Ducks reportedly turned down offers for No. 6 pick

The newest addition the Anaheim Ducks was too much for general manager Bob Murray to pass up. The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun is reporting that the Ducks turned down several trade offers in order to keep the sixth overall pick and select defenseman Jaime Drysdale.

We don’t know which teams made offers to potentially acquire the No. 6 pick and I doubt Murray will spill the beans during the post-draft media availability. It seems like Anaheim was locked in on selecting Drysdale if he was available, as the team tries to rebuild its blue line.

The last time the Ducks took a defenseman in the first-round was back in 2015 when they selected Jacob Larsson at No. 27 overall. Drysdale is Anaheim’s highest pick since the franchise went with Hampus Lindhom at No. 6 at the 2012 NHL Draft.

Murray adds another bluechip prospect to the pipeline with the addition of Drysdale. Trevor Zegras is waiting in the wings, while young roster players Sam Steel and Max Jones try to establish themselves as regular rostered NHL players.

Drysdale played for the Erie Otters in the OHL during the 2019-20 season, putting up 47 points (nine goals, 38 assists) in 49 games.