When Ryan Garbutt was acquired from Chicago last January 21, the deal left a lot of Ducks fans admittedly skeptical.
After all, Garbutt played a prominent role in some combative encounters with Ducks players over the years, notably in the First Round of the 2014 playoffs between Anaheim and Dallas. In Game 3 of that series, Garbutt had a violent collision with Stephane Robidas that resulted in a broken leg for the Ducks defenseman. In Game 5, he speared Corey Perry and was sent to the showers with a game misconduct.
It wasn’t out of character for Garbutt, who was a late bloomer in his hockey career – not making the NHL until the age of 26 – and has maintained a foothold in the league with a grinding, gritty and sometimes gear-grinding style of play.