Radko Gudas was one of only a handful of UFAs the Anaheim Ducks brought in to the team for this season. Alex Killorn has yet to play yet due to a broken finger. Trevor Carrick and Robert Hagg were also brought in on league minimum deals to bolster the blue line depth, and Alex Stalock was also signed late to be the organization’s third goalie.
But that really left just Gudas and Killorn as the big tickets in free agency. Since Killorn hasn’t been able to play yet, we can’t evaluate how he fits in to the Ducks lineup. But seven games in, we can take a look at Radko Gudas.
Sites Reference: EliteProspects.com, Hockey-Reference.com, Evolving-Hockey.com, CapFriendly.com, NHL.com
Just A Little Background
Gudas played in his native Czechia during his draft year of 2007-08. He played 35 games in the 2nd tier, scoring four points, all assists. During the relegation tournament, he recorded a goal and an assist in 8 games, as HC Berounsti Medvedi staved off relegation. He also played in one playoff game, without a point, in the top level for HC Kladno. You make recognize HC Kladno as the Czech team that Jaromír Jágr played for and now owns. Gudas also played in the U18s for Czechia in the D1 division and scored a goal and two assists in five games.
Gudas went undrafted and spent the 2008-09 season still in Czechia. He played more in the top league, playing in seven games with 1 assists and 7 more games in Relegation. He also played for HC Berounsti Medvedi in the 2nd league with 3 assists in 21 games and a goal and four points in 11 Relegation games. He made his U20 debut with Czechia recording two goals and three points in six games. Czechia finished 6th in the standings.
Once again going undrafted, Gudas indicated that he wanted to come to the CHL, leading the Everett Silvertips of the WHL drafting him 20th overall in the 1st round of the 2009 CHL Import Draft. Facing competition more his age, he put up a good 19-year old season recording seven goals and 37 points in 65 games for the Silvertips. He added two assists in three playoff games. He added two assists in 6 games at the U20 World Junior Championship while wearing an A as an Alternate Captain for Czechia.
The exposure Gudas got in the WHL got him noticed by scouts and he was drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the third round of the 2010 NHL Draft. Already being 20 in his third time through the draft, Gudas signed an entry level contract and spent most of the next three seasons in the AHL for the Norfolk Admirals and Syracuse Crunch. With the Admirals, he was a part of the team setting a record for most professional hockey wins in a row, along with Alex Killorn.
Gudas made his NHL debut during the 2012-13 lockout shortened seasons, playing in a little under half of the Lightning’s games. He recorded two goals and five assists in 22 games. He spent the 2013-14 and part of the 2014-15 season up in the NHL with the Lightning. He suffered a lower body injury after 31 games in the 2014-15 season and was traded at the deadline to the Philadelphia Flyers in a deal that brought Braydon Coburn to Tampa.
He spent four years in Philadelphia, a stint that included making then-teammate Michal Neuvirth his brother-in-law, then a year in Washington and three seasons with the Panthers before signing this summer with the Ducks. Coming into the season, Gudas had skated in 682 NHL games with 33 goals, 131 assists, and 164 points to go with 865 PIMs and a +76 while averaging 18:03 TOI. By Evolving-Hockey’s WAR, he had been worth 6.9 Wins Above Replacement in his NHL career.
What Did the Ducks Think They Were Getting?
Pat Verbeek has some history with Radko Gudas. The 2010 NHL Entry Draft was Steve Yzerman’s first as general manager of the Lightning. However, with not enough time to put together a scouting staff after he was hired, the previous scouting staff was left in place for the draft, and then most of them were replaced with Yzerman’s picks. Verbeek was brought in as an Assistant General Manager and was there for the entirety of Gudas’ tenure with Tampa Bay. He had firsthand knowledge of the kind of player, and person, Gudas is.
In Gudas, the Ducks were looking at a very solid 4th/5th type of defenseman that plays a stout, rough, physical game that sometimes crosses the line. He is a tough guy and has no trouble getting into the face of opposing players, especially in the name of protecting his goaltender. He won’t wow you with offense, as his career high is 23 points in 67 games. He’s not going to play on the power play (though I guess if you really wanted a hard slap shot on the 2nd unit, he could do in a pinch, but he’s not a good enough playmaker to play the point). He will play on the penalty kill, and probably be your top right handed defenseman to go over the boards a man down.
$4 million a year is a little pricey, especially given Gudas’ age, but he’s got the size and toughness on the blue line that the Ducks lacked. Cam Fowler and fellow UFA Robert Hagg are the only players listed as heavier than Gudas among the Ducks blue line.
On a side note here about size, within the Yzerman tree of General Managers, which includes Julien BriseBois and Pat Verbeek, I’ve always seen a preference for size on the blue line. While forwards can be small (but need to make up for it with skill and speed), they like their defensemen to be big boys. Verbeek has found himself in a position where he’s got a decent amount of smaller defensemen. No one is listed over 6’3″ and no one is listed over 215 pounds. In normal life, a 6’0″ or 6’2″ 200 pound man is a pretty big dude. But in the world of the NHL, that’s on the smaller end of the scale for defensemen, and closer to the average for forwards. While Gudas is only listed at 6’0″ and 208 pounds, he plays a lot bigger than his measurables.
Have the Ducks Gotten What They Were Advertised?
In short, I think the answer is yes, but there’s still some areas for improvement, some related to him and others to the team.
I haven’t been able to watch every game, but the games I’ve seen, Gudas has brought the kind of game he’s always brought in the NHL. He is intense on the ice, which has already led to him getting 10 minute misconduct in a 14 PIM game after going at it with Brendan Lemieux at the end of a period. He’s yet to record a fight, but I figure that’s only a matter of time. He’s scored one goal and is playing 17:56 a night.
He is 5th among the Ducks defensemen in TOI per game. At 5v5, he is sitting at 50.14 xGF%, 5th among Ducks defensemen. He has given up 2.23 xGA60, 4th on the Ducks blue line and has gotten exceptional goaltending behind him, with on 0.66 GA60, 3rd on the blue line. While the Ducks are getting outshot while he’s on the ice, he ranks 3rd among the Ducks defensemen in CF%. At all strengths, Gudas has blocked 15 shots, behind only Ilya Lyubushkin’s 26. He’s also delivered 16 hits. He is a -3 in penalty differential though, and that is something you’ll have to live with, with him playing up to and sometimes over the line physically.
On the penalty kill, there is some work to be done. He’s currently last among the Ducks blueliners for xGA60 on the PK and has played the second most minutes. I think that will come around with time though, as the Ducks penalty kill as a whole has been rough, coming in at 75.7% and putting them 19th in the NHL.
What Do You Think?
But that’s just like, my opinion man. Tell me what you think in the comments. What were you expecting of Gudas when he was signed and is he living up to those expectations so far?