Ducks trade Andrej Sustr for Sharks forward Andrew Aggozzino

The Pacific Division rivals reached a deal Tuesday when the Anaheim Ducks traded defenseman Andrej Sustr for San Jose Sharks forward Andrew Agozzino.

Neither player has been an NHL regular in recent years. Sustr, who once dressed every night for the Tampa Bay Lightning, was relegated to a role in the AHL after a two-year hiatus from North America in the KHL. Agozzino has been a two-way swing player during his professional career.

While neither Sustr nor Agozzino will change a roster, they bring valuable professional experience to AHL affiliates and can fill an NHL roster in no time.

Agozzino, 32, has life in his legs above all; last year, he scored 3 points in 4 games with the Sharks following a 26-goal, 61-point campaign with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda.

Agozzino played in the Ducks organization from 2019 to 2021 and played 7 times for the big club. He should add punch to the San Diego Gulls, where he scored 14 goals and 27 points in 2020-21.

Agozzino played in two All-Star games during an impressive AHL career, during which he scored more than 200 goals and 500 points.

As for Sustr, also 32, the trade has continued its odyssey since leaving Tampa, where he made it to the 2016 Stanley Cup Final. He finished his third stint in Anaheim without playing a game in the NHL.

The Sharks are hoping Sustr can mentor defensive prospects like Andrew Thrun and Shakir Mukhamadulin if those two make it to the AHL, but the 6’8 Czech’s days as a regular are long gone.

Sustr is the second trade acquisition of the day for Sharks general manager Mike Grier, who acquired Devils goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood in an earlier trade.

Anaheim and San Jose will each use this offseason to try to stockpile relevant NHL pros in their respective rebuilds. They were respectively the first and fourth worst teams in the NHL last season.