Anaheim Ducks won’t re-sign Jonas Hiller, Saku Koivu, Daniel Winnik
The Anaheim Ducks were one win away from the Western Conference Finals but after allowing the Los Angeles Kings to win the final three games of their series in the semifinals, the team is prepared to make some changes to the roster.
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In a move that should come as little surprise, the club announced they will not be bringing back Jonas Hiller,32, who lost his starting goaltender job to rookies John Gibson and Frederik Andersen who will compete for the job he held for the better part of the past six seasons. Hiller was mentioned in a bevy of trade rumors last season as his time in Anaheim was nearing its end.
Hiller owns a career record of 162-110-32 over his seven-year career.
Ducks general manager Bob Murray also announced the club will not be re-signing veteran center Saku Koivu and Daniel Winnik will also have to look for a new home in 2014-2015.
Koivu, 40, shouldn’t come as a surprise either considering his age and his drop in production. Koivu recorded 29 points in 65 games this season in what could be his final one in the NHL.
“It was the hardest decision of the three,” Murray said of Koivu. “He had a great career. We just have younger guys pushing for spots.”
Winnik had 30 points in 76 games last season and had an 85-111 record in the faceoff circle.
With Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Petty leading this team that finished with the second-best record in the Western Conference and had the eventual Stanley Cup Champions on the ropes without a proven commodity in net should bode well for the Ducks next season as they stand to see marked improvement from their goalies and get an infusion of young talent on the ice.