Josh Manson was traded to the Colorado Avalanche by the Anaheim Ducks on Monday for defenseman prospect Drew Helleson and a second-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.
"I got to play against them here for the last couple of years as they've been building this club they have now, and it's been really difficult," the defenseman said Tuesday. "They have a great team. They play fast and they can score, and it's just been tough to play against them. So now joining them, when I found out, I was super excited, obviously, with where they're at in the standings and the opportunity to possibly play some playoff hockey, I mean, that's what it's all about. So I was excited over anything else."
Colorado (42-13-5), which is coming off a 3-0 win against the Calgary Flames on Sunday, is 10 points ahead of the Flames for first place in the Western Conference.
Manson is in the final season of a four-year, $16.4 million contract ($4.1 million average annual value) he signed with the Ducks on Oct. 4, 2017, and can become an unrestricted free agent July 13. The 30-year-old has scored nine points (four goals, five assists) in 45 games this season and was third on the Ducks with 116 hits.
Manson is expected to make his Avalanche debut Tuesday when Colorado plays at the Los Angeles Kings (10:30 p.m. ET; BSW, ALT, ESPN+, NHL LIVE).
"I think it'll be an adjustment just learning to play in their system and learning players' tendencies and how to bounce off them," he said. "I don't think this is a situation where I'm trying to come in and be this amazing, amazing player. I think they have so much talent here that really all I need to do is just come in and fly under the radar and help keep pushing the team in the right direction. Doing the little things that I do that a lot of times just go unnoticed, and I think that's kind of the best way to describe it is if I'm not being noticed, then it's probably a good thing."
Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said the trade came together quickly Monday afternoon.
"Once the package came together that I liked, we decided to make the move," Verbeek said.
Manson has scored 113 points (26 goals, 87 assists) in 453 regular-season games and has three assists in 22 Stanley Cup Playoff games, all with Anaheim, which selected him in the sixth round (No. 160) of the 2011 NHL Draft.
"Josh Manson has meant and means a lot to our organization," Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said. "He's left a lot of blood on the ice for us. He competed hard. Him and his wife Julie are incredible leaders in our community. There's a lot there. ... We will miss him. We will miss his leadership. But this is necessary for us to build to be that championship-caliber team year after year."
Helleson, who will turn 21 on March 26, was selected by the Avalanche in the second round (No. 47) of the 2019 NHL Draft. He has scored 46 points (nine goals, 37 assists) in 82 games in three seasons with Boston College, including 25 (four goals, 21 assists) in 32 games as a junior this season. He signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Ducks on Tuesday.
"I've been watching him for his three years in college and junior, so I know a lot about him," Verbeek said. "I think he's got a chance to be a very good player for the Anaheim Ducks, so I'm very excited to get him. He's 6-foot-3, a defenseman that can play physical, but I consider him a very smart player in the sense that he moves pucks real well. ... Hopefully we'll get him into San Diego (of the American Hockey League) shortly and he'll start his pro career."
On Tuesday, the Avalanche acquired forward Nico Sturm from the Minnesota Wild for forward Tyson Jost.
Anaheim (27-25-11) has lost five in a row and is three points behind the Vegas Golden Knights for the second wild card into the playoffs from the West.
NHL senior writer Dan Rosen and independent correspondent Dan Greenspan contributed to this report
