Ducks begin trade season by dealing Smith-Pelly

The Anaheim Ducks accomplish more before 10 a.m. than some can accomplish before 10 p.m.

Anaheim made a flurry of transactions Tuesday morning before most people were even awake. It began with a trade that send homegrown right winger Devante Smith-Pelly to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for left winger Jiri Sekac, followed by the announcement that goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov would accept an assignment with the Norfolk Admirals of the AHL and extend his career. Finally, center William Karlsson was recalled from Norfolk to take the place of injured fourth-line center Nate Thompson.

The deal to acquire Sekac was a straight-up trade -- no cash or picks involved -- that gave each team a piece they were looking for.

Anaheim general manager Bob Murray desired more speed and skill, while Habs' G.M. Marc Bergevin was looking for a big physical, up-and-down winger.

"This is two teams making a deal for two young forwards the same age, left wing, right wing," Murray said. "I think we were a little heavy in our physical-type players and it's been evident lately that we needed a little more skill."

The Ducks drafted Smith-Pelly in the second round of the 2010 NHL Draft, and he's seen the better parts of the last three and 1/2 seasons back and forth from the AHL. The 22-year-old Canadian has scored 40 points (14 goals, 26 assists) in 129 NHL games, including three goals in the Freeway Faceoff playoff series last spring.

Czech Republic native Sekac, also 22, played in the KHL last season and has 16 points in 50 NHL games.

Both players were playing behind more established scoring threats on the wings. Smith-Pelly developed into the big-bodied winger the Ducks wanted and played on all four lines, but with Corey Perry, Kyle Palmieri and Jakob Silfverberg ahead of him on the right side, he was relegated to fourth-line duties and Murray felt he deserved better.

"We're top-heavy on the right-hand side here," Murray said. "Both players were kind of stuck. Devo was kind of stuck behind our right wingers here and in Montreal, Jiri was kind of stuck behind (Max) Pacioretty, (Alex) Galchenyuk and (Michael) Bournival. You get stuck there. It's just two good players trading teams."

As for where Sekac will play, Murray is leaving that up to head coach Bruce Boudreau, but he like his offensive upside. Sekac and Smith-Pelly will face their old clubs next Wednesday, when the Habs visit the Honda Center.

With the team still attempting to recover from its worst stretch of the season, Murray knew it he needed to make a move to change to keep the team from getting stale. Murray has always been outspoken about not wanting to take on short-term rentals, but he's interested if it's a move that has the potential for long-term, citing the deadline deal that Kings G.M. Dean Lombardi made for Marian Gaborik last season.

"We're very up and down right now, so some days it's a couple of players, or three players, and it changes," he said. "If I felt there was somebody to get us there, especially if I thought I had a chance to sign the guy moving forward. Dean Lombardi's done that very well in LA. Marian Gaborik is a great example. He goes and gets him, but then he signs him, so he keeps him. That no longer is a rental. If I thought there was somebody, and there may be a few out there right now, that I think, If I get him, I have a chance to sign this guy.

"You do have gut feelings about those things, whether you have a chance to sign the guy going forward or not. You do get a sense."