Defenseman Jackson LaCombe, a big part of what the Anaheim Ducks hope will be a bright future, signed an eight-year, $72 million contract extension Thursday, a team source confirmed to The Athletic.

LaCombe’s current contract expires after this season. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet first reported the contract details.

It’s a big investment for the Ducks, as LaCombe’s $9 million AAV matches that of Luke Hughes, who signed a seven-year extension with the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday.

LaCombe’s contract is the largest the Ducks have given out in total compensation, supplanting the eight-year, $69-million deal with Corey Perry in 2013. It is also the Ducks’ highest AAV of the salary-cap era.

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LaCombe, 24, is entering his third full NHL season after being a second-round draft pick in 2019, and has 16 goals and 44 assists in 148 games. Locking him up is another big step for the Ducks, who also signed restricted free agent Mason McTavish to a six-year, $42 million contract this week.

“Today is an exciting day for my family and I am grateful to the organization for their belief in me,” LaCombe said in a statement. “It was an easy decision for me to commit my future to the Ducks and Orange County. We are building something special here and I am excited to do everything I can to help this team win.”

What it means for the Ducks

This is a clear sign that the Ducks have identified LaCombe as not only their No. 1 defenseman going forward but one who can become a high-level lead blueliner in the league. That process began with his huge step forward last season, when he led the team in ice time while breaking out with 14 goals and 43 points to lead their blue line.

General manager Pat Verbeek, who had been under increasing scrutiny because of his previous difficult contract negotiations with young restricted free agents, likely provided a strong hint toward this major extension when he recently said there were internal discussions underway about locking up important core pieces well ahead of their contracts expiring. The massive commitment to LaCombe is proof of that.

“We are excited to sign Jackson to a long-term contract and lock up a core player for our future,” Verbeek said in a statement. “Getting this deal done early was a priority for us. Jackson has all of the tools to be an anchor on our back end for many years to come.”

What is LaCombe’s potential?

The contract indicates more of what teams must do in this age — determine core players and pay big with the expectation of what they will do, as opposed to paying big bucks for what they have done — when it comes to building a sustainable contender. It isn’t clear if the Hughes contract had any bearing on the number the Ducks arrived at with LaCombe, but it isn’t hard to note the similarity.

What can LaCombe become for the Ducks? Well, the 14 goals he scored were the most by an Anaheim defenseman since Lubomir Visnovsky in 2011. Is that a number he can repeatedly hit? LaCombe, who played forward in his youth, has shown great improvement in his own end but still has the offensive inclinations to be a point producer. He has learned how to use his size and tremendous skating to his advantage. If he becomes an ace quarterbacking the Ducks’ power play, that could vault him into future Norris Trophy discussions.

Something to remember is that LaCombe played with Minnesota Wild standout Brock Faber at the University of Minnesota. It took longer for LaCombe to make a big impact in the NHL, and the Ducks knew he was more of a project when they drafted him. This contract is a bet that LaCombe has a lot more to tap into as the anchor of their defense and, with Joel Quenneville now as his coach, there is a belief that he can take the 24-year-old to higher levels. Quenneville did OK with a defenseman named Duncan Keith.

(Photo: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)