Player Review: Simon Despres

As part of the AnaheimDucks.com annual Player Reviews, we will be featuring a different Ducks player throughout the coming weeks, in numerical uniform number order. Each review will include key stats, a highlight from last season and an outlook for 2016-17. By Adam Brady | AnaheimDucks.com

Every player has to endure adversity at some point in his career, and for Simon Despres, the 2015-16 season is one he could probably stand to forget.

Despres came into the campaign with high hopes heaped on him following a successful run the previous spring when he came to Anaheim via a deal with Pittsburgh just before the NHL trade deadline. The Ducks sent veteran defenseman Ben Lovejoy to Pittsburgh in the trade, and though Lovejoy was admired by fans here, it was thought by many in the hockey community that Anaheim pulled off a steal. After all, Despres was a 23-year-old former first round pick and a big body (6-4, 218 pounds) with seemingly abundant potential.

The native of Laval, Quebec proved that sentiment soon after arriving in Anaheim, showing his worth as a shutdown defenseman and puck-mover in 16 regular season games and through three rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Ducks rewarded him with a five-year contract extension last October, making him a fixture in Anaheim for …

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