The Anaheim Ducks signed Jackson LaCombe to an eight-year contract extension on Thursday. While the Ducks [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/anaheim-ducks] didn't reveal the average annual salary, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman [https://x.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1973807952537792558] reported it's $9 million, which would make the total value a franchise-high $72 million. Devan Dubnyk discusses why it's time for the Anaheim Ducks to take steps out of the rebuild. LaCombe, a left-shot, two-way defenseman, will have a cap hit that's $2 million higher than center Mason McTavish [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/anaheim-ducks/latest-news/comparing-mason-mctavish-s-contract-to-similar-young-nhl-players], who ended a contract standoff last weekend by signing a six-year deal [https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/report-ducks-and-mctavish-finally-come-to-terms-on-a-six-year-deal] worth $7 million annually. "We are excited to sign Jackson to a long-term contract and lock up a core player for our future," Ducks GM Pat Verbeek said in a news release. "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." The 24-year-old LaCombe put up 14 goals and 29 assists for 43 points in 75 games last season, a 26-point increase from his rookie season. He also averaged 22:18 in ice time, the most on the Ducks in 2024-25 and even more than the 21:04 that Cam Fowler played in 17 games before being traded to the St. Louis Blues [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis-blues]. In fact, since the Ducks traded Fowler on Dec. 14, 2024, LaCombe played the fourth-most minutes in the NHL, trailing only the Columbus Blue Jackets [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/columbus-blue-jackets]' Zach Werenski, Montreal Canadiens [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens]' Mike Matheson and Detroit Red Wings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/detroit-red-wings]' Moritz Seider. "Today is an exciting day for my family, and I am grateful to the organization for their belief in me," LaCombe said. "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." Jackson LaCombe and Mikko Rantanen (Jerome Miron-Imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/15d4a56b-6ab5-439e-a18a-cb14cb7499f9.jpeg] Jackson LaCombe and Mikko Rantanen (Jerome Miron-Imagn Images) LaCombe ranked third on the Ducks in blocked shots, with 129. And on a team that finished sixth in the Pacific Division, he led regular Anaheim defenders at 5-on-5 in expected goals percentage (49.75 percent), scoring chances percentage (48.57 percent) and shot attempt percentage (49.29 percent), according to naturalstattrick.com [https://www.naturalstattrick.com/playerteams.php?fromseason=20242025&thruseason=20242025&stype=2&sit=5v5&score=all&stdoi=oi&rate=n&team=ANA&pos=D&loc=B&toi=100&gpfilt=none&fd=&td=&tgp=410&lines=single&draftteam=ALL]. He was also the only Ducks defender to be on the ice for more shots-for than against at 5-on-5. As Friedman noted, Ryan Getzlaf, Paul Kariya and Corey Perry had higher average annual values, but their contracts weren't as long, which means LaCombe set a franchise record for richest contract in terms of total value. With LaCombe under contract for the long run, the Ducks have four pending RFAs left: Cutter Gauthier, Leo Carlsson, Pavel Mintyukov and Olen Zellweger. Earlier on Thursday, the Florida Panthers signed defensive defenseman Niko Mikkola [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/panthers-agree-to-eight-year-contract-extension-with-niko-mikkola] to an eight-year contract as well, with a $5-million cap hit. For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.
