Exactly two and a half years ago, the Anaheim Ducks traded defenseman Sami Vatanen to New Jersey, in exchange for forward Adam Henrique.
In addition to Henrique and Vatanen, the teams also swapped third-round picks and the Ducks acquired forward Joseph Blandisi. Henrique had just a year and a half remaining on his contract but the Ducks were able to get him locked in for another five years at a fairly reasonable price. Vatanen, on the other hand, had two and a half years left on his deal at the time of the trade.
This deal made sense for both Anaheim and New Jersey at the time and I’d say it turned out well for both sides. The Ducks had a ton of depth on defense at that point and added a top-six center in Henrique. By re-signing him, Anaheim has someone who’s able to help bridge the gap, as the Ducks try to usher in new talent. Henrique has played the fourth-most of any forward on the Ducks since being acquired and led the Ducks in scoring this year. He’s slightly upped his production since coming to Anaheim as well, averaging 25 goals and 47 points per 82 games, compared to 22 goals and 46 points per 82 with New Jersey.
In his stint with with the Devils, Vatanen was tied with P.K. Subban for the most average ice time per game. He was traded at the deadline this year for a package that included a solid prospect in Janne Kuokkanen, as well as some picks.
Henrique is now one of Anaheim’s top forwards and certainly still has trade value, while the Devils got a defender to play big minutes for two years, then flipped him for picks and a prospect to build for the future. While the two teams went for different long-term routes with their respective player, both teams ended up benefitting from the deal.
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