Anaheim Ducks: Alexander Volkov Scores in Debut vs Coyotes

Who is Alexander Volkov? That is a question most of us were asking when Bob Murray and the Anaheim Ducks pulled the trigger on a trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning. We would say goodbye to Anton Morand and hello to 23-year-old Russian-born forward, Alexander Volkov.

Selected 48th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2017, the Russian forward was stuck on a team bursting with talent. This posed a problem in that Volkov was never really given a fair opportunity to develop his game at the NHL level, spending a majority of his time with the Syracuse Crunch.

Longing for more opportunity, he asked for a trade. It was rumored that Bob Murray was in the market for a young forward around Volkov’s age, and losing Anton Morand didn’t really affect any of the Anaheim Ducks’ long-term plans.

Due to COVID-19 protocol, the 23-year-old was unable to join the team right away. Nevertheless, he made his debut last night against the Arizona Coyotes, scoring the opening goal in the Anaheim Ducks 4-2 loss.

Alexander Volkov Scores Goal in Anaheim Ducks Debut

Back at home after a five-game road trip and three days off, the Anaheim Ducks were set to face off against the Arizona Coyotes. The Yotes were hungry for those two points, needing to secure a win in order to pass the St. Louis Blues and claim the 4th playoff spot in the Honda West Division.

Entering the lineup, Dallas Eakins paired the 23-year-old with Max Comtois and Isac Lundestrom on the third line. Early in the first period, he had a golden opportunity to slam the puck into the Coyotes wide-open net. Christian Dvorak, however, dropped to one knee, kicked out his skate, and managed to block the shot and slow it down just enough for Adin Hill to make the save.

Later in the first period, a two-on-one developed with Comtois and Volkov but it was broken up by Ilya Lyubushkin. Luck was on the Anaheim Ducks side, however, and the puck bounced right back to Max Comtois. His smooth pass in front of the net allowed Volkov to send the puck home, scoring his first goal with the Anaheim Ducks at 16:06 of the first period.

Volkov’s underlying numbers in his first game, however, aren’t that impressive. He has some of the worst underlying stats of the night. Nevertheless, it was his first game, and he has shown promise since being drafted as an overager by Tampa Bay. He was never really given a fair shot with the defending Stanley Cup Champions, and a change of scenery might be with he needs to live up to his potential of being a top-six forward.

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