The Ducks have signed one of their RFAs to a long-term contract. No, it’s not the one that many Ducks fans have at the forefront of their mind, but it’s an important piece of their young core nonetheless.

On Sunday, it was reported by multiple insiders that the Ducks signed the 22-year-old Russian defenseman to a five-year contract extension with an AAV of $7.2 million. The first year includes a $3 million signing bonus, while the final year includes a 10-team no trade clause. This move solidifies the Ducks’ left side of their defense, as they now have both Mintyukov and Jackson LaCombe locked down to long-term deals.

It was reported that Mintyukov had a pending offer sheet with an unidentified team, but that Mintyukov’s preference was to remain a Duck. After Olen Zellweger was traded to the Buffalo Sabres on Day 1 of the 2026 NHL Draft, it was clear that Mintyukov had won the internal battle for the No. 2 spot on the left side behind LaCombe. 

Following a pair of stellar seasons in the OHL, one in which he was named OHL Defenseman of the Year, Mintyukov has hovered around the 20-point mark in each of his three NHL seasons. There is still plenty of runway for him to reach higher offensive outputs, especially with the mass exodus the Ducks had on the blue line this summer. And while Mintyukov’s offensive contributions haven’t been as high as the Ducks might have hoped, his defense has improved.

Retrievals in the defensive zone continue to be a work in progress, but his rush defense has become a strength, turning him into more of a play killer and transition specialist. Becoming the inverse of LaCombe, where he has above-average defense while chipping in offensively from time to time, wouldn’t be the worst outcome.

With Mintyukov under contract, the Ducks are now projected to have just under $10 million in cap space (per PuckPedia). This also includes Leo Carlsson’s five-year, $90 million offer sheet from the Philadelphia Flyers, which the Ducks have until July 10 to decide whether or not to match.

Cutter Gauthier is the Ducks’ other big-name RFA who still needs to be signed. AFP Analytics projects Gauthier to receive a seven-year contract with an AAV of $8.8 million if signed to a long-term deal. His projection for a short-term would be three years with an AAV of $6.31 million. That doesn’t give the Ducks a ton of wiggle room to add more impact players this summer, as they would have anywhere from $1.5 to $3 million left in cap space.

Fortunately for Anaheim, $14.95 million will come off their books next season when Alex Killorn, Chris Kreider and Ville Husso all become unrestricted free agents. They still have a couple of seasons before Calder Trophy finalist Beckett Sennecke is eligible for an extension and by then, Mikael Granlund’s $7 million salary and Frank Vatrano’s $4.57 million salary will also be off the books.

Of course, projections aren’t the be-all, end-all, so it’s possible that Gauthier gets a higher number than projected. That would put the Ducks in a tight spot, tighter than anything they’ve experienced since Pat Verbeek took over as the general manager in 2022. This argument also becomes moot if Carlsson’s offer sheet ultimately goes unmatched, but it’s difficult to envision a scenario where that becomes a reality.

Now that Mintyukov has been signed, Ducks fans will spend the upcoming week awaiting what Verbeek’s plan is regarding both Carlsson and Gauthier.