Frank Vatrano signs three-year extension with Ducks

Vatrano will have $9 million deferred in salary as part of his extension.

The Ducks have locked down one of their pending UFAs. On Sunday, it was announced that Frank Vatrano had signed a three-year extension. Instead of a typical salary format though, Vatrano will be paid $3 million a year in base salary with $9 million in deferred salary.

Deferred salary deals in hockey aren’t commonplace, with only a handful of deals being made in this fashion so far. Seth Jarvis’ extension with the Carolina Hurricanes comes to mind. But the frequency of deals like this may increase in the future, especially as teams find creative ways to stay under the salary cap limit.

Now, back to Vatrano. By extending him, the Ducks keep one of their most heavily-used forwards around. Vatrano, who just played in his 600th NHL game, is well-liked inside the Ducks’ locker room and head coach Greg Cronin has no issue deploying him in all situations. Vatrano’s tenacity and straight-line speed helped guide him to a career-high 37 goals last season, but the offense hasn’t been as frequent this season. If the production can regulate, the Ducks will continue to have a player capable of moving around their top-9 at a modest rate. Vatrano’s $4.57 million AAV is just a slight bump from his current $3.65 AAV.

“Frank is an important member of our team and is committed to the organization moving forward,” general manager Pat Verbeek said in a written statement. “He is a hard-nosed, competitive player with a gift for scoring goals. We couldn’t be happier for Frank to sign for three more years.”

“I see how bright our future is and we are making turns in the right direction to ultimately bring a Stanley Cup to Anaheim,” Vatrano said in a written statement. “I couldn’t be happier to sign a three-year extension, and I am excited to help this team grow and be a big part of our future.”