After spending the 2015-16 season playing in the KHL, David Booth was trying to make it back to the NHL this season on a professional tryout with the Anaheim Ducks.
On Monday, he was released from that tryout by the Ducks along with veteran forward David Jones as the team trimmed its roster ahead of the start of the regular season.
Booth, now 31 years old, hasn’t been the same player since concussions derailed his career several years back. At one time a 30-goal scorer and core player with the Florida Panthers, Booth hasn’t scored more than 10 goals in a season since the 2011-12 season. In recent years he has spent time with the Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Jones, meanwhile, spent last season split between the Calgary Flames and Minnesota Wild, scoring 11 goals and adding seven assists in 75 games.
Both players have had their share of success in the NHL (Jones scored 20 goals in back-to-back years with the Avalanche back in 2010 and 2011) but seem to be at a point in their careers where they just might not be able to keep up with a league that is getting younger and faster every year.
For Booth, it is possible that the KHL could be an option for him again this year. He scored six goals added 10 assists in 25 games for Vladivostok Admiral this past season. He most recently played in the NHL for the Maple Leafs during the 2014-15 season.
The Ducks also sent Max Jones, the No. 24 overall pick in the 2016 draft, back to his junior team, the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League.