O'Donnell was signed as a free agent to give the blue line some more experience as he enters his 17th season with the NHL with his eighth club. He turns 40 in October so there is a good debate whether his minutes will stay steady or will decrease as the season goes along.
O'Donnell is the definition of a journeyman at this point in his career. He doesn't offer much of anything for fantasy owners, even his PIMs are no longer much of an asset.
He'll give the Kings' blueline a much needed veteran presence but doesn't offer any fantasy upside as he totaled just 12 points in 82 games last year.
At 6-2 and 231 pounds, O'Donnell is more of a physical bruiser, than an offensive contributor (2 G, 7 A). If Anaheim plans to play O'Donnell across from Chris Pronger, he just may trip and fall his way into a significant increase in points and an improved plus-minus, but even with the increase his fantasy impact would be less than useful for most owners. Plus, if you see him on the ice during a power play you can bet he just took a wrong turn somewhere, so don't expect much help in the power-play categories either.
O’Donnell has played in the NHL for 12 seasons. He has never scored more than five goals, and has only reached the 20-point plateau once. Last season he posted 17 points (two goals and 12 assists) in 79 games. With the offense not being as strong as it was last year, expect his production to go down. Avoid him.
O'Donnell gives the Ducks another physical defenseman, but really offers fantasy owners penalty minutes (147) and very little offense (2-9-11).
O'Donnell signed as a free agent before the start of the lockout. He is a defensive specialist as his penalty minutes returned to more than 100 in 2003-04, while his offensive numbers were few and far between in 10 NHL seasons, the last three with the Bruins.
