Ducks Rumors

Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM.  Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful.  Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2023-24 season.  This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL.  All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Anaheim Ducks

Current Cap Hit: $75,316,667 (under the $83.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Leo Carlsson (three years, $925K)
D Jackson LaCombe (one year, $925K)
D Tristan Luneau (three years, $897K)
F Mason McTavish (two years, $894K)
D Pavel Mintyukov (three years, $918K)

Potential Bonuses
Carlsson: $3.25MM
LaCombe: $925K
Luneau: $80K
McTavish: $2.5MM
Mintyukov: $550K
Total: $7.31MM

Carlsson was the second-overall pick back in June and while he opens the season as a cap-exempt player on SOIR, that won’t be the case for long.  With Anaheim’s depth down the middle, they have the luxury of easing him in at center if they want or to start him on the wing.  It’s far too early to forecast a second contract but he’s a big part of their future plans.  McTavish is also a key cog for them for the long haul.  The third-overall pick in 2021 had a strong first full season and is expected to play a bigger role this year.  If he stays on that upward trajectory, he could command a long-term deal around the $8MM range that other young middlemen have landed.  That is, if GM Pat Verbeek is willing to break from his tendency of sticking with bridge deals.  In that case, something around $6MM could be the target.

LaCombe made his NHL debut late last season, burning the first year of his deal in the process.  He was quite productive with the University of Minnesota in his college career, particularly the last two years.  However, with him really only having one year to base his second contract on, it’s almost certain to be a short-term agreement.  If he holds a regular role this year, it could check in around the $1.5MM mark.  Luneau and Mintyukov both broke camp with the team but might not be up for too long.  Two of the top blueliners in major junior last season, both have considerable offensive upside which will serve them well on their second contracts.

Signed Through 2023-24, Non-Entry-Level

F Sam Carrick ($850K, UFA)
F Benoit-Olivier Groulx ($775K, RFA)
F Adam Henrique ($5.825MM, UFA)
F Brett Leason ($775K, RFA)
F Isac Lundestrom ($1.8MM, RFA)
D Ilya Lyubushkin ($2.75MM, UFA)
F Max Jones ($1.295MM, RFA)
F Jakob Silfverberg ($5.25MM, UFA)
D Urho Vaakanainen ($850K, RFA)

Get used to hearing Henrique’s name in trade speculation throughout the season.  When healthy, he has shown he can still play on a second line although his role on a contender might be a bit lower.  Henrique’s injury trouble will limit his value on the open market, however.  He’s still capable of putting up 20 goals – he did so just last season – but as he starts to look more like a third-liner moving forward, his value will drop accordingly.  Something in the $3.5MM range might be the right spot.  Silfverberg is another trade deadline rental candidate assuming the Ducks retain a sizable portion.  He has struggled the last few years and is more of a role player at this point in his career.  In free agency, those players typically get about a third of what he’s making now.

Lundestrom’s platform year isn’t off to a good start as he suffered a torn Achilles tendon back in August, keeping him out for the first half of the season at a minimum.  Between that, the fact he’s coming off just a four-goal showing, and the fact that he filed for arbitration on his last deal, it’s possible that he becomes a non-tender candidate.  Otherwise, a one-year agreement at or very close to this price tag is where his next deal should be.  Jones has also battled injuries on his current deal but is coming off a career-best showing last year.  If he can build on that, he could land a bit more than his $1.5MM qualifying offer next summer.

Carrick had 11 goals back in 2021-22 which helped him earn this deal after being primarily an AHL regular before that point.  He’s a pure fourth liner which will cap his earnings upside unless he’s able to put up another double-digit showing offensively this season.  Groulx is the beneficiary from Lundestrom’s injury as he was able to break camp with the team.  He has primarily been in the AHL so far which doesn’t give him much leverage in negotiations but if he can lock down a full-time role, he could come in close to the $1MM mark.  Leason was claimed off waivers last season and played a somewhat regular role.  Similar to Groulx, if he can become an every-game player, he could land a small raise next summer as well.

Lyubushkin comes over following a late-summer trade as Verbeek continues to add grit to his roster.  He’s a third-pairing blueliner with some limitations but if last summer was any indication, it’s quite possible that he lands a similar-sized multi-year agreement in 2024 given the desire for right-shot blueliners around the league.  Vaakanainen just hasn’t been able to stay healthy.  Anaheim picked him up as part of the Hampus Lindholm trade, hoping he could be a part of their future plans on the back end.  That still could happen but with how much time he has missed, a one-year deal next summer is likely, one that should check in near the $1MM mark.

Signed Through 2024-25

G Lukas Dostal ($812.5K, RFA)
F Brock McGinn ($2.75MM, UFA)
F Frank Vatrano ($3.65MM, UFA)

Vatrano’s first season with Anaheim was a successful one as he set a new career high in points with 41 while topping the 20-goal mark for just the second time.  At the time the deal was signed in 2022, this looked like a bit of an overpayment but if he can sustain those numbers, they’ll get a good return on the contract while the veteran will have a strong case for another multi-year pact in the $4MM range.  McGinn was a salary dump from Pittsburgh at the trade deadline but while he’s overpaid for his role, he’s still a serviceable checker.  His market value is around $1MM less than what he’s making now.

Dostal is in his first full NHL season after being up and down between Anaheim and AHL San Diego the last couple of years.  If he can hold his own as a backup, he should easily double this price tag.  If he can push to play more than just a typical backup, something closer to $3MM becomes potentially plausible.

Signed Through 2025-26

D Jamie Drysdale ($2.3MM, RFA)
D Cam Fowler ($6.5MM, UFA)
D Radko Gudas ($4MM, UFA)
F Ross Johnston ($1.1MM, UFA)
F Trevor Zegras ($5.75MM, RFA)

It took a while for Zegras and Anaheim to come to terms on the bridge deal that many expected but an agreement was reached just before the season.  The contract gives both sides more time to assess if he can become a true number one middleman.  If so, it’s possible that his next contract is closer to the $9MM mark while even if he stays around the 60-point mark that he has reached the last two years, he’d still be well-positioned for a decent raise with arbitration rights in 2026.  Johnston was just claimed off waivers this week, giving the Ducks a true enforcer, further enhancing their grit.  He had a very limited role with the Islanders and will need to lock down a regular spot by the time this deal is up if he wants another seven-figure AAV.

Fowler isn’t a true number one blueliner from the standpoint of being a high-end offensive producer who also plays on the top penalty kill.  But he’s not far from that either.  He is typically Anaheim’s best offensive weapon each season while logging big minutes in all situations.  For the contract that he’s on relative to the role he fills on their back end, this deal has aged well for the Ducks so far.  Fowler will be turning 35 soon after his next contract begins, however, which will hurt him a bit.  Performance-wise, there’s a case to be made that he’s worthy of a fair-sized raise.  However, his age will negate that.  Accordingly, a multi-year deal around this price point might be where his next deal lands assuming his recent level of performance holds up.

Gudas was another addition made with an eye on upgrading team toughness.  He has shown that he’s best suited to play on a third pairing but that he can log bigger minutes if needed.  This is an overpayment for that type of role but with so many of their blueliners being youngsters that could legitimately be a couple of years away, the term shouldn’t hurt them much.  Drysdale’s deal also just came together recently; his contract was more complex after he missed almost all of last season with a shoulder injury.  He’s going to be part of the long-term core but with just 113 games under his belt, it’s still hard to assess how much of an impact he’ll be able to make.

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