Anaheim Ducks: 2020 Trade Deadline in Retrospect
By Ciara Durant
Ondrej Kase for David Backes, Axel Andersson, and Jacob Perreault
In the Anaheim Ducks first trade of the 2020 NHL Trade Deadline, Bob Murry traded Ondrej Kase to the Boston Bruins for David Backes, Axel Andersson, and a 2020 first-round draft pick. The first-round pick would turn into Jacob Perreault, selected 27th overall at the 2020 NHL Entry Draft by the Anaheim Ducks.
At the time, Ondrej Kase was one of the Ducks’ most exciting offensive producers on the ice. He had 23 points with the club at the time of his trade. Unfortunatley, his injury history with concussions was starting to become a real concern.
Kase played only two games for the Boston Bruins in the 2020-21 season before succumbing to injury once again. According to the Bruins, there is absolutely zero timetable for his return, which does not bode well for the 25-year-old forward, or the team that traded their first-round pick for him.
In order to move Kase for a first-round draft pick, however, the Anaheim Ducks had to be willing to take on David Backes’ contract. The veteran forward had fallen out of favor with the Boston Bruins and was hoping that he would be given a second chance in Anaheim. Since his trade, he has only played 16 games with the club, spending a majority of the season on their taxi squad.
While Backes knew he would likely be nothing more than a part-time player for the Anaheim Ducks this season, the numbers show that if the Ducks would have given him more of a chance, he could have improved their bottom six. Maybe not drastically, but for this team, the smallest improvement is still improvement nonetheless.
As far as Axel Andersson goes, I am a little indifferent. He has been playing over in Sweden this season, posting 11 points in 51 games with Södertälje SK in the HockeyAllsvenskan. He has recently been assigned to the San Diego Gulls, but won’t join them until his quarantine period is over. It will be a lot easier to track his development and learn more about who he is as a player now that he is in San Diego.
The big-ticket of this trade, however, was the 2020 first-round pick, which turned into Jacob Perreault. This pick was a little off the board for the Anaheim Ducks, who usually select the safer two-way players. Perreault definitely has holes in his defensive game, but that kid can score. It has been a long time since the Ducks have had a prospect who has been praised as a pure sniper that can score from anywhere.
If his development trends in the right direction and he can work on rounding out the rest of his game, he is going to be a dangerous asset to the Anaheim Ducks for years to come. He could potentially become a key piece for the team when they finish their rebuild.