Ducks acquire Milano, Djoos, Heinen in separate trades
Send Shore to Blue Jackets, Sprong to Capitals, Ritchie to Bruins
By
NHL.com @NHLdotcom
Shore was acquired by the Columbus Blue Jackets for forward Sonny Milano. Sprong was sent to the Washington Capitals for defenseman
Christian Djoos
. Ritchie was traded to the Boston Bruins for Danton Heinen.
RELATED: [2019-20 NHL Trade Tracker]
Milano has 18 points (five goals, 13 assists) in 46 games this season and can become a restricted free agent July 1. Selected by Columbus with the No. 16 pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, the 23-year-old has 42 points (20 goals, 22 assists) in 116 regular-season games and no points in four Stanley Cup Playoff games.
Djoos has no points in two games with the Capitals and can become a restricted free agent after this season. The 25-year old has 24 points (four goals, 20 assists) in 110 regular-season games and one assist in 25 playoff games. He won the Stanley Cup with the Capitals in 2018.
Heinen has 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists) in 58 games. The 24-year-old forward has 103 points (34 goals, 69 assists) in 220 regular-season games. Selected by Boston in the fourth round (No. 116) of the 2014 draft, Heinen has nine points (three goals, six assists) in 33 Stanley Cup Playoff games. He had 34 points (11 goals, 23 assists) in 77 games last season and helped the Bruins reach the Stanley Cup Final.
"Milano and Heinen, they're skill guys with speed and we definitely had to improve upon that," Ducks GM Bob Murray said. "Now it's a matter of where everything fits, how it fits. It's all part of this transition that will take a little bit of time, but we concentrated, definitely, on more skill and speed."
Anaheim (24-30-8) is next to last in the Western Conference, ahead of the Los Angeles Kings, and 14 points out of the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
"Where things were and how they were going, it was time to move forward," said Murray, whose team is tied with the Kings for 29th in the NHL with 156 goals. "I don't think we were skilled enough as a hockey team. Just look at our goals, we don't score, and our power play is not very good. So we've gone out and got [players] like Djoos and [Joel] Persson (from the Edmonton Oilers), power-play type people that we wanted to get a look at here right now."
Shore, a 25-year-old forward, has 10 points (four goals, six assists) in 39 games and can become a restricted free agent July 1. Selected by the Dallas Stars in the second round (No. 61) of the 2012 NHL Draft, Shore has 104 points (38 goals, 66 assists) in 282 regular-season games with the Ducks and Stars.
"Devin Shore is a hard-working player that will add size (6-foot-1, 206 pounds) and versatility to our lineup," Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said. "He can play center and wing and at 25 years old should continue to improve, and we are excited to see what he can do with our team."
Sprong has one goal and one assist in eight games and can become a restricted free agent July 1. The 22-year-old forward has 30 points (19 goals, 11 assists) in 97 regular-season games.
Ritchie, a 24-year-old forward, has 19 points (eight goals, 11 assists) and 78 penalty minutes in 41 games this season. Selected by Anaheim in the first round (No. 10) of the 2014 NHL Draft, he has 109 points (43 goals, 66 assists) in 287 regular-season games and four goals in 19 playoff games.
The Ducks also traded forward Derek Grant to the Philadelphia Flyers for forward Kyle Criscuolo and a fourth-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. The pick going to the Ducks will be the better of the Flyers' selection or a pick previously acquired from the Nashville Predators.
Grant signed a one-year contract with the Ducks on June 20 and can become an unrestricted free agent July 1. The 29-year-old has 20 points (14 goals, six assists) in 49 games this season.
Criscuolo has not played in the NHL since nine games for the Buffalo Sabres in 2017-18.
