Anaheim Ducks Trade Deadline: Jiri Sekac (Left Wing)
By Jason Byun
Nov 9, 2014; Anaheim, CA, USA; Anaheim Ducks right wing Devante Smith-Pelly (12) and Vancouver Canucks defenseman Alexander Edler (23) battle for the puck during the first period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Montreal Receives: Devante Smith-Pelly
Just as how the Ducks were looking to add more skill to their wing group, the Canadiens were looking to add some size and grit to their own. Montreal leads the Eastern Conference in points, but their 2.66 goals per game is tied for 18th in the NHL. A big factor has been the play of Carey Price, who should be both the Vezina Trophy and Hart Trophy favorites right now (that’s a whole other argument, but Price is the league MVP this year). The Canadiens have a 2.14 goals allowed per game stat, while the next-best team (Chicago) sits at a 2.33 GAA.
0.19 doesn’t seem like much, but that’s over 60+ games, which is about 12 goals. The Canadiens are not great at shot prevention either (25th in shots per game, 22nd in shots against per game, 23rd in Corsi For %, and 18th in FenClose %). Their +36 goal-differential is tied for 5th in the NHL, a testament to how big Price has been for them.
Head coach Michel Therrien likes physical players, which was a big reason why he could acquire Smith-Pelly from Anaheim. As highlighted on the previous page, the Ducks had a lack of skill players on the wing, but they had more than their share of gritty wingers, in Maroon, Beleskey, Cogliano, Tim Jackman, and Smith-Pelly.
The Canadiens also needed a right-wing. Brendan Gallagher has been his tenacious self, and he’s been productive with 17 goals and 38 points this season. But P.A. Parenteau has not been productive on the top-six, with just six goals and 15 points this season (less production than Sekac). The drop-off from Gallagher to the rest of the right-wings was massive: Dale Weise was on the top-six for a good bit, and he has nine goals and 24 points. However, Weise isn’t a skilled player.
Enter Smith-Pelly, who has both skill but physical ability. He totaled 147 hits for the Ducks, 39 more than what Weise had when the Canadiens acquired him. But Smith-Pelly is a capable offensive player. He’s a good forechecker and strong along the boards, and he crashes the net hard and gets greasy goals. However, he’s more than capable of netting goals with his shot.
The Canadiens had to address their right-wing situation at the deadline: it got to the point where they tried Alex Galchenyuk at the spot. Smith-Pelly fits what they need: a middle-six right-wing who can play on the right side, presumably next to Tomas Plekanec or Lars Eller. Smith-Pelly only has 17 points on the season, but that is equal to what Eller has and more than Parenteau.
As with Sekac, Smith-Pelly is not a rental. He is signed through next season, and the Canadiens own his restricted-free-agent rights until after the 2017-2018 season (three more seasons after this one). This is a move that, if it pans out for Montreal, will not impact the team for a couple of months, but for a couple of years.
Smith-Pelly’s upside is not as high as that of Sekac. But he shores up a shallow position for the Canadiens and adds physicality. The point on the previous page was more to showcase the importance of skill in the NHL, not discount the physical element. Smith-Pelly had a strong postseason last year as well, scoring a team-leading five goals for the Ducks (though be careful: Bourque led the Canadiens with eight, and he’s quickly flamed out).
Next: Final Grade