With the impending news that Scott Niedermayer is all but retiring this summer, Ducks GM, Brian Burke, tried to fill that potential gap with another veteran defenseman. He did quite well in that he managed to sign Mathieu Schneider to a 2-year deal.Schneider had himself a great season with the Red Wings despite his injury woes. Schneider did manage to rack up 52 points with the Wings in only 68 games. If he can have a healthy season in Anaheim, the target will probably be in the 70-point range. Health concerns do weigh heavily when it comes to picking him in your pool. There's very little chance he'll be available in the late rounds, so be advised... the risk for 70 points is quite high, but it's certainly in your better interest if you need a defenseman.
If Niedermayer chooses not to retire and play out his contract, Schneider's ice-time will probably come down a bit, but for health concerns, that might not be a bad thing. Also, if Niedermayer isn't to retire, Francois Beauchemin will also have a lack of minutes. All things that should be considered down the road.
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