Ducks lose Brendan Morrison, gain Petteri Nokelainen

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For the record: The headline on an earlier version of this post misspelled Petteri Nokelainen’s last name.

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The Ducks lost center Brendan Morrison and the remainder of his $2.75 million to Dallas on a waiver claim, freeing up some much-needed cap space. They then traded rugged defenseman Steve Montador to Boston for center Petteri Nokelainen.

Nokelainen, 23, is a candidate to address the Ducks’ dire need for strength up the middle. He’s earning $850,000 this season and will earn the same amount next season. He had three assists in 33 games with the Bruins.

Montador had four goals and 20 points and a plus-14 defensive rating in 65 games this season.

Morrison, signed as a free agent last summer by then-General Manager Brian Burke, was a disappointment to the Ducks because he never regained his quickness. He’s not a big guy, and without his quickness he couldn’t be effective.

More later as things evolve....

Helene Elliott