When 18-year old Luca Sbisa was traded to Anaheim in the blockbuster deal for defenseman Chris Pronger, many Flyers’ fans believed that despite the loss of the popular blue line standout, Sbisa would be moving on to a good situation in California.
And after news broke that Sbisa will shadow a certain Hall of Fame defenseman, his situation may have gotten even better.
“I would like the Sbisa kid to have the opportunity to play with Scott Niedermayer to start,” said Ducks’ coach Randy Carlyle. “We want this kid to develop into an NHL defenseman.”
Sbisa was already well on his way to becoming an NHL defenseman in just his first year in the pros, playing 39 games last season for the Flyers and impressing the club thoroughly. And now, playing and learning alongside a player, whose game shares such a similar likeness to Sbisa’s, will do wonders for his maturity and could catapult him into a permanent position in Anaheim’s starting lineup.
Sbisa and the Ducks come to Philadelphia on Saturday, Oct. 10.
Phila.Bright 