Adrian Dater
Josh Manson had a good thing going living in Anaheim, California, being paid $4.1 million to play hockey for the local NHL team, the Ducks. Any disruption to that life, and Manson would be forgiven for being jarred and maybe more than a little upset. And so it went for the 30-year-old defenseman, getting traded for the first time in his NHL career on Monday.
But after the initial shock, the feeling for Josh Manson, at least at about 7:10 Tuesday night – 50 minutes before playing his first game as a member of the Colorado Avalanche:
“It’s been a big change. It’s all I’ve ever known is Anaheim, right?” Manson said. “But all the guys have been welcome and warm. Coaches are acting like they’re happy I’m here and excited for me. It’s been a quick turnaround, so I give a lot of credit to those guys.”
The other big emotion Manson said he had:
“Oh, excitement. They have a great team. They can play fast and can score. To join them, I was super excited to join them,” he said.
Manson was thrown right into the deep end of the pool by the Avs, a day after switching teams after nearly eight full seasons in Anaheim. Maybe that will turn out to be a great thing for Manson, as he hadn’t had much time to think about anything else since being traded. He was in New York for a Ducks road game there against the Rangers, when he got the news and spent most of last night flying to Southern California. He was going back home in a way, as his house was only about an hour’s drive down the 405 from Anaheim. But he actually just went straight from the airport to the team hotel in L.A., tried to freshen up a bit, then went on to the rink with his new team.
It has certainly been a whirlwind in the last 36 hours for the new Colorado Avalanche acquisition.
“Pat (Verbeek) called me, I was just about got out of the hotel, about 6 o clock (last night),” Manson said. “I was on my way to the airport within the hour. Got to LA about 2 p.m., 2:30, tried to get a little sleep…now I’m here.”
Manson was slated to be one of 17 skaters for the Avs against the Los Angeles Kings, a team he had many bruising battles against in his time with the Ducks. Manson was asked the kind of game Avs fans can expect to see him play:
“I think it will be an adjustment, just learning how to play in their system. I’m not trying to come in a be some amazing player. All I need to do is come in here and…play under the radar. Not being noticed, it’s probably a good thing.”
Manson has a well-earned reputation as someone who plays on the edge physically, who isn’t afraid of crushing a guy or dropping the gloves. He was an assistant captain with the Ducks, and is known as a team-first guy. His father, Dave, was a longtime NHL defenseman who was known as much, or more, of a tough customer to opponents Josh is known as.
“My dad is very involved in my life,” Manson said. “He’s been a good shoulder to lean on these last 24 hours.”