Anaheim Ducks sign ex-Edmonton Oilers forward Zack Kassian to professional tryout

After being bought out this offseason by the Arizona Coyotes, former Edmonton Oilers forward Zack Kassian has inked a professional tryout with the Anaheim Ducks, the club announced Thursday.

Kassian, 32, was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres 13th overall in 2009 but played just 27 games for the team before he was traded to the Vancouver Canucks. He was moved to the Montreal Canadiens in 2015 but was suspended indefinitely that season for violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health Program.

Once he cleared the program, Kassian was traded to the Oilers in a December 2015 deal for Ben Scrivens, kicking off the best stretch of the grinders career.

Over the course of Kassian’s seven seasons in Edmonton, he appeared in 412 games scoring 55 goals and 135 points. While he largely played in a bottom-six role, a few stints in 2018-19 and 2020-21 saw him produce points alongside Connor McDavid.

That, coupled with a 2020 feud with then Calgary Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk which produced memorable moments like “stay off the tracks” and Tkachuk turtling in a fight, helped land Kassian a four-year contract with the club.

Kassian, however, was never able to live up to the standards of the deal and was dealt at the 2022 draft to the Arizona Coyotes, with whom he spent last season. There, Kassian appeared in 51 games scoring two goals and as many points while playing just 9:09 a night.

Nonetheless, Kassian gets another chance at sticking around in the NHL with a Ducks team where he could fill a fourth-line role as a physical presence.

Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.