- While the Ducks signed a key college prospect today when they inked Blake McLaughin, another of their NCAA prospects is still deciding whether he should turn pro or stay in school. Eric Stephens of The Athletic reports that defenseman Jackson LaCombe will likely need a few more days to decide if he’s going to return for his senior season with Minnesota. The 21-year-old was a second-round pick of Anaheim back in 2019 (39th overall) and had 30 points in 39 games with the Golden Gophers this season.
Ducks Rumors
Anaheim Ducks Sign Blake McLaughlin
Despite the disappointment of his team being unable to capture the NCAA’s National Championship, having been eliminated in the semifinals, there is some good news coming for Minnesota Gophers winger Blake McLaughlin. The Grand Rapids, Minnesota native has signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Anaheim Ducks, the team announced. His deal begins in the 2022-2023 season and McLaughlin will join the AHL’s San Diego Gulls for the rest of this season on an amateur tryout agreement.
McLaughlin, 22, was the 79th overall selection in the 2018 draft and has played four seasons at the University of Minnesota. He was an instantly meaningful scorer for the team, scoring 20 points in 35 games as a freshman, and he finished this season as one of the team’s most important players, tying Toronto prospect Matthew Knies for second in team scoring with 33 points. (in 39 games) McLaughlin has impressed coaches throughout his career as a prospect with his work ethic and all-around ability, and the transition to the professional game should be more seamless for him than it is for some other prospects.
For the Ducks, by signing McLaughlin the team gets a well-developed prospect who is either already or close to being NHL-ready. The team already boasts significant young talent up front, led by stars such as Trevor Zegras and Troy Terry, so McLaughlin won’t be expected to shoulder a significant load, but with the game he plays, it wouldn’t be surprising if he got a look next to some more talented players to see if they have chemistry. Given that McLaughlin is a senior player and could have had the opportunity to hit the open market and sign wherever he pleased, securing McLaughlin’s signature on an entry-level deal is a nice bit of work by new GM Pat Verbeek.
Ryan Getzlaf To Retire After 2021-22 Season
After a long, successful career, Ryan Getzlaf will hang up his skates at the end of this season. The Anaheim Ducks captain announced today that he will retire following the 2021-22 campaign, having only ever played for one franchise. In a statement, Getzlaf explained:
It’s been an honor to play in the NHL and spend my entire professional career with one organization. None of this would have been possible without my family, who offered unwavering love and support each step of the way. Thank you to our owners, Henry and Susan Samueli, for leading an organization committed to success on the ice, but more importantly, to making a positive impact in our community and to those in need.
Getzlaf, 36, played 17 seasons with the Ducks, debuting in 2005 after the lockout and basically never leaving the lineup. Named captain in 2010 after the departure of Scott Niedermayer, he has been the face of the franchise for more than a decade. Now, as the team transitions to a new core, he’ll step away from the game and allow younger players like Trevor Zegras to take the spotlight in Anaheim.
It’s been an incredible career for the 19th overall pick in 2003. Getzlaf has played in 1,150 games, registered 1,013 points, and raised the Stanley Cup in 2007. He sits as the team’s all-time leading scorer, with 200 more assists than Teemu Selanne who sits in second place. In fact, Getzlaf’s 731 career assists are actually good for 51st on the all-time NHL list–he could climb into the top-50 by season’s end.
There was also plenty of international success for the big center. Twice Getzlaf took home Olympic gold medals as part of Team Canada, while also winning World Cup, World Junior, and U18 golds along the way. While he never secured a World Championship gold to enter the “Triple Gold Club,” he did serve as captain of Canada at the event, in which he participated twice. Part of the famous 2003 draft class that will undoubtedly go down in history as one of the best ever, he sits just 21 points behind Eric Staal for the top in the entire group.
Even this year, at the end of his journey, Getzlaf has shown some of his patented playmaking ability, racking up 28 assists in 49 games. While the days of his prime are long behind him, he still has been rather effective for the Ducks in his final year.
Known outside the rink for his community efforts, Getzlaf was also praised by Ducks owners Henry and Susan Samueli for his work off the ice:
We are so proud of everything Ryan has accomplished in an amazing 17 years playing for the Ducks. While we will all remember his leadership qualities on the ice, it is his community-first approach that has cemented his legacy in Orange County. In addition to spearheading the Ducks Learn to Play Program and numerous other organizational charitable initiatives, he launched his own such event with the Annual Getzlaf Shootout to benefit CureDuchenne, raising over $4.27 million to date.
Getzlaf never did win any major individual awards, though he finished second in Hart Trophy voting in 2014. Like his playstyle that always favored setting up a teammate over taking the shot himself, his career will be remembered more for team success–in the NHL and internationally–than any personal accolades.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Troy Terry Won't Play Sunday
- Ducks winger Troy Terry will miss tonight’s game against Edmonton due to the facial injuries sustained on Friday against Arizona, reports Eric Stephens of The Athletic. He’s expected to be re-evaluated later today with a determination of how much more time he might miss to be made at that time. The 24-year-old has had a breakout year, recording more points (57) than he had in his first 129 career games over parts of four seasons (48).
Anaheim Ducks Sign Josh Lopina
After his University of Massachusetts was eliminated from the NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament on Friday, 2021 draft pick Josh Lopina signed his entry-level contract with the Anaheim Ducks today, per the team. Lopina will sign an amateur try-out contract (ATO) with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls for the remainder of the season, getting a sneak peek of hockey life within the Ducks organization. The terms of his NHL deal are not yet available.
Lopina was a bit of a surprise pick last year in the fourth round, but the double-overager came into the draft with a strong freshman season at UMass under his belt (23 points in 29 games) and an NCAA championship. He’s improved on those numbers this season, scoring 12 goals and 27 points in 27 games, the first time at any recorded level that Lopina has had a point-per-game season.
Undoubtedly a late bloomer, Lopina will get a chance to continue his upward rise in the Ducks organization. Likely destined for a full-time AHL role next season, he’ll get a chance to grow there alongside other Ducks youngsters like Jacob Perreault and the newly-acquired Drew Helleson.
Getzlaf Plans To Discuss Future With Ducks Soon
Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf plans to discuss his future with the team soon, notes Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register. At this point, no decision has been made as to whether or not the 36-year-old intends to return for an 18th NHL season with GM Pat Verbeek recently indicating that Getzlaf will “remain a Duck for whenever he decides not to play anymore”. After scoring just five goals last season, Getzlaf only has three this year but he sits second to only Trevor Zegras on the team in assists. He has a base salary of $3MM this season with another $1.5MM in incentives and his next contract – should he choose to sign one – should check in a bit lower in terms of total cost.
Getzlaf Game-Time Decision For Saturday, Terry Should Return
- Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf is expected to be a game-time decision for Saturday’s game against San Jose, notes Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register (Twitter link). The veteran has missed the last three weeks with a lower-body injury but still sits tied for fourth in team scoring. Winger Troy Terry should be back for that game, however, after missing Wednesday’s contest due to illness.
Evgenii Dadonov Trade Officially Canceled
The NHL has officially invalidated the Evgenii Dadonov trade between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Anaheim Ducks from Monday. In a statement, the league explained:
The trade could not be concluded because Dadonov’s contract includes a limited no-trade clause, which has not been complied with.
Dadonov now remains on the Golden Knights’ roster, while John Moore and Ryan Kesler are still part of the Ducks.
The invalidated trade, which would have seen the Golden Knights clear enough cap space to activate at least Alec Martinez from long-term injured reserve when he is ready to return, now raises plenty of questions about what comes next for Vegas. To clarify, the team is still able to trade Dadonov to another team not on his no-trade list, but he would then be ineligible to play again for the rest of the season and playoffs unless the NHL made an exemption in this case. The Arizona Coyotes were discussed as a potential landing spot on today’s 32 Thoughts podcast between Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman, though it is unclear at this point whether the two sides would be able to reach a deal.
Even if they do, Dadonov, through no fault of his own, is now in a very tricky situation. The Golden Knights were obviously ready to move on from him–the trade was originally confirmed by the league, making him a Duck for a short time–but if he now goes somewhere else he’ll miss a chance to play for the rest of this year. He would still collect his owed salary, and be able to play next season on his current contract which extends through 2022-23.
It also is a tough blow for Anaheim, who had not only grabbed a useful forward but cleared two contracts that weren’t helping them and added a conditional second-round draft pick. It looked like a big win for the Ducks, who have made out with a huge haul of future assets at the deadline by trading off several expiring contracts of their own.
The biggest question among the entire situation is how the NHL Central Registry approved the trade in the first place. Friedman tweeted yesterday that the league and Golden Knights were “led to believe” that Dadonov’s no-trade list had expired in some fashion, though there then turned up proof that he had submitted it on time.
For the Golden Knights, CapFriendly breaks down the situation. With Dadonov back on the roster, they would now need to clear $4.84MM in order to activate Martinez, and a total of $9.1MM to activate captain Mark Stone. Again, any player traded after the deadline is ineligible for not just the playoffs, but the rest of the regular season as well.
Dadonov Deal Still Uncertain
That is not the case, however, as evidence has emerged to show that Dadonov properly filed his no-trade list, which includes the Ducks, on June 30, the day before the clause would have expired had it not been given to the Senators. Important to note in this situation, and something that is often misunderstood is that though Dadonov could still technically be traded after the “deadline” should this deal be voided, he no longer would be eligible to play at all in 2021-22, regular season or playoffs.
Evgenii Dadonov Trade Under Review
March 22: After news broke last night that there was an issue with this trade, Darren Dreger of TSN tweets that it is still being reviewed by the NHL Central Registry and the NHLPA. The issue stems from a no-trade clause that was not disclosed by the Ottawa Senators when Dadonov was originally traded to Vegas, despite it being public knowledge at the time.
March 21: After much speculation throughout the day, the Evgenii Dadonov trade has finally gone through this evening reports TSN’s Chris Johnston. In addition to Dadonov, also heading to the Anaheim Ducks is a conditional second-round draft choice, which will be determined by the conditions of a draft pick previously traded to the Buffalo Sabres. In exchange, the Vegas Gold Knights acquire defenseman John Moore and the contract of forward Ryan Kesler.
This deal had been reported and all but confirmed earlier today before the NHL’s 3:00 pm EST trading deadline, however it had not been processed through NHL Central Registry and was not official until this evening. As Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman explains, the trade would have been accepted had it been submitted to Central Registry before the deadline, however that would have made Dadonov and Moore ineligible to play for the rest of the season. However, it appears the trade was submitted in time.
This trade was, for the most part, a salary cap deal. By sending Dadonov to Anaheim, Vegas clears his $5MM salary cap hit for this year and next year. However, by acquiring Moore, they absorb his $2.75MM cap hit, but that will lower to $1.625MM if they bury Moore in the AHL. In acquiring Kesler’s contract, Vegas can put him straight onto LTIR and have no net impact on their salary cap. All told, Vegas, will save $3.375MM in cap space, in exchange for a second-round draft pick and any production they will miss from Dadonov.
For Anaheim, the team has allowed Vegas to navigate a tricky cap situation, and was compensated for doing so with a second-round draft choice. The condition on the draft pick, as mentioned, concerns the Jack Eichel trade with Buffalo. If Vegas’ first-round draft choice in 2022 is in the top ten, then Vegas will send their 2024 second-round pick to Buffalo instead of the 2023 second-round draft pick originally reported in the Eichel deal. In other words, if Vegas’ first-round pick in 2022 is in the top 10, Anaheim receives their 2023 second-round draft choice; otherwise, they will receive Vegas’ 2024 second-round draft choice. Regardless, this move represents further precedent of the cost of shedding salary cap for a team that desperately needs to do so.
Not to be forgotten, the Ducks also acquire Dadonov, who has played in 62 games for Vegas this year, amassing 15 goals and 12 assists in the process, which replaces a good deal of the production Anaheim lost by trading Rickard Rakell away to the Pittsburgh Penguins earlier today. Dadonov also has an additional year under contract at $5MM for next year.