The Ducks have traded for another defenseman. In exchange for Jesse Blacker and a conditional draft pick, the Ducks picked up Colby Robak from the Florida Panthers. In 42 career games with Florida, Robak has 3 assists, 25 penalty minutes, 31 hits and 39 blocked shots.
Here is the skinny on Robak from HockeysFuture.com:
Talent Analysis Robak is an above-average skater and a big, physical presence. He has a hard, heavy shot, and is an able puck-moving defenseman. He makes strong passes, both out of his own zone and in transition, and is able to read and react intelligently to dictate the flow of play when on the attack. He plays a poised, fluid game at both ends of the ice, and has above average hockey sense. Robak is also deceptively quick with good straight-line speed that allows him to win puck races and chase down opposing forwards.
Future After playing several games in the NHL last year, Robak looks primed to make a bid for a full-time NHL roster spot this fall. Once there, he has the tools to become a solid second-pairing, two-way defenseman who could also contribute to the powerplay.
Robak's scouting report looks good, but the former 2008 second round pick has failed to crack the Panthers top six, playing in only seven games this season. Blacker was overmatched in his one game NHL audition, so trading him is almost an afterthought. Instead of moving Blacker, the bigger concern is the conditional draft pick. Florida will either receive a 2016 4th round pick or 2017 sixth round pick.
Is this trade actually relevant to the current state of the Ducks defense or is it shoveling snow in the middle of the storm? At this point Robak is the seventh defenseman. He may never play a game for Anaheim. If he does play, the Ducks are hoping he can be a temporary stopgap. When the injured come back to the roster in the next couple of weeks, he and Matt Clark will be the 10th or 11th defenseman.
Robak is an upgrade over Blacker and may even be better than Clark, but it really doesn't matter that much long term. Josh Manson has shown he belongs in the NHL, but even he will be headed out once everyone is healthy. It doesn't bode well for Robak's tenure with the Ducks.
For those fans waiting for the Ducks to get a first pair or even top four defenseman, they won't be happy. The reality of the current market is that players of that caliber aren't readily available. If one were to be available, the Ducks would be fighting it out with at least a half dozen other teams and even then the cost may be too high.
Ducks 5 – Flyers 4 (shootout)
Two points is two points, but the expectations for the Ducks were much higher than the results. There a still too many mistakes and puck giveaways. Despite the miscues and and early 3-1 deficit, the Ducks fought back and eventually won. Anaheim can get away with it against the beleaguered Flyers, but it has cost them against better teams.
Just a quick pulse type question. When Nate Thompson's pass couldn't be handled by DSP, I said, “that's going to come back and bite the Ducks.… Did anyone else feel that way?
-Ed