Former Ducks Defenseman Announces Retirement

Kevin Shattenkirk has officially announced his retirement. The defenseman played 14 seasons in the NHL from 2010 to 2024 with three of those seasons coming with the Anaheim Ducks.

When Shattenkirk joined the Ducks via free agency on a three-year, $11.7 million contract, he was coming off of a Stanley Cup-winning season with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2019-20. Shattenkirk had reinvigorated himself with the Lightning after being bought out of his big money deal by the New York Rangers the previous season. In a more appropriate role, Shattenkirk flourished with the Lightning and was a valuable contributor during their Cup run.

Shattenkirk joined the Ducks during a time when they were looking for stability on the right side of defense behind Josh Manson. Adding Shattenkirk also gave them another veteran to lean on alongside players like Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm, Adam Henrique and captain Ryan Getzlaf as Bob Murray—the Ducks’ general manager at the time—attempted to navigate a “retool”.

“Coming into my contract here, we knew what was going on with the team,” Shattenkirk said. “There was definitely a process here and a rebuilding focus.”

However, Shattenkirk was miscast as a top-4 defenseman, a role that he was unable to handle with the Rangers and a role that he struggled to take on in Anaheim as well. His Ducks tenure coincided with some of the worst seasons in franchise history, though he is not single-handedly at fault for this.

Despite his on-ice play perhaps not being up to expectations, Shattenkirk provided valuable leadership for the Ducks’ young players like Trevor Zegras, Jamie Drysdale and Troy Terry. Shattenkirk played in over 200 games for the Ducks, contributing 15 goals and 67 assists.