St. Louis Blues acquire Michael Del Zotto from Anaheim Ducks
By Tyler Samson
At the NHL Trade Deadline, the St. Louis Blues acquired skilled defenseman and journeyman Michael Del Zotto from the Anaheim Ducks.
After acquiring defenseman Michael Del Zotto from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Luke Schenn and a 2020 seventh-round pick on January 17, 2019, the Anaheim Ducks have traded Del Zotto to the St. Louis Blues for a 2019 sixth-round draft pick.
In the final moments of the NHL Trade Deadline on February 25, 2019, the Blues were able to acquire the NHL veteran defenseman from the Ducks.
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Del Zotto will be playing for his sixth team in his 10-year career thus far. In the 2018-19 season, he has played in 35 games, scoring one goal and assisting on six. Throughout his entire NHL career, Del Zotto has played in 601 games, scored 54 goals and tallied 164 assists.
He has played for six teams and he has shown that he is adaptable and effective in any team’s system. With the Blues, Del Zotto will be competing for a starting spot against Robert Bortuzzo and Jay Bouwmeester primarily.
Even if he does not crack the starting lineup every night, he will serve as a vital healthy scratch backup, as he can be inserted in the lineup and be effective.
It is likely that as the Blues fight for a playoff push, they can utilize Del Zotto when they need an offensive setup from the blue line. Early in his career with the New York Rangers, he showed signs of becoming a great defenseman in the NHL.
However, as he has been traded around, Del Zotto has struggled to improve his game and show the signs of his former self. Hopefully, with the Blues, he will be able to find his former self and thrive in a change of scenery with a quality team that produces offensively.
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Ultimately, the Blues got a steal with this trade. Del Zotto is in his prime years and has been a reliable defenseman wherever he has played. The Blues only gave up a sixth round pick to get an established defenseman that could be very serviceable come playoff time, that is a big win for them.