New Jersey Devils general manager Ray Shero asked center Adam Henrique for a chat on Thursday morning. It seemed routine. It wasn't.
"I was shocked," said Henrique, who was traded to the Anaheim Ducks in a package for defenseman Sami Vatanen on Thursday. "It wasn't something I was expecting. In the back of my mind, maybe going into this season, maybe at some point, maybe closer to the trade deadline ... [but] you generally don't see trades like this go down early in the season."
That's because, generally, you don't see a team like the Ducks staggering around the first two months of the season as the NHL's unofficial infirmary unit, but also one with a glut of defensemen.