The Anaheim Ducks have signed defenseman Kodie Curran to a two-year deal worth $1M per season, according to CapFriendly.com.
Curran's journey is a pretty interesting story. He’ll be 31 years old in December and has yet to play an NHL game. He was also never drafted and played his junior hockey in the AJHL, before spending five seasons playing for the University of Calgary.
After that, he spent a year split between the ECHL and AHL, before heading to Europe. He bounced between Denmark, Norway and then finally Sweden, where he’s spent the last two seasons. His numbers in Sweden have been outstanding, averaging more than a point per game in Sweden’s top league this season (remember, as a defenseman). As a result, he was named the SHL’s most valuable player and defenseman of the year.
He’s left-handed and stands at 6-foot-2. Given the fact that the Ducks are paying him quite a bit more than the league minimum, it certainly seems like the plan is to have him in the NHL. This makes for an interesting situation, as the Ducks already have a bit of a logjam on the left side. Cam Fowler and Hampus Lindholm aren’t going anywhere and while there may be a spot open on the right side, the Ducks still have about four other left-handed defensemen who will be competing for playing time next season.
Regardless, it’s a pretty cool story and it’s great to see him finally getting a shot. We have no idea what role he’ll play within the Ducks organization but I imagine his performance in training camp will be the deciding factor as to where he starts the year.
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Here’s today’s poll question (results and discussion will be posted in a future article):
Do you feel confident in Anaheim's depth on the left side of their defense?
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