Vermette sees Ducks as Cup contender
Antoine Vermette won his first Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks, and he believes he can win his second with the Anaheim Ducks.
"I've always portrayed (the Ducks) as Cup contenders," Vermette told AnaheimDucks.com, after signing a two-year, $1.75-million-per-year deal with the Orange County club Monday. "That's a big thing for me. I had the chance to win it not too long ago, and now later in my career, I believe in this team and organization."
According to agent Allan Walsh, Vermette had offers from five different clubs, but the Ducks stood out as a team that continued to express interest.
"As talks evolved, some (teams) were more interested than others," he said. "Anaheim was there all throughout the process."
Vermette became a free agent after his contract was bought out by the Arizona Coyotes earlier this month.
The 34-year-old will provide Anaheim with valuable center depth, likely lining up as the third pivot behind captain Ryan Getzlaf and veteran center Ryan Kesler.
A noted faceoff specialist, Vermette ranks second among all active NHLers, winning 55.8 per cent of his career draws. In each of the past four seasons, he's ranked in the top 10 in faceoff wins.
He'll also provide Ducks coach Randy Carlyle with an extra option on the power play. Only two Anaheim skaters, Corey Perry (12) and former Ducks winger Jamie McGinn (9), tallied more power-play goals than Vermette (6) last season.
As Ducks GM Bob Murray told the Orange County Register, "Antoine is very versatile and gives us a bunch more options with our forward group."
In 76 games with Arizona last season, Vermette scored 17 goals and added 21 assists. Following his 2015 trade to Chicago, he provided the Hawks with much-needed playoff scoring, including three game-winning goals.
"I'm glad to be on (Anaheim's) side. They have a lot of tools in the lineup that can hurt you, and there are a lot of good players," he said. "I'm very excited to jump on board and find the right chemistry to give us another championship."