Kevin Bieksa excited to be Plan B after Beauchemin prices out of Anaheim

The Anaheim Ducks wanted free-agent defenseman Francois Beauchemin back next season. General Manager Bob Murray even called him “a warrior.”

Francois Beauchemin wanted to return, too, but on his terms. And those terms started at three years at $5 million annually, which was allegedly an offer on the table for him from another suitor.

These were not terms Murray felt were all that favorable for the Ducks. So he started to explore a Plan B, and that led him to talks with the Vancouver Canucks involving defenseman Kevin Bieksa at last weekend’s NHL Draft.

The Canucks, however, were in talks with the San Jose Sharks regarding Bieksa. Vancouver wanted a second-round pick in the 2015 draft; the Sharks balked. So the trade was off.

Meanwhile, Beauchemin appeared on the way out of Anaheim.

“After we had discussed a few things, we made them a 1- or 2-year offer and it wasn’t good enough,” said Murray. “I was told they were going to the market early his morning. He told me what he was going to get in free agency, and I couldn’t get anywhere close to it. We had prepared for that circumstance and made the move for Kevin.”

So it was back to Plan B for Anaheim, even if the Ducks were always Plan A for Bieksa.

“Anaheim was always at the top of my list. One of my main choices. At the end of the day, Anaheim was the best fit for us. They’re obviously very close to winning the Stanley Cup,” he said.

Murray said the two defensemen are comparable, with some differences. Bieksa is right-handed. He has a bit more speed. “He’s a bit smaller man, that’s a difference too,” he said. “But they’re both tough. Both have a mean streak.”

For Bieksa, the move ends a relationship with the Canucks that started in 2001 when he was drafted by Vancouver. He played 597 games for the Canucks before being moved for a 2016 second-round pick on Tuesday.

But there will be a familiar face in Anaheim: Ryan Kesler, his friend and longtime Canucks teammate who was traded to the Ducks last season.

“It’s funny, when he left last year, I felt like we both had some years left and our paths would cross again,” said Bieska.

Once it became apparent that the Canucks wanted to move him, Bieksa said he and Kesler spoke about what life with the Ducks was like. “We’ve been talking throughout the while season,” said Bieksa. “When he heard about me possibly joining the team there, he answered any questions I had.”

The defenseman heard the right things, and signed off a deal to the Ducks. Murray said a new contract for Bieksa, who’s in the last year of his deal, is on the way.

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