Mathias Brunet
The Press
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The Avalanche traded to the Anaheim Ducks a (late) second-round pick, but also a quality prospect, right-hander Drew Helleson. This 20-year-old young man, drafted in the middle of the second round, just after defender Jayden Struble by the Canadian, amassed 25 points in 31 games at Boston College this winter, a very interesting total for a defender.
Helleson also took part in the World Junior Championship in 2021 and he was one of those young collegiate players called up to play for the Americans at the Olympics a few weeks ago. Without being the incarnation of Cale Makar, he is said to be able to interfere in an NHL top four and possibly contribute offensively.
It would have been unthinkable to imagine the Ducks parting ways with Manson a few years ago. Anaheim even sacrificed young defenseman Shea Theodore ahead of the 2017 executive widening draft to keep their tough defenseman. Theodore has become over the years in Vegas one of the fine offensive defensemen in the National League.
But Manson, 30, an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, has seen his ratings drop in recent seasons. After his year of 37 points in 80 games in 2017-2018, an anomaly in his career, this robust defender of 6 feet 3 and 220 pounds, has slowed down a lot, among other things due to a lack of mobility.
Josh Manson averaged 22:18 four years ago for the mighty Ducks. He played 17:59 last season and 19:45 this winter for a club under reconstruction.
But he remains an asset in a club aspiring to the Stanley Cup on a third pair. Especially in Colorado, where the lack of robustness in defense cost dearly last summer.
It hasn’t always been the case, but Ben Chiarot, also 30, is vastly superior to Manson today. He’s at least as big at 6-foot-3 and 234 pounds. More mobile.
Chiarot can also contribute in some way to the attack. With 18 points, double Manson’s production, he is three points off his career high. He’s on a nine-point streak in his last nine games.
Manson ranked fifth in average usage per game for the Ducks behind Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm, Kevin Shattenkirk and Jamie Drysdale.
Chiarot is a first-pair defender at a weak club and a second-pair with power. No player has been used more this season at the Canadiens, 23:33. During Montreal’s recent spell of success, he played between 23 and 27 minutes. He proved in the playoffs last year that he could be effective against the opposition’s top lines.
With Jakob Chychrun and John Klingberg out of the market, the former due to a two- to four-week absence, the latter because his defensive teammate Miro Heiskanen is missing for the Stars, GM Kent Hughes can hope to get at least as much, if not more than for Josh Manson.
The Ducks looked like they could make the playoffs for a while this winter. But a nasty streak made them fall in the standings. They now find themselves four points behind the Vegas Golden Knights and the last playoff spot, but with three clubs ahead, including the Dallas Stars, who have played… five games less than them.
A sale therefore makes sense in their case and is part of the planned reset process. Two other potential unrestricted free agents like Manson and Chiarot, forward Rickard Rakell and Hampus Lindholm, will be the next to leave. They could yield very large profits too.
With their young core of Trevor Zegras, Jamie Drysdale, Troy Terry, Isac Lundestrom, with Mason MacTavish and a few American League prospects in the shadows, another good draft pick this year, and the fruits of another sale , the future of the Ducks is bright.
And the Colorado Avalanche, meanwhile, announces to its rivals that it is stocking up on ammunition in anticipation of long playoffs.
Worries in Vegas
It’s not getting better for the Vegas Golden Knights. They have just lost four straight games and the infirmary is full. They have as many points as the Edmonton Oilers, third in the Pacific Division, but played two more games. Dallas, the last club excluded from the series, finds itself at only one point, with four more games to play.
The long-term injury of their captain Mark Stone hurts, but also, above all, that suffered by goalkeeper Robin Lehner in early March. Lehner is injured in the hip and may even have to undergo surgery. Do we miss Marc-André Fleury do you think? Fleury was traded last summer for an obscure European player to free up some payroll. Vegas will be one to watch as the trade deadline dawns.
Do not miss !
1- Should we exclude Russian players from the NHL in these times of dirty war, asks Alexandre Pratt. Very tricky question, to which Alexander tries to answer.
2- Discover the new head coach of the Montreal Alliance, the city’s new basketball club, from the pen of Katherine Harvey-Pinard.
3- Brendan Gallagher will have to adjust his game and probably forget the seasons of 30 goals or more to help the Canadian. Explanations by Richard Labbé.
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Related
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Mathias Brunet
The Press
–
The Avalanche traded to the Anaheim Ducks a (late) second-round pick, but also a quality prospect, right-hander Drew Helleson. This 20-year-old young man, drafted in the middle of the second round, just after defender Jayden Struble by the Canadian, amassed 25 points in 31 games at Boston College this winter, a very interesting total for a defender.
Helleson also took part in the World Junior Championship in 2021 and he was one of those young collegiate players called up to play for the Americans at the Olympics a few weeks ago. Without being the incarnation of Cale Makar, he is said to be able to interfere in an NHL top four and possibly contribute offensively.
It would have been unthinkable to imagine the Ducks parting ways with Manson a few years ago. Anaheim even sacrificed young defenseman Shea Theodore ahead of the 2017 executive widening draft to keep their tough defenseman. Theodore has become over the years in Vegas one of the fine offensive defensemen in the National League.
But Manson, 30, an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, has seen his ratings drop in recent seasons. After his year of 37 points in 80 games in 2017-2018, an anomaly in his career, this robust defender of 6 feet 3 and 220 pounds, has slowed down a lot, among other things due to a lack of mobility.
Josh Manson averaged 22:18 four years ago for the mighty Ducks. He played 17:59 last season and 19:45 this winter for a club under reconstruction.
But he remains an asset in a club aspiring to the Stanley Cup on a third pair. Especially in Colorado, where the lack of robustness in defense cost dearly last summer.
It hasn’t always been the case, but Ben Chiarot, also 30, is vastly superior to Manson today. He’s at least as big at 6-foot-3 and 234 pounds. More mobile.
Chiarot can also contribute in some way to the attack. With 18 points, double Manson’s production, he is three points off his career high. He’s on a nine-point streak in his last nine games.
Manson ranked fifth in average usage per game for the Ducks behind Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm, Kevin Shattenkirk and Jamie Drysdale.
Chiarot is a first-pair defender at a weak club and a second-pair with power. No player has been used more this season at the Canadiens, 23:33. During Montreal’s recent spell of success, he played between 23 and 27 minutes. He proved in the playoffs last year that he could be effective against the opposition’s top lines.
With Jakob Chychrun and John Klingberg out of the market, the former due to a two- to four-week absence, the latter because his defensive teammate Miro Heiskanen is missing for the Stars, GM Kent Hughes can hope to get at least as much, if not more than for Josh Manson.
The Ducks looked like they could make the playoffs for a while this winter. But a nasty streak made them fall in the standings. They now find themselves four points behind the Vegas Golden Knights and the last playoff spot, but with three clubs ahead, including the Dallas Stars, who have played… five games less than them.
A sale therefore makes sense in their case and is part of the planned reset process. Two other potential unrestricted free agents like Manson and Chiarot, forward Rickard Rakell and Hampus Lindholm, will be the next to leave. They could yield very large profits too.
With their young core of Trevor Zegras, Jamie Drysdale, Troy Terry, Isac Lundestrom, with Mason MacTavish and a few American League prospects in the shadows, another good draft pick this year, and the fruits of another sale , the future of the Ducks is bright.
And the Colorado Avalanche, meanwhile, announces to its rivals that it is stocking up on ammunition in anticipation of long playoffs.
Worries in Vegas
It’s not getting better for the Vegas Golden Knights. They have just lost four straight games and the infirmary is full. They have as many points as the Edmonton Oilers, third in the Pacific Division, but played two more games. Dallas, the last club excluded from the series, finds itself at only one point, with four more games to play.
The long-term injury of their captain Mark Stone hurts, but also, above all, that suffered by goalkeeper Robin Lehner in early March. Lehner is injured in the hip and may even have to undergo surgery. Do we miss Marc-André Fleury do you think? Fleury was traded last summer for an obscure European player to free up some payroll. Vegas will be one to watch as the trade deadline dawns.
Do not miss !
1- Should we exclude Russian players from the NHL in these times of dirty war, asks Alexandre Pratt. Very tricky question, to which Alexander tries to answer.
2- Discover the new head coach of the Montreal Alliance, the city’s new basketball club, from the pen of Katherine Harvey-Pinard.
3- Brendan Gallagher will have to adjust his game and probably forget the seasons of 30 goals or more to help the Canadian. Explanations by Richard Labbé.
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