The Anaheim Ducks and forward Troy Terry avoid an arbitration hearing by agreeing on a seven-year contract worth $7 million per season.

The Anaheim Ducks and Troy Terry agreed to terms on a seven-year contract, the team announced on Wednesday. 

While the team didn't announce financial details, The Athletic's Eric Stephens reports it is worth $7 million per year.

Terry and the Ducks were scheduled to have an arbitration hearing on Wednesday. If the hearing began, the two parties would have no longer been allowed to settle on a contract and instead would've had to wait for the arbitrator's ruling.

The 25-year-old put up a career-high 38 assists this past season to go along with 23 goals for 61 points in 70 games. Ahead of the hearing, each party exchanged contract numbers. The Ducks submitted $4.5 million, while Terry's camp submitted an $8-million cap hit, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Since the Ducks drafted Terry 148th overall in 2015, the Denver native recorded 75 goals and 101 helpers for 176 points in 274 games. But Terry broke out as a first-line right winger in 2021-22 with 67 points, an average of 0.89 points per game that more than doubled his 0.42 per game in 2020-21. 

Terry and 22-year-old center Trevor Zegras lead Anaheim's offense, with the former averaging 19:22 in ice time per game this past season. Both players also have years to go until their expected prime. The Ducks convinced Terry to buy into what the franchise is building, and he will be under contract throughout his prime and the 2029-30 NHL season. 

It's a statement long-term signing for the Ducks, who risked having to explain to an arbitrator why Terry isn't good enough for the money he was asking for if they couldn't get a deal done. History doesn't always paint a positive light between player and organization in the seasons thereafter, as it has led to players leaving for different clubs in the short term. The six-foot, 185-pound winger is also a key piece of the club as it tries to work toward ending its rebuild and eventually making the playoffs for the first time since the 2017-18 season.

The Ducks can now focus on another crucial off-season task – re-signing Terry's linemate. Zegras remains an RFA without arbitration rights, and Anaheim has about $20.2 million in cap space this upcoming season to work with, according to PuckPedia. The center may have put up four more points (65) this past season than Terry with a three-and-a-half-year age difference, but Zegras played 11 more games. 

Getting both players under contract for the long term while leaving cap space to round out the roster should help put the Ducks on track to become a playoff contender.