The Anaheim Ducks are going to be entertaining to watch but nobody is expecting much from them in terms of their win/loss record just get. They have a lot of young and exciting players to be excited about but there is more work to be done in order to become a contender.
One of those good young players is Trevor Zegras. He has become the face of the franchise over the last handful of years because of his ability to entertain. Yes, he is a good player but he hasn’t had the production of a superstar just yet. What separates him is the flash that he has.
Zegras’s contract was up at the end of last season so he needed a new deal. It felt like this was going to get messy because of the fact that training camp started without him but it eventually was fixed and the two sides came to a conclusion.
Now, the Ducks have him signed to a three-year deal with an average annual value of $5.75 million. They are clearly getting him on a good deal based on his production and his potential. If he continues to grow as a player, his next deal will see him receive a significant pay increase.
The Anaheim Ducks are not done with their 2023 off-season business.
The Ducks and Zegras found themselves with a really nice deal here for three years. However, they are not done. There is still one more big thing that they need to do before they can be happy entering the NHL’s regular season next week.
Another young star on the squad is still missing as Jamie Drysdale is still without his next contract. His entry-level deal expired at the end of last season just like Zegras. This is something that must be resolved as soon as possible.
It is hard to think about what Drysdale might be worth. He is a former first-round (6th overall) pick from the 2020 NHL Draft. He is a very talented player but he was limited to only 8 NHL games last season because of an injury.
In his 113-game NHL career, he has scored 7 goals and 33 assists for 40 points. That isn’t bad for a defenseman this young. He is going to be a very productive player in the NHL once he returns and gets his legs under him. The sooner this deal gets done, the better off both sides will be.
Drysdale can’t be expecting too much considering the injury and all of those factors that come with his return. A good two or three-year bridge deal feels right. If Zegras can do it, so can Drysdale.
At this point, this should be considered just as important for Anaheim. They will regret it if they let this problem linger on for too long. Drysdale is a big-time player in the making and the Ducks do not want to lose him.