It’s the first trade between the Ducks and Brian Burke’s Maple Leafs and (sorry, Toronto) it didn’t involve Ryan Getzlaf going to Toronto. Instead, Brad May is gone in exchange for a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2010 entry draft, which becomes the Ducks’ if May re-signs with the Leafs.
Randy Carlyle said it wasn’t so much a matter of May not fitting into the team’s plans for the rest of the season, as it was a desire to give younger players more time at the expense of May, who is 33 games short of 1,000 for his career. Quotes from today’s practice:
Randy Carlyle:
“Moreso than anything Brad May’s situation is he wasn’t going to play as often, and he’s looking forward to playing in 1,000 games and more than likely wasn’t going to get that here. Brad May made a huge contribution to our success the two and a half years he was here. He was a good teammate. He defended his teammates, he came to work and he was a positive influence. In some ways, I look at this as the organization decided to give him an opportunity to get his 1000th game with another organization that’s famiilar with him, and it’s a good break for him.”
George Parros:
“We just had great camaraderie. We played similar styles. We knew where each other was coming from, so it was a lot of fun to have someone like that to play with, as opposed to against. A lot of times you don’t have another guy on your team like that. So we had a lot of fun out there, and we’ll definitely miss him.”
“He never let anyone know what he’s thinking. He’s always towing the team rope. He never complained, never showed his frustration about having to sit out. But I think [1,000 games] was definitely important for him, to complete that last milestone, so hopefully he will.”
