Forward Frank Vatrano has agreed to a three-year contract extension with the Anaheim Ducks through the 2027-28 season.
The Ducks announced Sunday the signing of Vatrano, 30, who will enter his third season in Anaheim. He has 68 goals and 53 assists in 200 games with the Ducks, including nine goals and 11 assists this season.
The deal will pay Vatrano $3 million each of the next three seasons, with an additional $9 million in deferred salary starting in 2035, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. That’s what it means.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Ducks have not released financial details of the deal.
Vatrano has been a reliable top-six forward since joining Anaheim as a free agent in 2022, and has scored the most goals on the roster since joining the club. Although he led the Ducks with 37 goals and 60 points last season, general manager Pat Verbeek declined offers to trade Vatrano to a contender, leaving Vatrano as a key part of the rebuild in Anaheim. I hoped.
The Ducks and Vatrano agreed to keep his contractual salary the same in order to keep Vatrano’s cap number low. Additionally, California’s relatively high state income taxes can influence players’ contract decisions, so it’s likely that players will receive tax benefits depending on where they live in 2035.
Anaheim also plans ahead to create salary cap space as a large group of young talent hits free agency and the Ducks push against the cap, and they intend to do so.
The Ducks have four forwards selected in the top five of various NHL drafts (Leo Karlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Mason McTavish, and Beckett Sennecke) and promising defensemen Oren Zellweger and Pavel Minchukov. , there are a number of top talents still on entry-level contracts, including Jackson. Lacombe.
Vatrano was supposed to become a restricted free agent this summer when his three-year, $10.95 million contract with the Ducks expires. The undrafted free agent from Western Massachusetts began his NHL career with the Boston Bruins, then spent time with the Florida Panthers and New York Rangers before signing with Anaheim as a free agent.
Vatrano has played in 601 NHL games, scoring 169 goals and dishing out 122 assists.
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