IRVINE, Calif. \u2014 As was their mission from the moment they hired Joel Quenneville as their head coach, the Anaheim Ducks played their way into the Stanley Cup playoff position. General manager Pat Verbeek rewarded their efforts by being a buyer at the trade deadline, helping secure their spot.<\/p>\n
The Ducks took that shot of belief from the front office and won their first playoff series in nine years. After coming up short in the second round, it\u2019s back to Verbeek to shape the roster in the offseason and build on their renewed success.<\/p>\n
No team runs it all back, not even championship clubs. And it\u2019s not as if the Ducks should. They\u2019re only at the initial stage, now about to take that first step toward being a consistent Stanley Cup contender. Verbeek\u2019s job over the next few months is to fortify the roster while settling contractual situations and making important decisions on their own players, including those who figure to be franchise pillars.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt some point, I got to look to see how we can improve the team,\u201d Verbeek said as the Ducks began to conduct their exit meetings. \u201cIt\u2019s obvious we\u2019re not quite good enough to get to the third round, so we\u2019ve got some more work to do. But I think there\u2019s going to be certain things. There\u2019ll be maturity amongst our younger guys; they got another year under their belt. Can expect another step from them and just kind of keep growing it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Free agency begins July 1, there is and the trade market, with deals often occurring at the NHL Draft in June. But Verbeek also has his own yard to tend to. Twelve players on the Ducks\u2019 playoff roster will require new contracts. What lies ahead for him?<\/p>\n
Restricted free agents<\/p>\n
The two big ones are Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier. Neither is eligible for salary arbitration and Verbeek, along with assistant GM and chief contract negotiator Jeff Solomon, has a well-established reputation for hammering away at deals for their own RFAs until they get the terms they want. Just ask Mason McTavish. Or Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale.<\/p>\n
But does it make sense to play hardball with your franchise No. 1 center and best goal scorer, who recorded the most since team legend Corey Perry? Carlsson and Gauthier are going to make a lot of money. What Verbeek is willing to pay both and for how long remains to be seen.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, in a perfect scenario, I\u2019d like to be able to get them done in a week here,\u201d Verbeek said, chuckling. \u201cI\u2019m hoping for the best to try and make sure that everybody\u2019s excited for training camp and all of us are happy. Unfortunately, I don\u2019t have a crystal ball to say how it\u2019s going to go. But we\u2019re going to do our best to make sure that we get everybody excited and there for camp.\u201d<\/p>\n
It isn\u2019t a laughing matter for fans who watched last fall\u2019s talks on an extension for McTavish grind into the preseason, or what eventually led to both Zegras and Drysdale being traded. Now it\u2019s obvious that Carlsson, their No. 2 pick in 2023, and Gauthier \u2014 who was acquired by trading Drysdale \u2014 are the kinds of foundational pieces that Verbeek envisioned.<\/p>\n
They\u2019re also going to cost a ton. Jackson LaCombe signed the richest total contract in Ducks history in October, an eight-year extension worth $72 million. That could be eclipsed in a matter of months.<\/p>\n
Verbeek did that deal just days after negotiating the six-year deal for McTavish, well before LaCombe\u2019s two-year bridge contract was set to expire. It was proof the Ducks can get something done with an important RFA without dragging it into camp, when talks can become rancorous and the player may not report. Every player is different, but McTavish is coming off a challenging season.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou obviously want to get it done before training camp, so you can be here with the team as early as possible,\u201d Carlsson said.<\/p>\n
Talks with Gauthier have yet to commence. Like his teammate, the Ducks will be paying for current production and the promise it holds up throughout their prime seasons. Gauthier led Anaheim with 41 goals and 69 points. Carlsson scored 29 goals and had 67 points. The two combined for eight goals and 23 points in their 12 playoff games.<\/p>\n
Gauthier said his focus was on the season and hasn\u2019t put much thought into his upcoming contract.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe got a handful of months before camp starts up again,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019ll be an issue, but you never know so we\u2019ll see what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another factor is the maximum length of contracts changing from eight years to seven when teams sign their own free agents, and seven years to six for players who sign with another team. Verbeek said he doesn\u2019t see that change, which takes effect Sept. 16, as being a problem.<\/p>\n
Carlsson said he\u2019s \u201copen to everything\u201d when it comes to term. LaCombe said getting Carlsson and Gauther signed \u201cfor as long as they can get them is the biggest goal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThose two guys are so big for us, and they\u2019re going to be huge for us moving forward,\u201d the defenseman added.<\/p>\n
But will Verbeek reach common ground with the agents for Carlsson and Gauthier sooner rather than later?<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d like to get it done as soon as possible,\u201d he said. \u201cWe all have to cooperate with one another, right? So that\u2019s the goal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those two aren\u2019t the Ducks\u2019 only notable RFAs. A slate of their young defensemen have that status, starting with Pavel Mintyukov and Olen Zellweger, who were lineup regulars most of the season. Ian Moore played much of his rookie year at forward because of the defensive depth. Tyson Hinds figured into the Ducks\u2019 playoff plans after playing most of the year in the American Hockey League. With prospects Tristan Luneau and Stian Solberg at the top of the pipeline, Verbeek could have some interesting calls to make in sorting out his blue line.<\/p>\n
Unrestricted free agents<\/p>\n
Speaking of the defense, the Ducks have three prominent impending UFA blueliners: Jacob Trouba, John Carlson and Radko Gudas. CapWages estimates Anaheim having $40 million available under the $104 million salary cap for 2026-27. Where the contracts for Gauthier and Carlsson come in at will subtract from that.<\/p>\n
Trouba has settled in as a strong partner for LaCombe. The 32-year-old is finishing a seven-year, $56 million contract he signed with the New York Rangers. He said there was contract talk with the Ducks at the deadline but that it \u201cdidn\u2019t get very far.\u201d<\/p>\n
He joked that he\u2019ll continue to let his hair grow until he signs an extension. The partnership with LaCombe paid dividends and is an attraction.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, he\u2019s a very special player,\u201d Trouba said. \u201cI think he\u2019s shown that. The growth he\u2019s had throughout the time here and then this year the step he took is pretty impressive. He\u2019d be a great guy to play with for years to come.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn\u2019t necessarily mean that\u2019s going to be a partner if you\u2019re here. Things change obviously. Whoever gets the opportunity to play (with) him is in a very good spot.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carlson was the big deadline addition by Verbeek after the longtime Washington Capital couldn\u2019t reach an extension with his team of 17 seasons. He had four goals and 10 assists in 16 regular-season games with Anaheim and added six more assists in the playoffs.<\/p>\n
The 36-year-old said there have been no numbers exchanged on a new contract with the Ducks. He called his time with the club a \u201cthrill\u201d and a \u201cblast.\u201d But he was also noncommittal, with his wife and family certain to figure into his decision-making.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the part of it that I don\u2019t have answers for right now,\u201d said Carlson, whose cap number is $8 million. \u201cI certainly loved it here. There\u2019s a lot of moving parts to that to properly answer the question. But yeah, I\u2019ve loved my time. It\u2019s a special place here for sure with some extraordinary talent and a really bright future. That certainly is attractive to anyone, not just myself.\u201d<\/p>\n
The one who expressed the most desire to remain is Gudas. The 35-year-old Czech blueliner said the Ducks making him their captain two years ago \u201cwas one of (the) biggest honors of my career.\u201d But will the Ducks want to keep him? Gudas signed a three-year, $4 million AAV deal with Anaheim as a 2023 free agent.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a very soft spot for Anaheim after these few years here and if there\u2019s a chance for me staying here, I\u2019m open to do that,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re doing strides in the right direction. And it would be a shame to say I don\u2019t want to be part of a group that\u2019s getting better every day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Along with the defensemen, the Ducks have rugged forwards Ross Johnston, Jansen Harkins and Jeffrey Viel on expiring contracts. Each contributed to the team at different points, with Viel notably becoming an everyday regular who scored important goals in their first-round victory over the Edmonton Oilers.<\/p>\n
In his postseason availability, Verbeek didn\u2019t want to get into the details of where things stand.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s still a little raw losing out,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m going to take two to three weeks to sit there and look at it unemotionally. Sift through the decisions. Obviously, there\u2019s going to be some really tough decisions that are going to get made. But I\u2019m going to take my time to do it. And I have time to think about it and make the best possible decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"IRVINE, Calif. \u2014 As was their mission from the moment they hired Joel Quenneville as their head coach,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":320924,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[163,824,165,164],"class_list":["post-320923","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-anaheim","tag-anaheim","tag-anaheim-ducks","tag-anaheim-headlines","tag-anaheim-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/320923","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=320923"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/320923\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/320924"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=320923"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=320923"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=320923"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}