Ducks claim former first-round pick from Senators

The Anaheim Ducks have claimed defenseman Lassi Thomson off of waivers from the Ottawa Senators, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

Through this claim, the Ducks are rolling the dice the 19th overall pick from the 2019 draft. Drafted out of the Kelowna Rockets, a well-respected producer of NHL defenseman, Thomson spent a season playing pro hockey in Liiga with Ilves Tampere, before splitting 2020-21 between Ilves and the AHL’s Belleville Senators.

Thomson scored 26 points in 44 AHL games in 2021-22 and got 16 NHL games under his belt, scoring five points.

Thomson had a solid AHL season last year with 33 points in 56 games but didn’t get quite as extensive of a look in Ottawa as the team turned to other defensive prospects such as Tyler Kleven and Jacob Bernard-Docker. A solid skater, Thomson has proven to be an impactful AHL defenseman who hasn’t quite made his mark in the NHL.

With this claim, Thomson will presumably get a chance in the NHL with the Ducks and first-year head coach Greg Cronin. Based on how Cronin has talked about defensemen in the past, this waiver claim is actually entirely unsurprising.

Cronin has said he is “really focused on” defensemen who can use their mobility as their main defensive tool, rather than say physicality. He has spoken about prioritizing athleticism, speed, and even aggressiveness with his blueliners, something he put into practice as head coach with the Colorado Eagles.

Thomson fits that ideal mold, as he’s an athletic blueliner whose skating is widely regarded as his best tool. While that’s no guarantee of an NHL breakout, it does explain why the Ducks felt comfortable using their front-of-the-line waiver claim on Thomson.

He does have some competition on the left side of Anaheim’s defense to compete with, especially long-term due to the presence of top prospects Olen Zellweger and Pavel Mintyukov. But by claiming him the Ducks have said they believe Thomson has something to offer at the NHL level, and now it’s up to Thomson to prove them right.