Three Anaheim Ducks Players Will be Eligible to Sign Contract Extensions This Offseason
A trio of Ducks players will be eligible for contract extensions starting July 1. What are the chances any of them are signed before the conclusion of the 2024-25 season?
Three Anaheim Ducks Players Will be Eligible to Sign Contract Extensions This OffseasonMason McTavish (21), Frank Vatrano (30), and Lukas Dostal (23) were all impactful players on the Ducks roster in 2023-24 and are signed under contracts that will expire at the end of the 2024-25 season. They will be eligible to sign contract extensions starting July 1, 2024.
All three players assumed elevated roles for the Ducks in 2023-24 and seem to hold significant importance to the team moving forward.
“Yeah, we’re looking at all that stuff. It’s on the radar," Ducks General Manager Pat Verbeek stated when asked during his post-season interview. "We go through our process with the timing of it all. It’ll certainly be something that we look at.”
In his two and a half seasons as the General Manager of the Ducks, Verbeek hasn't signed a player to a contract extension before expiration. In the summer of 2022, he stated he didn't plan on negotiating extensions with Troy Terrry, Trevor Zegras, and Jamie Drysdale and he wanted them to keep their focus on the ice. Those negotiations were all long and extended processes before ink was put to paper. It will be worth monitoring if these negotiations will follow a similar pattern.
Mason McTavish
McTavish finished the 2023-24 season with totals of 19 goals and 23 assists in 64 games.
McTavish was in and out of the Ducks' lineup all season long. His two most significant injury stints were in December when he missed seven games due to an upper-body injury and in April when he missed the team's last six games of the season with a sprained MCL.
When he was in the lineup, he showcased why he's thought of as a long-term impact center in the NHL. He competes and battles in every zone, thriving in the tight areas of the ice and on the rush. In his sophomore season, he added layers to his game from his rookie year as he was able to process the speed of NHL hockey more effectively, change pace, and slip pucks to teammates to create chances and extend offensive zone time.
McTavish struggled in two specific areas during his sophomore season. He was ineffective in defensive zone coverage when he wasn't the low forward and his trips to the penalty box were too frequent. He took 36 minor penalties, good enough for fourth-most in the NHL despite only averaging 16:17 TOI and missing 18 games with injury.
In recent memory, players like Dylan Cozens, Owen Power, and Jake Sanderson have all signed long-term extensions with their respective teams before or during the final year of their ELC. If McTavish has a scorching start to his 2024-25 campaign, a mid-season extension may be considered, but as it stands, it's unlikely an extension will be reached before the first game of next season.
It's probably in both parties' (the Ducks and McTavish's representation) best interests to delay conversations. The Ducks will want McTavish to prove he's improved defensively and from a disciplinary standpoint while McTavish will want to increase his production as much as he can before signing an extension.
Frank Vatrano
Vatrano had a breakout 2023-24 campaign where he earned his first NHL All-Star selection and scored 37 goals and 23 assists in 82 games.
Vatrano was the only player on the Ducks roster to play all 82 games of the 2023-24 season. Vatrano assumed a massive role for the Ducks this season as he led the team's forwards in power play (186) and penalty kill (157) minutes.
Before this season, Vatrano was a one-speed (fast), proficient forechecker with a quick release. In 2023-24, he added several layers to his offensive game. He deployed a change of pace ability and excellent vision upon zone entry. He found soft ice with greater regularity as to present himself an option off the rush or cycle and an ability to score greasier goals around the net-front area.
Like McTavish, Vatrano had his defensive and penalty taking troubles. When he was the low forward in defensive zone coverage or the first forward on a backcheck, his processing time to pick up his assignment lacked slightly. Vatrano led the NHL in minor penalties taken and set a career high in PIMs with 85.
The question with any breakout season is "can it be repeated?" Vatrano has a career shooting percentage of 10.8% and shot at a 13.6% rate in 2023-24, not too much of a leap. As the team's younger players mature, Vatrano's role may decrease as may his shot volume. He had a total of 272 shots on goal this season, tying him for 19th in the NHL with Alexander Ovechkin.
Taking all factors into consideration, Vatrano has the opportunity and skillset to remain a regular 30-goal scorer for years to come. He will be a member of a top nine forward group in Anaheim full of effective, young playmakers like Trevor Zegras and Leo Carlsson who can continue to find him in soft ice.
Vatrano holds important roles in the locker room and on the ice for the Ducks. Management, coaches, and players all rave about his work ethic and mindset.
This may be a case of management electing to see if his production is repeatable, but it wouldn't surprise anyone if the All-Star forward signs a contract extension before the calendar flips to 2025.
Lukas Dostal
Dostal started 38 games for the Ducks in his rookie season and finished with a .902 sv% and -5.3GSAx.
"Dostal played a lot of games, probably more than I would have envisioned when he got here," Pat Verbeek said of his goaltending situation. "I think now we're in a good spot. We have two goaltenders who can play equally well. I think it's a really good thing in a sense to where there's competition within the lineup and that's going to bring out the best in everyone."
Verbeek, as is a trend in the modern NHL, has indicated the Ducks will run a true tandem in net in 2024-25 with John Gibson and Lukas Dostal. Due mostly to injury, John Gibson only started seven games in the final months of March and April as compared to Dostal who started 17.
Dostal's is another situation where he likely won't be offered or sign an extension before or during the 2024-25 season. The goaltending position isn't as highly valued as in the past and committing long-term to a goaltender with less than 100 NHL games doesn't seem like something Pat Verbeek would be willing to do. Should Dostal perform at a Vezina Trophy level to start the season, that conversation may be revisited, but would still be unexpected.