2016-17 Player Review: Logan Shaw

It wasn't one of the more ballyhooed trades of the 2016-17 NHL season, but Anaheim's acquisition of Logan Shaw back on November 16 proved to be a rock-solid one.

The Ducks acquired the 24-year-old right winger from the Florida Panthers in exchange for center Michael Sgarbossa after Shaw accumulated 5-2=7 points with 13 penalty minutes in 53 career NHL games with Florida.
The move was intended to fill the void on the fourth line caused Nate Thompson's long-term Achilles injury, and Shaw performed admirably in 55 games with the Ducks (in addition to nine postseason games). He had three goals and seven assists to go along with 62 hits, but the 6-3, 202-pounder showed his true worth in the defensive end and on the penalty kill.

Shaw is a cerebral player on the ice as well as outside the rink, where he was studying microeconomics online toward his goal of a business degree during the season, which was featured in
this story by Curtis Zupke in the LA Times
.
When Shaw was growing up in Glace Bay, Canada, a tiny outpost in eastern Nova Scotia, his parents emphasized education. His father, Gerard, works in government and his mother, Sandra, is a retired nurse.
"They always wanted me to have a degree, no matter what, no matter if I played 15 years," Shaw said. "For me, it is something to do. It keeps your brain fresh when you're off.
"You have to do something when you're finished. You can't play hockey forever."
That may be true, but the Ducks have ensured they will have Shaw in the mix for at least the near future. They showed faith in the winger last March 3 when they signed him to a relatively affordable one-year contract extension through next season. Especially with Thompson having departed via free agency, Shaw will be looked at to once again be a mainstay on the fourth line and on the PK.