseman.

He is great at shutting down offensive rushes, clearing the crease and dropping gloves if he needs to. If it were up to me, I would give Fraser a spot on the defense. With the shape they are currently in, we could use him on the blue-line. Yes, he is young but he has some good experience playing strict defensive hockey under the great Jacques Lemaire.

This wasn’t a “blockbuster trade” and it won’t really change much, but there is some good in it. Maybe all we need is a few minor tweeks for the Ducks to get back into the game? *wishful thinking*

Home/Ducks News