Ducks sign D Helleson to two-year contract
Published
The Anaheim Ducks have announced the signing of defenceman Drew Helleson to a two-year contract through the 2026-27 season.
Helleson, 24, scored four goals and added nine assists in 56 games with the Ducks last season. He led all rookie defenceman in shorthanded time on ice (54:32) and was second to Montreal Canadiens' Lane Hutson in both points and assists by a rookie blueliner.
Helleson made his NHL debut in 2022-23, where he played three games and scored one goal.
The Farmington, Minn. native has also produced nine goals and 38 points in 153 AHL games with the San Diego Gulls.
He was originally selected 47th overall by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2019 NHL Draft and acquired by the Ducks in 2022, along with a second-round pick, in exchange for Josh Manson.
Ducks extend Dostal
The Anaheim Ducks and restricted free agent goaltender Lukas Dostal have reached a five-year contract extension, the team announced Thursday afternoon.
According to Eric Stephens of The Athletic, the deal is for a total of $32.5 million and carries a $6.5 million cap hit for the restricted free agent.
The 25-year-old had a 3.10 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage in 54 games last season, his fourth at the NHL level.
At a $6.5 million cap hit, Dostal will be the 10th highest-paid active goaltender in the NHL this season. He is behind Juuse Saros, who will earn $7.74 million and just ahead of former Ducks goaltender John Gibson, who will carry a $6.4 million cap hit with the Detroit Red Wings this season.
“Lukas has proven he is a No. 1 goaltender and we are so pleased to get this deal done,” said Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek in a news release. “He is just entering the prime of his career with his best hockey ahead of him.”
In 121 career NHL regular season games, Dostal has a 3.29 GAA and a .902 save percentage.
He was previously coming off a two-year, $1.63 million deal that paid him $813,000 annually.
Ducks big off-season continues, McTavish still unsigned
Locking up Dostal is just the latest big move in a busy summer for the Ducks.
The team hired Joel Quenneville as their new head coach to start the off-season. The team then acquired veteran winger Chris Kreider from the New York Rangers, traded forward Trevor Zegras to the Philadelphia Flyers for forward Ryan Poehling, and second- and fourth-round picks in June and swapped Gibson to the Red Wings for Petr Mrazek, receiving another two draft picks as well.
The Ducks added to their top-six on July 1, signing Mikael Granlund to a three-year, $21 million contract.
Even after inking Dostal, the Ducks still have more than $22 million in cap space with restricted free agent Mason McTavish still in need of a new deal.
Team owner Henry Samueli set the tone in May that he was willing to spend to end the seven-year postseason drought.
“We’re not going to write stupid cheques,” Samueli said, per The Athletic. “But I told [GM Pat Verbeek], you do what it takes to make this a really steady perennial playoff contender and Stanley Cup contender down the road. And if it means signing big-name free agents, go for it. We told him, going forward, you will not be constrained by the budget.”
The Ducks posted 80 points in 82 games this season for their highest total since 2019. The team last made the playoffs in 2018.