Ducks Claim Elvenes Off Waivers
By Michael Walters
The Anaheim Ducks claimed forward Lucas Elvenes off waivers this morning according to Sportnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
Elvenes was drafted in the 5th round of the entry draft in 2017 by the Vegas Golden Knights. The Swedish forward signed an entry-level contract(ELC) with Vegas and spent the last three seasons in the AHL. He played for the Chicago Wolves in 2019-20 and then with the Henderson Silver Knights in the 2020-21 season and this year.
He played in 116 games in the AHL and registered 82 total points(20 goals + 62 assists). He had 45 penalty minutes and an on ice rating of -15. He has yet to play in the NHL.
Elvenes has a great ability to stickhandle and can create plays offensively. He brings a quick transition game, which can make it difficult to defend against him on the rush. He also has some grit to his game and will go in the corners after the puck at both ends of the rink.
The question is whether or not Elvenes can produce offensively at the NHL level. According to Ken Boelhke of Sin Bin Vegas, he is a better passer than scorer, but is “most dangerous on the power play”. He has above average hands, but tends to play on the outside of rink more instead of the middle. Elvenes was passed over by just about everyone on the roster and didn’t get a shot in the NHL yet, which could have led to some frustration on his part.
He was placed on unconditional waivers by Vegas to terminate his contract, but Anaheim picked him up off waivers before that happened. It appears he was heading to Europe to play in Sweden if he wasn’t claimed off waivers.
He will report to San Diego first in a statement released by the Ducks today.
Analysis:
This is a low risk move with high reward potential for Anaheim. He is in the last year of his ELC and is a restricted free agent at the end of the season. He is only 22 and has some offensive upside, which could benefit the Ducks. He can play center or wing and has a solid two-way game. And if he doesn’t work out, then at least it didn’t cost Anaheim anything to pick him up.
Montreal Asked To Interview Martin Madden
The Montreal Canadiens asked Anaheim if they could interview Martin Madden for their GM opening, which the Ducks declined according to Pierre LeBrun. Madden is still in the running for Anaheim’s GM opening.
Watch LeBrun discuss the situation here: TSN Insider Trading
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January 11th, 2022