The Anaheim Ducks made another move to bring in depth to their defense corps by acquiring defenseman Colby Robak from the Florida Panthers for defenseman Jesse Blacker and a conditional draft pick. The draft pick will either be a 2016 4th round pick or a 2017 6th round pick.
Robak was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft (46th overall). He’s a solid skater and has a big frame that he could fill out a good bit more (6’3, but only about 195 lbs). He has a hard shot and has some two-way upside. Robak also knows how to make quick passes to exit the defensive zone. He had been viewed as one of the defensive anchors in the Panthers’ system, but he never made a major statement on the organization. Robak played 42 games for the Panthers’ NHL club, registering three assists and 25 penalty minutes while sporting a -5 record. Robak was a healthy scratch in the Panthers’ first eight games this season, and he only appeared in seven of the Panthers’ first 23 games. He logged a season-high 17:41 of ice time on November 16th against the Ducks, when the Panthers routed the Ducks 6-2. In that game, he was a +1 with two penalty minutes and two hits.
Blacker was acquired last season in November from the Toronto Maple Leafs, when the Ducks sent forwards Peter Holland and Brad Staubitz to the Maple Leafs for Blacker, a 2014 conditional 3rd round pick (which became a 2nd round pick when Holland played 15 games), and a 2014 7th round pick. Blacker made his NHL debut for the Ducks this season on November 28th against the Chicago Blackhawks, finishing with a -2 rating and one hit in 6:03 of ice time. That was the only game Blacker appeared in with the Ducks’ NHL club, as he was re-assigned to AHL Norfolk on Tuesday with Rickard Rakell to make room for Clayton Stoner and Mark Fistric, who were coming off Injured Reserve.
The Ducks made a recent trade on November 28th to acquire veteran defenseman Eric Brewer from the Tampa Bay Lightning, sending a 2015 3rd round pick for the 35-year old. However, Brewer was diagnosed with a broken in his foot after Monday’s game against the Boston Bruins, and he is expected to miss four to six weeks. Francois Beauchemin (broken finger) and Ben Lovejoy (broken finger) have yet to return from the Injured Reserve as well, though Lovejoy has been skating on his own and should be ready to return in a couple of weeks or so. The Ducks have already used 12 defensemen this season, and only Hampus Lindholm and Sami Vatanen have dressed for all 27 games. Polak, in the interim, should provide the Ducks a stop-gap option on defense.
Robak signed a two-year, $1.35 million deal with the Panthers after the 2012-2013 season. The cap hit for the deal is $675,000, but his salary for this season is slightly higher, at $700,000. The second year of that deal (this year’s portion) is a one-way deal, which means Robak will require waivers to send to AHL Norfolk (the first year was a two-way deal worth $650,000 in the NHL and $100,000 in the AHL, according to CapGeek). No information was released if either team retained any salary, but it is most likely that this was a straight swap. Robak had not played recently for the Panthers, and the move creates a roster spot for the Panthers, who may get Dave Bolland or Scottie Upshall back from Injured Reserve.
Jason Byun is the editor for Pucks of a Feather. He can be found on Twitter. For more Anaheim Ducks coverage, follow Pucks of a Feather on Twitter or like us on Facebook.