Anaheim Ducks Place Defenseman Mark Fistric on Waivers

The Anaheim Ducks made a roster move, placing veteran defenseman Mark Fistric on waivers. The team had been carrying eight defensemen, and with the imminent return of veteran Eric Brewer from his broken foot, someone had to go. The team decided Fistric, who had been a healthy scratch since Francois Beauchemin made his return after the Christmas break on December 27th, was the most expendable player.

Fistric appeared in nine games for the Ducks this season, going scoreless with a -3 rating in those contests. He racked up four penalty minutes and a single shot on goal while playing 14:47 per game in those contests. Fistric, who is 28, was the 28th overall pick by the Dallas Stars in the 2004 NHL Draft.

Fistric signed a one-year deal before the 2013-2014 season after a wrist injury to Sheldon Souray left a void at the Ducks’ blue-line. He impressed in limited action with the Ducks, getting an opportunity when Luca Sbisa was out with a hand injury. The team gave him a three-year, $3.8 million extension last January. Fistric scored five points in 34 games last season for the Ducks. He appeared in five playoff games as well, going scoreless.

Fistric is a player that became well-liked because of his penchant for delivering massive hip-checks. He’s a big, physical presence on the blue-line (6’2, 230 lbs.), but outside of physicality, he does not offer much to the team. In the end, he became expendable.

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Hampus Lindholm (the only two-way defenseman on the roster), Cam Fowler, and Sami Vatanen are the team’s building blocks on the blue-line and the three best players on the back end for the Ducks. Francois Beauchemin and Ben Lovejoy are steady, veteran presences who offer more to the game than just physicality and hits. Clayton Stoner was the team’s “biggest” free-agent signing this offseason, with the Ducks offering him a four-year, $13 million contract in free agency. That left the roster spot between Fistric, Colby Robak, and Brewer, the latter two of whom were acquired in midseason trades.

Neither Brewer nor Robak are as physical as Fistric. However, they are both better in the rest of the facets of the game. Fistric isn’t much of a point producer. Neither are Brewer or Robak, but they are better puck-movers and skaters than Mark, who is not an above-average skating defenseman by any sense. Brewer is a savvy veteran defenseman who displayed the ability to make quick, yet smart decisions with the puck. That is something the team currently lacks.

As for Robak, he is just 24 and has some upside to him. If he won’t get playing time in Anaheim, then Robak, as the younger player, has more trade value. Robak is also a restricted free-agent after the season, so the team can either extend a qualifying offer to keep him, trade his rights to another team that can give him an opportunity, or let him test free agency by not extending the offer.

Fistric may get claimed by a team looking to add some physicality and depth to their blue-line. He shouldn’t be expected to play top-four minutes consistently, though he and Robak alternated with Lindholm when Beauchemin was out. If not for another NHL club, Fistric will offer another veteran voice in Norfolk.

The Ducks have cleared some of the blue-line logjam, reducing the number of bodies from nine to eight. There is still traffic on defense, but not as much as there was before.