Mar 1, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Nick Foligno (left) and defenseman James Wisniewski (21) talk prior to a face-off against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the first period at the CONSOL Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
The addition of Simon Despres was not the final move made for the Anaheim Ducks at the March 2nd NHL Trade Deadline. The Ducks had a lot of puck-moving capabilities on the back-end, but the veteran leadership on the defense group was limited to that of just Francois Beauchemin and Clayton Stoner.
The Ducks also reduced the number of right-shot defensemen in their corps to two: Sami Vatanen and Josh Manson. The former is returning from injury, while the latter probably does not play when the group is fully healthy.
Another deal involving the Ducks was announced after the 3 p.m ET deadline, involving the acquisition of a veteran, right-shot defenseman. The deal was broken by Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch.
Ducks general manager has made it known publicly numerous times that he is not fond of making “rental” acquisitions: he would much rather acquire players with term. Some of the biggest names on the defense market (Jeff Petry, Zbynek Michalek, Cody Franson, Andrej Sekera, and Marek Zidlicky) were all pending unrestricted free-agents.
Instead, Murray went and acquired James Wisniewski, a player with term. The Ducks acquired Wisniewski and a third-round draft pick for forward prospect William Karlsson, left-winger Rene Bourque, and a second-round pick.
Next: Anaheim: Wisniewski, Draft Pick
Jan 9, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman James Wisniewski (21) during their game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre. The Maple Leafs beat the Blue Jackets 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
Anaheim Receives: James Wisniewski, 2015 3rd Round Pick
Wisniewski was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 5th round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft (156th overall). He spent two more seasons in junior hockey with the Plymouth Whalers, scoring 35 goals and 122 points in 102 games during those two seasons. The NHL Lockout struck, so Wisniewski then spent the entire following season in the AHL.
He made his NHL debut during the 2005-2006 campaign with the Blackhawks. With Chicago, Wisniewski would appear in 168 contests, scoring 13 goals and 56 points. He was then acquired by the Ducks for the first time in the deal that sent Samuel Pahlsson to the Blackhawks. In 86 regular-season contests with the Ducks, Wisniewski would score four goals and 41 points with the Ducks. He added a goals and two assists in 12 games during the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Anaheim Ducks /
Anaheim Ducks
Following an arbitration saga, the Ducks traded Wisniewski to the New York Islanders for a conditional 2011 3rd round pick. Later that same season, he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens for a 2011 2nd round pick and a conditional 2012 5th round pick. Wisniewski scored 10 goals and 51 points for the Islanders and Canadiens, plus two more assists in the postseason with Montreal.
The Canadiens then traded Wisniewski to the Blue Jackets for a 2012 7th round pick, who signed a six-year, $33 million contract with Columbus. In 209 games with Columbus, Wisniewski scored 26 goals and 121 points, 59 of which came on the power-play (48.8%). From the 2011-2012 season until the March 2nd deadline, Columbus had a 17.4% power-play conversion rate, but they were 11th in the NHL last season and are currently 8th this season (19.7% the past two seasons until March 2nd).
The power-play will be the main area where Wisniewski should help. The Ducks, outside of Vatanen, lack a real trigger-man on the power-play: there is a lot of passing on the power-play, but not enough shot attempts. The Ducks currently have the 22nd ranked power-play, at 17.0% (34 power-play goals in 200 attempts). For a team that boasts players such as Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, and Ryan Kesler, the Ducks have had a stagnant power-play.
Special-teams has been a mediocre part of the Ducks’ game this season, but Wisniewski also adds some physicality, despite his size (5’11, 203 lbs). He had 99 hits with the Blue Jackets this season, the same number that Ben Lovejoy had with the Ducks before being traded in the deal that brought Despres to Anaheim.
Wisniewski is also a good puck-mover and possession-driving defenseman. In his previous three seasons with Columbus, he has had a CF Relative of +1.5%, +5.4%, and +1.7%, meaning the Blue Jackets had been directing play better with Wisniewski on the ice, rather than off. His CF% over those three seasons was 51.0, despite Columbus having a CF% of 46.3%, 49.9%, and 47.1% during those campaigns.
Wisniewski also has two years left on his deal. The cap-hit is $5.5 million, which makes him the third-largest cap-hit currently on the Ducks roster (behind Perry and Getzlaf), which is worrisome for a budget team like the Ducks. However, the true-salary of Wisniewski is $5 million for next season and $3 million for the one after that, meaning the Ducks can utilize the cap-room and still stay under their true dollar-budget.
The Ducks also got another draft-pick back: a third-round pick. The pick is the Detroit Red Wings’ third-round pick in the upcoming 2015 NHL Draft. The Ducks did well to get a top-90 selection along with Wisniewski: thanks to numerous trades, the Ducks had only four 2015 NHL Draft Picks before making this deal, and they leave the trade deadline with four.
Wisniewski should be on the top-four when he returns from a foot-injury, presumably with Cam Fowler: Despres has been in that spot currently. When Vatanen returns from his injury, the Ducks should be able to feature him, Wisniewski, Fowler, and Hampus Lindholm on the power-play as puck-movers.
Next: Columbus: Bourque, Karlsson, Draft Pick
Oct 13, 2014; Buffalo, NY, USA; Anaheim Ducks center William Karlsson (38) celebrates a goal during the third period against the Buffalo Sabres at First Niagara Center. Anaheim beats Buffalo 5 to 1. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
Columbus Receives: Rene Bourque, William Karlsson, 2015 2nd Round Pick
Just as how Dany Heatley was included in the Tomas Flesichmann deal so that the Florida Panthers would not have to retain salary, the same was done here with Bourque. Bourque was woefully unproductive with the Ducks, scoring two goals and eight points in 30 games with the team. He carried a $3.33 million cap-hit for this season and next season, but was not producing at any level close to that. Essentially, this deal is Wisniewski and a 2015 3rd round pick for Karlsson and a 2015 2nd round pick.
Karlsson is making his transition to the North American game after playing in Sweden. He was drafted by the Ducks in the 2nd round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft (53rd overall). Karlsson had ten goals and 33 points for AHL Norfolk in 46 games the past two seasons. He made his NHL debut on October 11th this season against the Detroit Red Wings. In 18 games with the Ducks, Karlsson had two goals and three points.
Karlsson adds another young centerman to the mix in Columbus, who already have Ryan Johansen and Brandon Dubinsky as young pivots in their organization. Karlsson still needs some development as he gets used to the North American game. He has some upside as a top-six center in the NHL. ESPN’s Corey Pronman had this to say about Karlsson.
“In his first full season in North America, Karlsson has looked good, getting some time with Anaheim including power-play opportunities, but has struggled at times with the physicality and pace of the game. Karlsson is a gifted possession forward with the skill and vision to make difficult plays. His skating and physical game have historically been issues with his game.”
The Blue Jackets also get the Ducks’ second-round pick in this upcoming draft. This gives the Blue Jackets three second-round picks in the 2015 draft (their own, the Ducks’, and the Toronto Maple Leafs’, which was acquired at last year’s deadline in the deal that sent Marian Gaborik to the Los Angeles Kings).
The Blue Jackets, despite their place in the standings, have no need to start a fire-sale. As of March 7th, Columbus has 413 man-games lost to injury, or 62 more than the next team (the Colorado Avalanche had 351 as of Saturday). The Blue Jackets are currently slated to pick 6th in the 2015 NHL Draft, but this is a team whose biggest window of contention was in the future anyway. They got a solid return on Wisniewski and can continue to build for the future.
Next: Final Grade
Jan 21, 2015; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Winnipeg Jets forward Andrew Ladd (16) battles for position with Columbus Blue Jackets defenceman James Wisniewski (21) during the second period at MTS Centre. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Fedyck-USA TODAY Sports
Final Grades:
The Ducks’ biggest weakness at the trade deadline was that they lacked a No. 1 defenseman. Sadly, that was not available at the deadline: like No. 1 centermen, the best defense anchors are usually locked up long-term by their clubs and never reach the trade market or free-agency. Instead, the Ducks got a top-four option, which they also needed.
Wisniewski helps the club defensively, but he also helps the team out on the power-play, an area that has been frustratingly inconsistent for the club. This move does not put the Ducks over the top: most trades never do. Teams win with the core they have for the majority of the season: trades like these are supplemental in nature.
Still, this is a very solid add, and the Ducks acquired a player under contract for two more years without surrendering a first-round pick (as was the case for many teams who paid that for rentals). The Ducks also unloaded one of the organization’s most toxic contracts in Bourque. For that, the Ducks get a B+.
The return on Wisniewski, for the Blue Jackets, was probably not maximized. They had the leverage of contract term: that means a lot to have a player for that time, but the Blue Jackets could have also taken the angle of the Ducks having to pay for three postseason runs of Wisniewski, rather than two or fewer had he been dealt at some other point.
The Coyotes got a major return on Keith Yandle, another non-rental defenseman. The biggest reason was because the Coyotes ate 50% of Yandle’s $5.25 million cap-hit. Instead, the Blue Jackets retained Bourque, which probably was a major reason why Columbus did not receive a first-round draft pick in the deal.
Karlsson has the potential to be a solid player. He still has some growth and maturing to do as a player, but he probably will be a serviceable player. That alone would be enough to give the Blue Jackets a B, but having to include Detroit’s third-round pick docks the grade somewhat: Wisniewski alone probably is not worth Karlsson and a 2nd round pick, considering the contract situations.
Plus, the Blue Jackets had to absorb Bourque, a marginal NHLer with term on his deal (and that $3.33 million is not a cheap figure, either). That’s enough to drop the grade down to a B-.
Of course, this is just my opinion. You can give your own votes on the polls below.
