Pat Verbeek stunned the hockey world by locking down the unproven defenseman with a massive payday. Discover how this dynamic prospect overcame injuries to become a cornerstone.
Just over 24 hours before the most eventful and surprising offseason in the history of the Anaheim Ducks/Mighty Ducks of Anaheim was, at long last, scheduled to conclude, general manager Pat Verbeek had one more trick up his sleeve as the team announced on Thursday, the day before the puck was set to drop on their 2026-27 campaign, that they’d signed young defenseman Tristan Luneau (22) to a six-year, $7.2 million AAV contract extension. The contract will go into effect at the start of the 2027-28 season.
Upon the news breaking, the majority of the hockey world understandably questioned Luneau’s merit to earn such a significant payday and Verbeek’s methodology in handing out a contract to someone with Luneau’s experience (or lack thereof).
So, who is Tristan Luneau and why did the Ducks sign him to such a large contract?
Who?
“It’s great. I get to play hockey for six more years,” Luneau stated moments after putting pen to paper. “It’s a great moment for me and my family. It’s a group I want to be a part of for a long time, and I believe in what we’re all working for.”
Luneau (53rd in 2022) is four years removed from his draft, when he was selected by the Ducks in the second round. He was a first overall pick in the QMJHL Draft in 2020, selected by Gatineau Olympiques, but a nagging knee injury, repaired following his 2020-21 season, hindered his production in his draft year, where he scored 43 points (12-31=43) in 63 games, causing the talented right-shot defenseman to fall to the second round of the NHL Draft.
The season following his draft (2022-23), he bounced back significantly and scored 83 points (20-63=83) in 65 games and added 17 (2-15=17) in 13 playoff games, earning him QMJHL Defenseman of the Year honors.
The Ducks’ plan for Luneau as it pertained to the next season, 2023-24, was to start him in the NHL and send him to the AHL on a conditioning loan before he was to represent Canada at the 2024 World Junior Championships. He sustained an infection in his leg en route to the tournament and was sidelined for the rest of the season while he recovered, and only ended up playing 13 games between the NHL and AHL.
He mostly spent the next two seasons (2024-25 and 2025-26) developing and playing substantial minutes for the San Diego Gulls in the AHL with two brief stints in the NHL for the Ducks.
Luneau finished his AHL career with 95 points (19-76=95) in 135 games, and prior to signing his contract, he had just four points (2-2=4) in 14 NHL games. So, given his resume, it’s justified for the hockey world to have their collective eyebrows raised when a former second-round pick with 14 games of NHL experience signs a deal like the one he did on Thursday.
Luneau possesses an NHL frame (6-foot-1, 211 pounds) and every on-ice tool to become a No. 1 defenseman. With the puck, he’s strong, elusive, and dynamic. He fends off forecheckers, makes smart, decisive outlets, and can join or lead rushes up ice. In the offensive zone, he fiercely patrols the blueline, activates downhill at will, and smartly gets his heavy shot through traffic with consistency.
On the defensive side of the puck, he’s just as aggressive, displaying tight gaps, knowledge of angles, and an influential, active stick. He’s difficult to gain ice against in the tight areas, and he’s tenacious in front of his net.
Over the past four years, he’s developed and translated his offensive game to every level below the NHL and has put in the work to iron out his defensive game. He’s gained the necessary size, skill, and strength to succeed against the world’s top hockey players. He’s as NHL-ready as a defense prospect has ever been.
Why?
"Signing Tristan to a long-term contract was a priority as we see him as a top-four defenseman for years to come,” Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek stated in the Ducks’ press release that followed the signing. “Getting the deal done before the season started was a key part of our planning for now and the future."
The Ducks can easily be considered the main character of the 2026 NHL offseason. Following a year where they seemingly put their rebuild in the rearview mirror, an offer sheet to their franchise player, Leo Carlsson, sent shockwaves through the organization and the NHL as a whole.
When all was said and done, the Ducks signed their three highest-profile RFAs coming off ELCs (Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Pavel Mintyukov) to larger contracts than they were anticipating. As a result, they saw a mass exodus of roster players who found new homes over the summer, including Mason McTavish, Chris Kreider, Jacob Trouba, John Carlsson, Radko Gudas, and Olen Zellweger.
Given the volume of defensive contributors who are now off the roster, only subsidized by the addition of Nick Jensen (36), Luneau, someone whom the front office greatly believes will step in and immediately flourish in a top-four role, now has a clear path toward a breakout season. He’s slated to start the year on the top pair alongside Jackson LaCombe, run the point on the Ducks’ second power play unit, and may even kill penalties.
Since he accepted the job as the Ducks general manager in Feb. 2022, Verbeek has established a reputation as a shrewd negotiator with his team’s RFAs, especially those coming off their ELCs. Past talks with Trevor Zegras, Jamie Drysdale, and Mason McTavish, players once considered part of the Ducks’ future core, extended well into training camp, arguably leading to injuries and/or underwhelming following seasons.
Verbeek seemed to be heading toward similar negotiation timelines with Carlsson, Gauthier, and Mintyukov in 2026, but Carlsson and his representation found a way to quickly end talks when the Philadelphia Flyers signed Carlsson to an earth-shattering five-year offer sheet that carried an AAV of $18 million. Days later, the Ducks signed Mintyukov to a five-year, $7.2 million AAV extension, presumably to avoid a second OS. They matched the offer sheet for Carlsson, but the landscape of their cap sheet and the NHL would continue to feel the ripple effects. One of those ripple effects was signing Gauthier to a six-year, $13.5 million AAV extension just before 2026 training camp.
In his training camp-opening press conference, Verbeek pledged to be more aggressive in signing his RFAs to better avoid another scenario like the one he faced this summer. “I think that we're going to attack, you know, some of our players coming off of their ELCs, be more aggressive in that, start communicating and having more talks sooner,” he said.
“I think when you look at things, just being a little more agile, getting more adaptive, and probably just react a little quicker to situations or just see them,” Verbeek continued.
“There's going to be a lot of different scenarios to manage, and you're going to have to be proactive in all of this stuff. So certainly the variables have changed, and you're going to have to really start taking into account all the different variables that can happen and plan for it.”
Verbeek began to make good on his statement over the course of training camp/preseason when he signed depth center Tim Washe to a four-year, $2.25 million AAV contract extension that will begin at the start of the 2027-28 season.
Luneau’s new contract is further proof of the implementation of Verbeek’s new approach, but to an even more extreme level. Verbeek and the Ducks clearly believe in Luneau’s talent and projection. If he were to head into the 2026-27 season without a contract extension and make the most of the opportunities he’s being given, he’d be due a significantly larger AAV than the $7.2 million per year that he’ll earn between 2027-28 and 2032-33.
It’s a gamble, like every NHL contract that’s signed, and it can be considered an “overcorrection” to a degree, but the price for Luneau was likely never decreasing, and he’s now signed until he’s 29 years old, the majority (or entirety) of his prime. This is the type of gamble on young talent that has traditionally aged well in the modern NHL.
Luneau is now on the radar of those unfamiliar with him and his game, and these are the kind of deals, especially given where the salary cap is projected to be heading, that fans and media crave from NHL front offices: betting on young talent.
