We conclude our series on Anaheim Ducks Season Grades. Today we hand out grades for the men in the middle, the centers.
Catch up on our Anaheim Ducks season grades. Go to our main page for links to other position.
The Incompletes
These players spent some time with the Anaheim Ducks last season. They weren’t included on any other grade sheets and spent some time in the pivot, but not nearly enough to be rated: Troy Terry, Giovanni Fiore, Chris Kelly, and Kalle Kossila.
Part Timer – Dennis Rasmussen: D
Rasmussen was a surprise inclusion to the Anaheim Ducks roster when the season opened. He previously played 112 over the two prior years with Chicago. It became apparent that the Ducks center, Ryan Kesler, wouldn’t be ready to start the season. GM Bob Murray signed him as a free agent last July to fill the void. Then Ryan Getzlaf was injured.
He played in 27 games in the first half of the season, alternating between the bottom two lines. Rasmussen’s stats were unremarkable. The 27-year-old native of Vasteras, Sweden scored four points (1g, 3a), had 31 hits, won 34 of 70 faceoffs (48.6%) and was +4.
After Getzlaf and Kesler returned from injury and Murray traded for Adam Henrique, Rasmussen became as useful as a Prius at a tractor pull. The Ducks decided to part ways with him in mid-February and he returned to Sweden.
Antoine Vermette: D –
Cue the Traveling Wilburys song “End of the Line” as Antoine Vermette skates off into the sunset.
Vermette got old. Actually, he got old by NHL standards a year and a half ago. Last October and November it didn’t matter how old he was because he needed to fill in with the Ducks top-six. Unfortunately for him and Anaheim, Vermette didn’t have much left in the tank.
He opened the season in between the Ducks top wings. Despite his best efforts, Vermette only managed 16 points for the entire season. Much like Rasmussen, as the season progressed his ice time decreased. Unlike Rasmussen, Vermette’s prowess in the faceoff circle made him valuable enough to keep around for the remainder of the season.
Vermette stayed on the roster but barely played toward the end of the year. He’ll be 36-years-old at the start of next season, his NHL career has likely come to its end.