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Toronto Maple Leafs Had Interest In Milan Lucic, Radko Gudas

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The Toronto Maple Leafs were active this summer in trying to add some toughness to their roster in the form of enforcers and multi-dimensional players, eventually settling on Max Domi, Ryan Reaves and Tyler Bertuzzi. Those weren’t the only players they contacted of that ilk, however. Both forward Milan Lucic (YouTube link) and defenseman Radko Gudas (link to iSport.cz) revealed in separate interviews that Toronto general manager Brad Treliving had pursued them in unrestricted free agency.

Lucic hadn’t been previously connected to the Leafs throughout this summer’s rumor cycle, but it makes sense they’d have interest given their pursuit and acquisition of Reaves to play a similar role. He told Paul Bissonnette and Ryan Whitney of the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast yesterday, though, that he’d turned down interest from Treliving because of his previous stint with the rival Boston Bruins. The 35-year-old would end up returning to Boston after an eight-year absence, inking a one-year, $1MM contract with the Bruins on July 1.

In terms of offense, Lucic would’ve been a higher-upside (and potentially cheaper) addition to the Leafs’ roster than Reaves. In fact, the only advantage Reaves arguably has between the two players is fighting skill – something the Leafs would end up paying a premium for with a three-year, $4.05MM commitment. Of course, Toronto would end up getting some higher-octane offensive players with the gritty element they were looking for in Bertuzzi and Domi.

Gudas, on the other hand, is pretty much the antithesis of the right-shot defender Toronto did end up signing, John Klingberg. A hulking, physical defensive specialist, Gudas told an outlet in his home country that he’d turned down offers from three teams (Toronto, Calgary and Edmonton) to avoid playing in front of a Canadian media market. While he did sacrifice playing on a competitive team in his twilight years, Gudas did get compensated nicely by the rebuilding Anaheim Ducks with a three-year, $12MM deal carrying trade protection.

The 33-year-old Czech was a large reason why his former team, the Florida Panthers, advanced all the way to the Stanley Cup Final for just the second time in franchise history. He quickly immortalized himself in Leafs lore in the process, going semi-viral for an image that showed him screaming at Toronto goalie Joseph Woll after the Panthers knocked the Leafs out of the playoffs in the Second Round thanks to a Game 5 overtime win.

While Toronto ended up paying slightly more in terms of cap hit for Klingberg ($4.15MM compared to Gudas’ $4MM in Anaheim), they were able to get him at just a one-year commitment, absolving themselves of any long-term consequences should the signing not pan out.

Gudas has topped 100 penalty minutes three times throughout his career and has consistently posted standout advanced defensive metrics over the past number of seasons. He recorded 17 points in 72 games for the Panthers last season while averaging 17:22 of ice time per game.

Anaheim Ducks’ Isac Lundeström Sustains Achilles Injury

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Anaheim Ducks center Isac Lundeström sustained an Achilles injury during offseason training in Sweden earlier this month and will miss the start of next season as a result, according to a report from Swedish outlet NSD translated by The Sporting Tribune’s Derek Lee.

Lee notes Lundeström suffered the injury about three weeks ago and has already undergone surgery, meaning he’s still got five to six months of recovery time ahead of him. That puts Lundeström’s season debut around mid-January 2024, potentially keeping him out for over half the season.

It’s a tough break for the 23-year-old Swede, who the Ducks hoped could take a major step in his development, at least offensively. Selected 23rd overall in the 2018 NHL Draft, Lundeström has been a star defensively on a team that’s struggled heavily to keep the puck out of their own net. He’s also averaged nearly two minutes per game on the penalty kill over the past three years and posted good results in the process.

If he stops developing now, he’s a perfectly fine third-line center, even on a contending team. That being said, Anaheim would love for him to display point production more in line with the 16 goals he put up in 2021-22, not the four goals and 14 points he posted in 61 games last season.

He’s a young player that often flies under the radar when talking about Anaheim’s next-generation core, which includes players like Trevor Zegras, Mason McTavish and Leo Carlsson. Still, he’s a promising long-term piece for the Ducks. It’s not like Lundeström’s received terribly sheltered minutes, either – he skated an average of 14:20 per game last season and still managed to keep his head above water defensively.

His absence opens up a hole for some other prospects, potentially Benoit-Olivier Groulx or Nikita Nesterenko, to get some more ice time with the Ducks out of the gate. Groulx, who’s posted double-digit goal totals on the AHL’s San Diego Gulls for three consecutive seasons, was selected 31 picks after Lundeström in the 2018 draft.

Lundeström is in the second season of a two-year, $3.6MM contract signed following an arbitration filing in 2022. He’s eligible for arbitration once again next offseason, though missing a good chunk of the year due to injury certainly won’t help his case.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Arbitration Breakdown: Troy Terry

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With the Minnesota Wild settling with goaltender Filip Gustavsson today, the biggest name left yet to have his arbitration hearing is undoubtedly Anaheim Ducks forward Troy Terry. There are just a handful of days to go in this year’s arbitration calendar, and Terry is set to have his hearing on Wednesday, August 2, meaning he’ll have a contract for next season in place by this Friday at the latest. The Ducks still have franchise cornerstone center Trevor Zegras to sign for next season, although he was not eligible for arbitration.

Filings

Team: $4.5MM
Player: $8MM
Midpoint: $6.25MM

(via Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman)

The Numbers

Last season proved to be a pivotal year for Troy Terry, once again demonstrating his ability to be a high-end top-six scoring forward without much help around him. He showed his breakout campaign in 2021-22 was no fluke, tying his career-high in goals and setting new career-highs in even-strength assists and average time on ice.

Set to turn 26 in September, Terry’s journey has certainly not mirrored the temperate expectations Anaheim had for him when they selected him in the fifth round of the 2015 NHL Draft. He has unquestionably evolved into one of the most significant value picks of the last decade, transforming into a bonafide top-six winger after giving him plenty of time to develop at the University of Denver and in the minors with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls. He’s a well-rounded offensive talent and far from a liability defensively – in fact, he’d posted above-average advanced results in 2020-21 and 2021-22.

With Terry just now teetering on the edge of unrestricted free agency next offseason, there’s little reason to be afraid of a setback in his abilities or production. The linearity of his development and the wide range of positive advanced indicators regarding his sustainability as a top-six scoring winger has left many Ducks fans puzzled about how arbitration may be required to get him under contract.

Arbitration isn’t something the Ducks likely desire – he’s only two seasons away from unrestricted free agency in 2025, and a short-term deal risks losing him for nothing at that point. At what lengths (one or two years) the Ducks and Terry filed is unclear.

2022-23 Stats: 70 GP, 23-38-61, -8 rating, 22 PIMs, 188 shots, 19:22 ATOI, 49.2 CF%
Career Stats: 274 GP, 75-101-176, -17 rating, 74 PIMs, 550 shots, 16:43 ATOI, 49.8 CF%

Potential Comparables

Comparable contracts are restricted to those signed within restricted free agency, which means UFA deals and entry-level pacts are ineligible to be used. The contracts below fit within those parameters. Player salaries also fall within the parameters of the submitted numbers by both sides of Terry’s negotiation. 

Jesper Bratt (New Jersey Devils) – Despite his solid play, the seemingly most comparable case to Terry’s isn’t all that favorable to him. Bratt and the Devils had to get a one-year contract awarded via arbitration last season, totaling $5.45MM. At the time, Bratt had slightly more NHL experience at 307 games played but had scored 203 total points, a similar career-scoring pace to Terry. However, it’s worth noting that Bratt hadn’t demonstrated the consistency immediately before his arbitration hearing that Terry has – Bratt had just seven goals in the 2020-21 campaign, while Terry had scored 20-plus goals in each of the two seasons leading up to his hearing. Unfortunately for Terry, this is one of the closest comparables out there for his situation, and it’s significantly lower than his midpoint of $6.25MM.

Kevin Fiala (Minnesota Wild) – This was another one-year pact dished out by an arbitrator, except it was one season before Bratt’s in 2021. The deal came in at a marginally lower cap hit of $5.1MM, but Terry had better career offensive numbers at the time of signing – remember, this Fiala deal was signed before he posted back-to-back seasons above a point per game. This strikes as a low-end comparable for Terry – it would be surprising to see the arbitrator side any further toward the Ducks than this.

Projection

This is one of the more complex cases this summer to predict. It’s partially because of the wide gap in filings between the two parties (leaving lots of room for error around the midpoint) but also the lack of an excellent comparable for a player with as little experience and as old as Terry, already deep into his mid-20s.

That said, things don’t look promising for Terry to get anything close to his sky-high wish of $8MM. It’s become clear that deals settled by an arbitrator rarely carry such an exorbitant price, and he likely doesn’t have the many seasons of experience under his belt to justify a change in pace, even if things do look promising for him to continue his solid trajectory in the future.

This may be one of the first deals we predict to fall below the midpoint this summer. While both Anaheim and Terry have gone for extreme filings here, Terry’s comparables are not kind, and there’s little argument based on past arbitrator decisions for him to receive anything above the $6.25MM midpoint here. A deal in the $5.5MM-$6.25MM range seems much more realistic when considering the stagnant cap over the past few seasons and the lack of willingness from arbitrators to dish out deals high into the $6-8MM range.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Finding A Match For A John Gibson Trade

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There has been trade speculation around Ducks goaltender John Gibson for several years now with that only intensifying following a trade request that was reported back in early June.  His agency denied a report earlier this month which suggested he had informed the club he wouldn’t play for them again but it’s still believed he wouldn’t mind a change of scenery.  However, most of the annual goalie shuffle is now complete and the veteran remains with Anaheim, at least for the time being.

The 29-year-old had posted a 3.99 GAA last season, leading the league in goals allowed (200) and losses (31) while putting up a .899 SV%.  Over the last four seasons, Gibson’s best save percentage has been .904 after putting up four straight campaigns of .917 or better so it’s not as if this was a one-time dip.  Of course, that also coincides with Anaheim entering a rebuild so at least some of the decline in performance could be attributed to that.  It’s possible that in a better situation, he could rebound.

That said, it won’t be a cheap gamble to make.  Gibson has four years left on his contract with a $6.4MM AAV.  That will be difficult for most teams to fit in now; fewer than ten teams in the league have that much cap space and several of those are of the rebuilding variety.  On top of that, the Ducks aren’t going to give their starter away either; there will be a fairly sizable price to pay in terms of assets to get his services.  What teams might those be?  Let’s look at some possible options, some admittedly more speculative than others.

New Jersey

The Devils have a tandem of Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid which, on the surface, isn’t all that bad.  Vanecek had a career-low 2.45 GAA with a career-high .911 SV% last season in 52 games, perfectly reasonable numbers for a starter.  Schmid, meanwhile, was even better in limited duty and even took over as the starter at one point in the playoffs.

That last point is why they’re on this list though.  When it mattered most, Vanecek struggled and with a core group that’s clearly built to win now, a possible upgrade between the pipes could be the missing piece to the puzzle.  A package that includes Vanecek would offset Gibson’s net added cost to no more than $3MM which would be affordable within their cap space, assuming they fill out their roster with low-salaried options.  More importantly, he’d cost less moving forward on the cap than Connor Hellebuyck based on his asking price.

Winnipeg

While the Jets have moved out Pierre-Luc Dubois and bought out Blake Wheeler, that shouldn’t be construed as them heading for a rebuild.  Look no further than the return they received for Dubois – one that had multiple roster pieces as they look to stay in the playoff mix.  Moving Hellebuyck would open up a big hole to fill in goal and Gibson would be a logical one to turn to, assuming either Winnipeg isn’t on his 10-team no-trade list or he’d be willing to waive to go there.

One thing the Jets don’t have in this scenario is another netminder of some significance to flip the other way so their return would likely have to be more futures-based.  Considering where Anaheim is in their rebuild cycle, that might even be preferable on their end.  The Hellebuyck domino has to fall first for this to be an option though.

Buffalo

The Sabres have been speculatively linked to a veteran goaltender for a few months now.  Craig Anderson has called it a career and Eric Comrie isn’t the solution as the starter either.  Meanwhile, the team has high hopes for Devon Levi and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen but the pair have 54 career NHL appearances between them.  There seems to be an expectation of Buffalo making a real playoff push in 2023-24 after really making it interesting in April before just coming up short so while there is an element of upside if Levi and Luukkonen do well, there is certainly some risk as well if they struggle.

Gibson could be a way of hedging that risk, giving Levi a veteran partner to work with and allow him to try to ease his way into a longer-term starting role.  Luukkonen, meanwhile, could be an intriguing part of a swap for Anaheim to start a young tandem of their own alongside Lukas Dostal.  Buffalo has enough cap space to take on Gibson’s contract outright but with pricey extensions a year off for Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power, either seeking some retention or sending some sort of salary offset would be beneficial.

Edmonton

After signing Jack Campbell last summer with the hopes of finally finding themselves a legitimate starting goaltender, they find themselves in a familiar spot – still looking for that goalie.  Campbell had his moments last season as did Stuart Skinner but neither are in a spot where they can be counted on as a sure-fire starter when it matters most.  For a franchise that has two of the top players in the league in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, their contention window is now.  They improved the defense at the deadline so finally landing that reliable starter could be the final piece of the puzzle.

Cap space is at a premium for Edmonton, however, with most of their remaining cap room heading to RFAs Ryan McLeod and Evan Bouchard.  To make a move work, they’d need to match money.  That would mean Campbell and his $5MM AAV would almost certainly need to be part of the swap.  The Oilers could ask Anaheim to retain enough on Gibson’s deal to get him down to that same $5MM price point although that will only increase the acquisition price.  Fit-wise, Gibson would certainly be an intriguing addition but it would take some creativity to make it work.

Los Angeles

If you look at the Kings’ roster right now, there is one big question mark and that’s between the pipes.  Pheonix Copley has been more of a third-stringer than a legitimate NHL option for most of his career and veteran Cam Talbot is coming off an injury-plagued campaign that saw him struggle when he was in the lineup.  David Rittich is also in the mix but his track record isn’t the greatest either.  Going cheap at that position has certainly given Los Angeles the flexibility to bolster their lineup but it’s not without its risks either.

To get Gibson (assuming he’s open to going to a long-term division rival), they’d be in a situation where they’d need to match money like Edmonton.  A veteran on an expiring contract like Viktor Arvidsson or Matt Roy could help on that front while someone like Copley would need to be involved as well.  But none of those players will be of much interest to the Ducks so they would need to find a futures-based package to add to those players to include to make it worth Anaheim’s while.

Columbus

This one is admittedly a bit off the board but things did not go well in goal for the Blue Jackets last season as Elvis Merzlikins certainly struggled which played a big role in Columbus plummeting down the standings.  Their offseason activity so far has been geared toward shoring up the back end in the hopes that upgrades there will also help in goal and Mike Babcock is certainly not a rebuilding type of coach.  There’s an internal expectation for big improvement so it wouldn’t be shocking to see them at least kick the tires.

Merzlikins is signed for four more years like Gibson is at $1MM less so if Anaheim was open to taking him back in a swap, the Blue Jackets can fit Gibson onto the books.  They have a strong prospect pool that they could deal from, giving them an edge over some other teams who don’t have as deep of a group to work with when it comes to building a futures-based package.

Of course, it’s still quite possible that Gibson remains with the Ducks at the start of 2023-24 and they revisit the possibility of a trade in-season or next summer when teams will have more cap flexibility at their disposal.  But if there is still mutual motivation to find a deal that works for both sides, there are at least a few teams that could be an option for the veteran netminder.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.  Cap information courtesy of CapFriendly.

Anaheim Ducks Sign Noah Warren

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The Anaheim Ducks have signed 2022 42nd overall pick Noah Warren to a three-year entry-level contract. The financial terms of the contract were not disclosed as part of the announcement, nor have they been reported on at this time.

Although the deal technically gives Warren the right to make the NHL club and potentially play for the Ducks next season, seeing as he just turned 19 years old a few days ago, that’s unlikely to be the outcome for him this fall.

What’s more likely is Warren gets to head to NHL training camp, gain some experience there (as well as a taste of what it’ll take to eventually make a more realistic push for an NHL job) and then head back to the QMJHL to play another season of junior hockey.

The Ducks nabbed Warren in the middle of the second round of the draft in 2022, and at the time he was projected by some outlets to be right on the first-round bubble. For Warren, his draft value was all about projection.

With just 24 points in 62 games, Warren’s offensive production wasn’t what one might expect for an early draft pick out of major junior hockey. But Warren’s intriguing six-foot-five frame and impressive set of physical tools gave many scouts the impression that he could become a difference-making defenseman at the NHL level.

While the Anaheim Ducks have arguably the NHL’s best crop of left-shot defensive prospects, headlined by Olen Zellweger and Pavel Mintyukov, their right side isn’t quite as highly-regarded. Sure, they have 2020 sixth-overall pick Jamie Drysdale and QMJHL defenseman of the year Tristan Luneau on that side, but even with those two Warren won’t face as tall of a task making the NHL roster as he would if he played on the left.

This entry-level contract is an indication that the Ducks are believers in Warren’s NHL upside and a recognition of the progress he’s made to his point in his development. Now, the goal will be to develop some more offense to his game and continue to translate his impressive physical tools into all-around value.

Anaheim Ducks Extend Lukas Dostal

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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.

Ducks Sign Benoit-Olivier Groulx

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  • Much like Damiani, the Anaheim Ducks signed a similar restricted free agent forward today, securing a one-year, two-way deal with Benoit-Olivier Groulx. Drafted 54th overall in the same year as Damiani, Groulx has more experience at the NHL level, scoring three points in 20 total games. Having spent much of his time at the AHL level, Groulx has 39 goals and 51 assists in 145 games played for the San Diego Gulls.

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Anaheim Ducks Sign Leo Carlsson

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The Anaheim Ducks showed they believe in Leo Carlsson’s potential when they selected him second overall just two weeks ago, and today they’ve affirmed it. He’s signed a three-year, entry-level contract, the team announced, although they didn’t disclose financial details.

While Carlsson was considered a lock to go top-five on draft day, few thought he’d go second overall ahead of reigning Hobey Baker Award winner Adam Fantilli. The Ducks and general manager Pat Verbeek had made their choice internally, though, believing they were getting a better player in Carlsson. They opted to pass on Fantilli, who the Columbus Blue Jackets were happy to select at third overall.

The second overall selection is by no means a reach for Carlsson, though – he would have been in the discussion for the first overall choice in many past drafts. He was named the Swedish Junior Hockey Player of the Year last season playing for Orebro HK in the SHL, posting strong totals for a draft-eligible talent with ten goals, 15 assists, and 25 points in 44 games.

It’s impressive scoring for an 18-year-old against professional competition, especially when you consider his 25 points rank as the fifth-highest for a draft-eligible player in SHL history, trailing only Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin, Elias Lindholm, and Nicklas Backstrom. In addition, Carlsson led all SHL players aged 20 and under in points per game, ranking second in goals and third in total points and assists.

The Karlstad product also made history at the 2023 IIHF World Championship as the youngest player ever to score a goal for Sweden at 18 years and 138 days old.

Where Carlsson actually suits up next season remains unclear. His agent said earlier this month that there was no rush to decide where he’d play in 2023-24, and he now has four options with his entry-level contract out of the way: the NHL, AHL, SHL, or a combination. Being a first-round pick, his ELC with Anaheim takes precedence over the contract he’d signed in Sweden next season with Orebro, although Anaheim could still opt to loan him back to Sweden if that’s what Carlsson and the team believes is best for his development. They can also keep him in North America the entire year if they want, as he’s eligible for assignment to the minors with the San Diego Gulls.

Ducks Hire Brent Thompson As Assistant Coach

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Continuing to round out their bench, the Anaheim Ducks have announced that they have hired Brent Johnson as an assistant coach. Much like their approach with hiring Greg Cronin as head coach, Thompson is another coaching veteran with over 20 years of experience behind the bench.

Over the course of his coaching career, Thompson has primarily spent it developing players into NHL talents, and the Ducks have no shortage of those players. The team did sign several veterans this offseason, but the team is clearly building around young talents such as Trevor Zegras, Troy Terry, and Jamie Drysdale.

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No Decision Yet On Carlsson's 2023-24 Plans, Clara Declined CHL Interest For Import Draft

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The Ducks drafted center Leo Carlsson with the second-overall pick in the draft last month and he is widely considered to be one of the most NHL-ready prospects of this draft class.  However, Carlsson’s agent Matt Keator told Jim Alexander of The Press-Enterprise that there is no rush for him to make a decision on where the youngster will play in 2023-24.  Carlsson is under contract for two more years with Orebro of the SHL but as Carlsson is a first-round pick and Sweden has a transfer agreement with the NHL, a contract with Anaheim can supersede that.  Carlsson had 25 points in 44 games last season in Sweden’s top division and a decision on where he plays next season will be jointly made between him and the team.

  • There were a total of a dozen NHL-drafted players in the recently-completed CHL Import Draft. One name that wasn’t on that list was Ducks goaltender Damian Clara.  Lisa Dillman of the Orange County Register notes that several CHL squads expressed an interest in bringing over the 18-year-old Italian but that the netminder remained committed to playing on loan in Sweden’s second-tier Allsvenskan next season with Brynas.  He has two years remaining on his deal over there but if things don’t go as planned for him next season, Clara would be eligible for selection in the Import Draft next summer as well.

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