The Anaheim Ducks have locked up one of their top young defencemen, but the contract puts more pressure on general manager Pat Verbeek as he navigates the off-season.
Restricted free agent Pavel Mintyukov and the Ducks finalized a five-year, $36-million contract on Sunday that carries a cap hit of $7.2 million.
Mintyukov, 22, scored 28 points as a rookie and has not eclipsed that total in the two seasons since, but will now be the second-highest-paid defenceman on the Ducks behind Jackson LaCombe.
That’s notable as Anaheim ponders what to do with the offer sheet signed by centre Leo Carlsson last week.
Carlsson signed a five-year, $90-million contract with the Philadelphia Flyers that would make him the highest-paid player in the NHL, at $18 million AAV per season. The Ducks have until Friday to match the offer sheet or let Carlsson go to the Flyers in exchange for four first-round draft picks.
With Mintyukov now signed, the Ducks will be left with $9,973,395 in cap space if they choose to match Carlsson’s contract, according to PuckPedia.
That likely won’t be enough to sign their other top restricted free agent, Cutter Gauthier, who is coming off a 41-goal season. Gauthier isn’t eligible to sign an offer sheet but will be seeking a significant raise after completing his entry-level deal.
Anaheim has already lost veterans Jacob Trouba and Radko Gudas to free agency, but could be forced to cut ties with other players to retain all three young stars.
Last season, the Ducks snapped a seven-year playoff drought and reached the second round before falling to the Vegas Golden Knights. That success could be short-lived if Verbeek can’t figure out how to get out of this salary-cap bind.