The Anaheim Ducks got an essential bit of business done today, locking in their presumed backup netminder (and potentially soon-to-be-starter) to a contract for the next two years. 23-year-old Lukas Dostal has signed a deal carrying a two-way structure in 2023-24 and a one-way structure in 2024-25. Per The Athletic’s Eric Stephens, Dostal will earn $775K in the NHL and $325K in the AHL in the first year while earning $850K in the NHL in the second year. The deal carries a cap hit of $812.5K.
Anaheim’s third-round pick in 2018, Dostal has rocketed up goalie prospect ranking boards in recent years thanks to some dominant performances in the minors and pro leagues overseas. The Czech-born netminder has quite the career resume already, winning the Urpo Ylonen Award for the best goalie in the Finnish Liiga in 2019-20 after he posted a 1.78 goals-against average, .928 save percentage, three shutouts, and a 27-8-6 record in 43 games with Ilves while on loan from the Ducks.
He’s since posted a .915 save percentage in 98 games with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls over the past three seasons since coming to North America, good numbers for a young netminder behind a team that failed to finish above the .500 mark in two out of the last three years. He got an extended NHL look last season after injuries took down John Gibson and Anthony Stolarz, recording a .901 save percentage in 19 games behind one of the weakest defensive teams in recent memory.
With Stolarz departing the organization for the Florida Panthers in free agency, the path is clear for Dostal to remain in the NHL full-time next season, and they’ll have him there at an affordable cap hit. Dostal will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights in 2025.