What they're saying about the new Ducks.
With NHL beat writers around the country eagerly donning their sleeping (or drinking) caps at this hour, I thought I'd check in to see what they have written/blogged about the guys their teams traded to the Ducks today.
From Fluto Shinzawa at the Boston Globe:
(The Bruins) had to give up a young, tough, inexpensive center/wing in Petteri Nokelainen to land Montador. But because of his latest eye injury, Nokelainen was facing an uphill battle to get his timing back and return to the lineup. In Montador, the Bruins get a right-handed shot on defense. More important, they get a good guy who will not upset the chemistry in the room.
From Chris Kuc at the Chicago Tribune:
(James) Wisniewski had two goals and 11 assists in 31 games for the Hawks this season and was popular with his teammates. In his third season with the Hawks, Wisniewski missed most of the first half of the season recovering from off-season knee surgery. Coach Joel Quenneville made Wisniewski a healthy scratch for two games in mid-February but the blue liner had been seeing significant playing time the last nine games.
"It's a little heart-breaking but there are very few guys in this league who play for one team their whole career," Wisniewski said. "It's going to happen sooner or later. It's sad to go but it might be better off for me.
"I thank the Chicago organization for sticking with me and all the help they've done to get me back to 100 percent. Coming off the injury they threw me right in there with the wolves and they had a lot of confidence in me and now they needed a checking centerman and they got it for me and it's probably best both ways. For me, I have to turn the page now. I have a job to go to Anaheim and help them win."
From Mike Knobler at the Atlanta Journal-Consitution:
(Erik) Christensen, acquired from Pittsburgh at the trade deadline last year in the Marian Hossa deal, never turned into the top-line scorer the Thrashers hoped he could be. He has five goals and 14 assists this season after experiencing what he described as "the yips" in the first couple of months. He sat out most of December with a separated shoulder. The Ducks see some of the same potential the Thrashers once saw.
And, while you're at it, maybe listen to Brendan Morrison's four-minute interview about leaving the Ducks and joining the Stars. He is given an opportunity to throw GM Bob Murray under the bus, and declines.
About J.P.
J.P. Hoornstra has been covering the Anaheim Ducks since 2007. Eight months after the University of Wisconsin won its third NCAA hockey championship, he was born in a frigid Madison winter. He betrayed his blue-blooded beginnings by graduating from UCLA in 2003, and welcomes any and all dialogue on the finer points of hockey.
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