Prospect Update: Nicolas Kerdiles

By Thomas Harrington

Injuries have played a huge role in Nicolas Kerdiles’ career over the last couple of seasons. However, he finally did make his NHL debut this past season, and even made it into a few Stanley Cup Playoff games.

Unfortunately for Kerdiles, his season was over almost before it began. In a rookie tournament before the preseason even started, he took a heavy hit from Colorado’s Nikita Zadorov. Kerdiles missed all of training camp and the start of the season and did not play in any games until after the new year. He finally made his season debut at the very end of January. Once healthy, it took him a little while to get back into the swing of things. He had one goal in his first six games back, but picked up the pace from there. Overall, he played in 27 AHL games and scored seven goals and 15 points. It was in the playoffs where he truly looked like one of San Diego’s top forwards, as he scored four goals and eight points in eight games. He led the Gulls in both categories, despite missing two of San Diego’s playoff games.

Less than a month after returning to action, Kerdiles finally got what he’d been playing for: a chance at the NHL. On February 22nd, against the Boston Bruins, Kerdiles made his NHL debut. He played just over 11 minutes and had a +1 rating. He had a good first game in the NHL, but not a great one. Still, getting over 11 minutes of ice time from Randy Carlyle in your first NHL game is nothing to be ashamed of. That was the only regular season game he played with the Ducks; however, he was called up during the playoffs and saw more postseason action than he did in the regular season. Overall, he played in four playoff games with the Ducks, and registered his first career point, an assist, in the game six loss to Nashville. He played between seven and 12 minutes in those four playoff games. While it’s disappointing that the injury cost Kerdiles valuable playing time last year, it’s still great that he finally made his NHL debut and that he saw so much action in the playoffs with Anaheim.

A year ago, I said that I wanted Kerdiles to make his NHL debut, and while he was able to do that, I wouldn’t call last season a success because of his injury. Still, he did make it into four playoff games, and that counts for a lot in my mind. The injury means Kerdiles didn’t have the season I hoped for, but the time he got in the playoffs means that it wasn’t a total wash. Also, he was great in San Diego, especially in the Calder Cup Playoffs.

This coming season, the key for Kerdiles is to stay healthy. Whether he’s in Anaheim or San Diego, he needs to stay healthy. The second thing is for him to see as much time in the NHL as possible this season. His play in the Calder Cup Playoffs showed that there’s not a lot more for him to learn in the minors; it’s time for him to step up to the NHL. I wouldn’t be shocked if he does see some action with the Gulls, but he needs to be with Anaheim for most of the season.

With Ryan Kesler potentially out to start the season, the Ducks have a major hole at center in their roster. Kerdiles won’t replace Kesler between Andrew Cogliano and Jakob Silfverberg, but he could slot in as the team’s fourth line center to start out. Alternatively, he can also play left wing and could play somewhere in the team’s top nine as a result. If Rickard Rakell moves back to center, I think this is the most likely option. Right now, besides Kerdiles, the only other left wingers listed on Anaheim’s roster are Cogliano and Nick Ritchie. While there are some junior level players and a couple other Gulls who have a shot to fill in for Kesler, Kerdiles is the most likely to take the spot and keep it through most of the season. He’s really worked on his two-way game over the last couple of seasons and become a valuable penalty killer for the Gulls. Those kinds of skills will likely help him earn more time in the NHL this coming season.

Kerdiles was going to be a restricted free agent, but he re-signed with Anaheim for another year. He’ll be a restricted free agent again next summer. If not for injuries, I fully believe he’d be on a one-way deal right now and already a full-time NHL player. If he can stay healthy for the entire season and be an impact player with the Ducks, he could have a very good chance at landing a one-way contract for himself next summer. As a SoCal player, I’d love to see Kerdiles be able to establish himself as a full-time NHL player in Anaheim. It would be a huge boost to the Ducks and other local players.

The next prospect update will be on Jacob Larsson.

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September 17th, 2017

Filed under: Ducks News Tagged: Anaheim Ducks, Ducks, ducksnpucks, Nicolas Kerdiles, Prospect udpate