Anaheim Ducks Player Grades: Sami Vatanen
By Jason Byun
Regular Season
November 8, 2013; Anaheim, CA, USA; Anaheim Ducks defenseman Sami Vatanen (45) clears the puck against the Buffalo Sabres during the third period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Vatanen played third-pairing minutes throughout the season. As it turned out, Sheldon Souray would not dress for a single game for the Ducks this season, so the Ducks actually needed as much from their blue-line depth, as Souray was one of the Ducks’ best defensemen last season, as well as a big part of the team’s power play.
Vatanen played regularly to start the season: he appeared in the team’s first 15 games and 39 of the first 50 games. However, Vatanen was sent down to the AHL level for extended periods of time because, unlike most of the blue-liners on the team, Vatanen had a two-way contract, allowing him to be sent down to the minors without having to clear waivers. Vatanen played 41 games for Anaheim before the Olympic break.
Vatanen also made the Finnish Olympic team, where he won a bronze medal with fellow Duck and Finnish legend Teemu Selanne. While Vatanen did not play top minutes for Anaheim, he led all Finnish skaters in total time on ice and finished with a +3 rating and five points (all assists). Despite his strong showing in Sochi, it did not change the fact that the Ducks just had no room to keep him on the NHL roster, especially after they made a move for veteran blue-liner Stephane Robidas.
The team eventually did add Vatanen once rosters expanded, and after being called up on Mar. 23, he played seven more games. He was a +9 and produced 21 points for the Ducks, and his six goals tied for the team lead from defensemen, even though he played 22 fewer games than Cam Fowler and 30 fewer games than Hampus Lindholm.
Vatanen also controlled play the best among all Ducks’ blue-liners, who controlled 53.4% of the Ducks’ shot attempts whenever Vatanen was on the ice (as opposed to 50.2% when he was off the ice).
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Regular Season Grade: B