Killorn's Production Ramping Up as Season Comes to an End
After a rocky start to his tenure in Anaheim, Alex Killorn has found his stride on the team's first line
Killorn's Production Ramping Up as Season Comes to an EndAlex Killorn signed one of the bigger UFA contracts in the summer of 2023 and (in terms of cap hit) the biggest UFA contract the Anaheim Ducks have handed out since Scott Niedermayer in 2005-06.
Heading into the Summer of 2023, the Ducks were at a flection point in their franchise's history. The team was coming off five consecutive seasons among the bottom 10 in the league standings, General Manager Pat Verbeek made his first head coaching hire (Greg Cronin), and young players who were intended to develop into the future core of the team (Lukas Dostal, Trevor Zegras, Jamie Drysdale, Mason McTavish, Pavel Mintyukov, and Leo Carlsson) were in place and set to make an impact in the NHL.
The assumption during the 2023 offseason indicated talent that young needs nurturing and insulation. The forwards could use someone who would bring experience and a winning pedigree to the locker room and fill in the gaps in the younger core's game. Those gaps included cerebrally forechecking, battling in tight areas of the ice, and finishing opportunities created by those dynamic, young players.
Alex Killorn checked every one of those boxes. Killorn was a member of two Tampa Bay Lightning teams who won the Eastern Conference Title (2014-15 and 2021-22) and two others who won the Stanley Cup (2019-20 and 2020-21). He brings intangibles on and off the ice and contributes most when the games mean the most. He has 77 career playoff points in 140 playoff games.
To make a destination like Anaheim attractive to a player with Killorn's resume, three things were seemingly deemed necessary in contract negotiations: Salary, term, and security.
On July 1, 2023, Killorn signed a four-year contract with the Ducks that carried an AAV of $6.25 million. For the first two years, Killorn's contract holds a full no-trade clause and for the final two years, it modifies into a 15-team no-trade clause.
Killorn's tenure with the Ducks didn't go according to plan as he fractured his finger during a preseason game and missed the team's first ten games of the season.
Upon returning to the lineup after his finger injury, Killorn played 34 games for the Ducks and tallied 19 points (8 goals and 11 assists) before deciding to undergo arthroscopic knee surgery. He was producing at a .56 point-per-game pace, lower than his career pace of .58.
"The knee'd been bothering me for two years," Killorn said after the team's practice on Saturday. "This year, it really started affecting my play and I felt like we needed to get something done. Now I'm never worried about it heading into corners."
Killorn missed the Ducks' next nine games recovering from surgery and from all accounts, it was a success.
"He's definitely skating better," Ducks head coach Greg Cronin said of Killorn's play after the Ducks 4-0 victory over Chicago on March 21. "I think he's taking ownership of his line, whatever line he's on. He's been bounced around a little bit, but he's a winner. So, I think he's kind of personifying that right now with the way he's playing."
In the 25 games since his surgery, he's tallied 16 points (11 goals and 5 assists); a .64 points-per-game pace. He's found some consistency and chemistry with Troy Terry and the ultra-talented rookie center, Leo Carlsson.
Over this latest stretch, Killorn has been as advertised and has been a capable contributor on the team's listed first line.
With his first assist in Sunday night's 6-5 shootout loss to the St. Louis Blues, Killorn tallied his 500th career point.
Offensively, Terry and Carlsson are dynamic drivers of rush offense. They do the majority of the transporting of the puck from the defensive zone, into the neutral zone, and eventually the offensive zone.
Killorn is a responsible and disruptive defender who battles efficiently and effectively in every zone. He thrives in front of the net, can find soft areas of the ice on the cycle as well as the rush, and has been finishing on the chances created by his linemates.
"It's about building momentum going into next season, personally and for the team," Killorn said. "I always want to end on a high note."
Alex Killorn may have taken a while to find his stride (literally) with the Anaheim Ducks, but if this latest stretch is an indication of the player they will have over the next three years as they look to climb out of this rebuild, he will be a key contributor to returning playoff hockey to Anaheim.