Ducks trade Brian Dumoulin to New Jersey, open up left-side defense

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Defenseman Brian Dumoulin was traded to the New Jersey Devils with a conditional 2025 second round pick and prospect Herman Träff heading back to the Anaheim Ducks. Anaheim will retain 50% of Dumoulin’s $3.15 million cap hit.

The Ducks acquired Dumoulin in the summer from Seattle in exchange for a fourth-round pick, which makes the return from New Jersey a bit of good business for Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek. The second-round pick will be whichever is earlier between the picks of Edmonton and Winnipeg, which New Jersey owns via other trades.

“Brian was good for us both on and off the ice, and we wish him well in New Jersey,” Verbeek said in a statement. “This wasn't an easy decision for us. We do feel this allows more opportunity for our young defensemen, who have proven they can play and succeed at the NHL level.”

The trade alleviates a logjam on the left side of the Ducks defense that had forced 21-year-old Olen Zellweger to be scratched in nine of the last 14 games and 21 of the last 28 games and and 21-year-old Pavel Mintyukov to be scratched in seven of the last 28 games, including a stretch of five straight.

In an interview with The Athletic last week, Dumoulin, whose contract is set to expire at the end of this season, had expressed interest in staying in Anaheim, but the veteran stay-at-home defenseman brought reliability and Stanley Cup experience that are valuable and sought after qualities at the trade deadline.

Ducks coach Greg Cronin had repeatedly brought up the 33-year-old’s experience and leadership as a key component to Anaheim’s defensive growth, especially among a young defensive corps.

“He's been awesome,” Cronin said last week. “He's a soft spoken guy that does a lot of things behind the scenes, whether it's having dinners at his house or taking kids out to lunch. It doesn't matter where he is on the ice, whether it's a game or practice or even in the weight room.

“He's very authentic. He's committed to his craft. In a quiet way, he's given these young kids a role model to mirror their habits on.”

Dumoulin had played alongside both Minyyukov and Zellweger in the early portions of the season, with Dumoulin and Mintyukov being the Ducks best defensive pair through the season’s first couple months.

However, with the plethora of left-handers on the Ducks roster, Dumoulin was later paired with right-handed 23-year-old Drew Helleson after his call-up from AHL San Diego. That pair had stuck over the last three months, as Helleson rose to be a poised and stable blue-liner.

Helleson’s rise had locked in three lefty-righty pairs on the Ducks defense, and in turn, pushed out Mintyukov and Zellweger from consistent playing time.

Dumoulin’s stock was never going to be higher following his first two goals in a Ducks sweater in the last eight games, including a third-period marker last night in Vancouver, and so, he was traded on Thursday.

The prospect the Ducks receive is big-bodied Swedish forward Herman Träff. The 19-year-old was selected in the third round of last year’s draft by the Devils. The 6-foot-1, 216-pound winger scored two goals for Sweden at this year’s World Junior Championships and currently has three goals and four assists in 24 games for HV71 in the Swedish Hockey League.

This may be the only major business ahead for the Ducks ahead of Friday’s noon Pacific Time trade deadline.

With Robby Fabbri currently on injured reserve and goaltender John Gibson leaving last night’s game with a lower-body injury, any obvious or rumoured trade targets on the Ducks roster are unlikely to be moved.

“I don't control that, and I'm totally committed to Pat, and Pat's plan here,” Cronin said last week when asked about potential moves. “I say this, like the general manager and the management and the staff that works with Pat, they have the same goals we have in the short term. They want to win, okay? But they have a longer view of what's going on here.

“My elevator doesn't go to that floor. We as coaches stay in our lane…. I totally respect and I’m supportive of what Pat wants to do, but that's not my that's not my role here.”