Derek Lee and Patrick Present discuss who among the team's RFAs are most likely to return for the 2024-25 season Sunday afternoon while the Ducks were hosting their "Summer Flock Party" fan event, the team announced they had signed Isac Lundestrom (24) to a one-year contract extension worth $1.5 million. The club avoided having to extend Lundestrom a $1.8 million qualifying offer to retain his rights and in doing so, avoided potential arbitration. Qualifying offers were due at 2 pm PST on June 30. Lundestrom was forced to miss the first two and a half months of the 2023-24 season due to a torn Achilles suffered during the 2023 off-season. How The Offseason Stacks Up for Ducks RFA Isac Lundestrom [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/anaheim-ducks/editorials/how-the-offseason-stacks-up-for-ducks-rfa-isac-lundestrom] He finished the 2023-24 season with five goals and six assists in 46 games, averaging 14:20 of ice time each night. Lundestrom (23rd overall in 2018) was drafted by the Ducks in the first round out of Luleå HF of the SHL. The Swedish center is a tremendous skater with the tenacity and diligence to become one of the NHL's top shutdown centers. He's a staple on the penalty kill, never misses an assignment, and is caught out of position defensively. He was never going to become a significant point producer in the NHL. He totaled 30 points in 108 SHL games before making the jump to North America at 18 years old. To this point in his career, he's managed to tally 31 goals and 69 points in 258 NHL games. Ducks' Dostal and Gudas Win Gold at World Championship, Lundestrom Wins Bronze [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/anaheim-ducks/latest-news/ducks-dostal-and-gudas-win-gold-at-world-championship-lundestrom-wins-bronze] Lundestrom has had a tough time developing an offensive game given the role he assumed at a young age in the NHL. In his first handful of seasons in the world's toughest league, he was placed in a hard-matching shutdown center role. He'd been matched up against opposing top lines routinely and consequently, spent a lot of time in the defensive zone defending players like Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon. As mentioned, Lundestrom is a smooth and powerful skater, allowing him to pressure pucks and eliminate dangerous opportunities for attackers. He thrives transporting the puck from the defensive zone, through the neutral zone, and into the offensive zone. He hasn't quite developed the ability to challenge the dangerous areas of the ice when he enters the offensive zone, however. He often keeps the puck along the perimeter and extends offensive zone time, but hasn't shown the willingness to drive to the net or make a critical pass through the middle of the zone. The Five Biggest Questions Facing the Ducks Heading into the Offseason [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/anaheim-ducks/editorials/the-five-biggest-questions-facing-the-ducks-heading-into-the-offseason] The Ducks didn't hard-match forward lines much in 2023-24 with the addition of new head coach Greg Cronin. In a lesser role and alongside wingers with more of a forechecking presence, Lundestrom could thrive and produce from the bottom of the Ducks lineup. In May, Lundestrom represented Sweden at the IIHF World Championship, winning a bronze medal and scoring five points in ten games while playing a third line center role. When his new one-year contract expires after the 2024-25 season, Lundestrom will again become an RFA with arbitration rights. The Anaheim Ducks Select Beckett Sennecke With the Third Overall Pick [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/anaheim-ducks/latest-news/the-anaheim-ducks-select-beckett-sennecke-with-the-third-overall-pick] Ducks select Stian Solberg with 23rd overall pick [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/anaheim-ducks/latest-news/ducks-select-stian-solberg-with-23rd-overall-pick]
