Less than a week after signing Mason McTavish to a six-year contract extension, the Ducks have now signed defenseman Jackson LaCombe to an eight-year, $72 million extension.
This deal makes LaCombe the highest-paid player in franchise history. While players like Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Paul Kariya had higher AAVs, LaCombe’s deal is the most in total dollars.
“We are excited to sign Jackson to a long-term contract and lock up a core player for our future,” general manager Pat Verbeek said in a press 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.”
“Today is an exciting day for my family and I am grateful to the organization for their belief in me,” LaCombe said from the same press release. “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.”
With this long-term commitment, the Ducks have pegged LaCombe as their No. 1 defenseman. A breakout year in his sophomore season saw him put up 43 points in 75 games and average the highest amount of time on ice among Ducks skaters. He is an integral part of both the power play and penalty kill as well.
Now that LaCombe and McTavish have been locked down, all eyes will turn to Leo Carlsson, Anaheim’s No. 1 center, who is slated to be a restricted free agent (RFA) this upcoming summer. In addition to Carlsson, pending RFAs Cutter Gauthier, Pavel Mintyukov and Olen Zellweger will need new contracts.
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