Forward Alexander Volkov will be heading from the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for forward Antoine Morand and a seventh-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, the team announced Wednesday.
https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1374928904423677957
“This trade provides us with some salary cap flexibility in the short term to play different players and provides us with some insurance against having to dress only five defensemen in the event we have multiple short term injuries to some of our regular defencemen,” Lightning GM Julien BriseBois said via Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. “With more cap space, I would have liked to hold on to Alex but considering how tight we are against the salary cap, and with Mitch Stephens coming back in the not too distant future, something had to give.“
Volkov, 23, has three goals and five points in 19 games this season. In 28 career NHL games, Volkov has three goals, six points and a minus-four rating.
The Russian forward made his NHL regular season debut with the Lightning on Oct. 30, 2019. He later won the Stanley Cup with Tampa Bay during the 2020 post-season, with Game 6 of the Finals marking his NHL playoff debut.
Morand, 22, has recorded five assists in 20 AHL games with the San Diego Gulls this season. In 74 career AHL games, Morand has five goals and 21 points.
The Chateauguay, Quebec native was drafted by the Ducks in the second round of the 2017 NHL Draft, 60th overall.
