Recently I covered a miss in the free agency history of the Anaheim Ducks: Sergei Fedorov. His tenure in a Ducks uniform came with much excitement but ultimately was short and unsuccessful, unlike the next player we’ll be taking a look at: Scott Niedermayer. Signed in the summer of 2005, Niedermayer made an immediate impact on the franchise and brought them to new heights. Let’s take a look at this home-run signing and its impact on the organization.
Hall of Fame Career in New Jersey
Not unlike Fedorov, Niedermayer possessed an accomplished Hall-of-Fame resume before arriving in Southern California, including a Stanley Cup championship over the Ducks just a few seasons prior in 2003.
A pillar of consistency during his 12 seasons with the New Jersey Devils, he played 70 or more games 10 times, scored more than 30 points 11 times, won three Stanley Cups (and was a finalist in a fourth appearance), and won a James Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman. During this time, the Devils were famously led by their defense, which included not only Niedermayer but also Scott Stevens and Brian Rafalski, and their goaltender, Hall-of-Famer and NHL goaltending legend Martin Brodeur. These four formed the defensive corps that was indisputably one of the best defensive units assembled in the NHL at the time. Their success proved it.
Related: What If Scott Niedermayer Stayed With the Devils?
However, the business side of professional sports got in the way, as it often does. Contract disputes led to Niedermayer’s unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2005. New Jersey’s loss meant he was up for grabs, and everyone around the league wanted a piece. Luckily, the Ducks had the best bargaining chip possible.
Scott Joins Brother Rob in Anaheim
Teams came out of the woodwork in an attempt to sign Niedermayer that summer but only the Ducks could offer what he wanted: a chance to play with his brother, Rob. As such, he signed a four-year, $27-million contract in 2005 following the NHL lockout. General manager Brian Burke named him captain of the team before his first season, and the fortunes of the Ducks immediately shifted.
With Scott, the Ducks got pretty much everything they could want in a hockey player, let alone a defenseman. He possessed an unrivaled skating ability, elite vision and defensive skills, leadership qualities, and innate hockey instincts that made him an all-situations, number-one defenseman that the Ducks needed but not yet had in their short history.
Immediate Impact and Playoff Success
Most of the Ducks’ success during Niedermayer’s tenure came during his first two seasons with the team when they reached the Western Conference Final in 2006 and won the Stanley Cup in 2007. His impact, quite literally, was immediate. Those first two seasons were his best in a Ducks uniform and the best statistical seasons of his career. He put up 63 and 69 points in the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons, respectively, including 11 points in each postseason. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2007, awarded to the most valuable player of the playoffs, which was well earned, given his assignments during that playoff run included some of the league’s best in Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, Daniel Alfredsson, and Dany Heatley, just to name a few.
Niedermayer contemplated retirement briefly before returning mid-way through 2007-08, and then played two full seasons after that before hanging up his skates in 2010 at the age of 36. Many, myself included, felt he had a lot left in the tank. He looked great in his final two seasons, appeared no worse for wear, and continued to put up numbers consistent with an elite defender in the NHL. But, the Ducks missed the playoffs in his final season and were transitioning a bit, having traded Chris Pronger, Andy McDonald, and Chris Kunitz by this time. Plus, when you’re as accomplished as Niedermayer, with nothing left to prove, walking away was a perfectly understandable decision.
One of Anaheim’s Best Pickups in Free Agency
A series of fortunate events that began with Rob’s trade to Anaheim in 2003 is ultimately responsible for this signing, which remains one of the best – if not the best – signings in the franchise’s short history. Ultimately, you go out and sign a player like Scott Niedermayer to win a championship. They did exactly that. And while Rob Niedermayer’s acquisition in 2003 may not have been done with the intent to lure Scott to Anaheim, but that’s exactly what happened. We got to witness their chemistry and the formation of a powerful and dynamic defensive group that spearheaded the Ducks to a new level of success.