The Anaheim Ducks are the toast of the town in the NHL. General Manager Pat Verbeek believed his team would be a playoff team this season. Lots of people rolled their eyes. It was hard enough to make a 21-point jump in the standings last year. To do it again, considering the competition in the Western Conference, the odds were stacked against Anaheim.
However, Verbeek’s belief has carried over into the locker room, and the Anaheim Ducks have become one of the season’s surprise teams. New head coach Joel Quenneville has got this good mix of veterans and young players clicking on all cylinders. However, like any good general manager, he is always looking for ways to improve his club and prepare for the future, especially when it comes to signing players he believes will be part of the core moving forward.
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We have seen recently that, when it comes to restricted free agents, Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale, both now with the Philadelphia Flyers, those negotiations dragged on too long. Same with Mason McTavish this past season, who missed parts of training camp before signing his new extension with the club.
So after extending Jackson LaCombe in the final year of his entry-level contract to an eight-year, $9 million AAV contract, Pat Verbeek is once again going to be patient when it comes to extending his RFA players. Those RFAs include Cutter Gauthier, Leo Carlsson, Pavel Mintyukov, Ian Moore, and Olen Zellweger.
Verbeek was asked whether there were any negotiations underway when he spoke to Victory+ TV during the Ducks-Boston Bruins game on Wednesday night.
“No, they’re not. Rigt now, we’ve had kind of pushed the talks off,” Verbeek said. “So just to, kind of, I think, for everybody, just to kind of see where the market’s going to kind of settle, and see if there’s any other things that kind of sneak out. But right now, we’re just we are in a pause, and I really don’t want to get into too hard of it, because I want the players to keep playing well and not thinking about their contracts.”
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Some players play better knowing they have to play for something, while others strive knowing things are settled. But it is clear that when contract talks are the first thing discussed, rather than the play on the ice, it does affect players. So Verbeek is right there. Clearly, Lacombe is living up to his new deal.
But as NHLRumors.com has mentioned, the negotiation process has yet to start for Gauthier or Carlsson with the Ducks. As Verbeek mentioned, let’s see where the market is when these players become RFA on July 1. The salary cap is going up. But, interestingly, Lacombe was signed right after Luke Hughes signed his deal with the Devils.
And when Verbeek talks about the market, he is talking about Connor Bedard with the Chicago Blackhawks and what he is going to get. Bedard is also an RFA this summer, and Verbeek is likely to slow-play Carlsson’s negotiations so Bedard can set the market. But then again, Carlsson could be the first to sign, and Bedard could pass him.
The Ducks will once again have a lot of cap space next season, so Gauthier and Carlsson could be eight-figure guys. It all depends on the length and how many RFA years they are buying up compared to UFA years. Is it mid-range or long-term, or do they bridge one of the players? Lots of options on the table there with these two players.
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Of course, then there is Olen Zellweger. His name was in the rumor mill over the summer, but he has picked up his play this season under Quenneville. Again, he could get a bridge deal. Lacombe seems to be the highest-paid player on defence, and everyone will fall underneath that.
But what happens with Pavel Mintyukov? The report is from Elliotte Friedman of 32 Thoughts, who states that Mintyukov isn’t happy with back-to-back healthy scratches and wants a change of scenery so he can play. As Friedman states, “Ducks GM Pat Verbeek will not be rushed into anything—something to keep an eye on.”
Interestingly, the Anaheim Ducks are a defense factory that produces NHLers for other teams around the league. The problem is, they haven’t gotten an excellent return for the guys they have shipped out in the past. The two best trades that came to mind were Sami Vatanen for Adam Henrique and Gauthier for Drysdale.
Again, Pat Verbeek has time with all of this. Let the teams come to him. Let’s see if Verbeek stays patient with his RFAs or if he, in fact, extends them before the season is over, especially if they keep this pace going.
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