Ducks Troy Terry agrees to 7-year, $49 million extension: What the deal means for Anaheim

The Anaheim Ducks and forward Troy Terry agreed to a seven-year contract extension ahead of arbitration on Wednesday, the team announced. Here’s what you need to know:

• The deal has an average annual value of $7 million, according to a league source.
• Terry, 25, had 23 goals and 38 assists in 70 games for Anaheim last season. The two-time All-Star outfielder was originally scheduled for an arbitration hearing Wednesday before making the deal.
• Terry will now become Anaheim’s highest-paid player on average, but that could change before the upcoming season if the Ducks give more to Trevor Zegras, who is an unsigned restricted free agent after completing his entry-level contract.

the athletics’s immediate analysis:

What can be gleaned from the conversations between Terry and the Ducks?

Firstly, it was a bit of a pain to get here. It is believed the scheduled hearing was delayed so the extension could be implemented, which is key as negotiations must stop once they start. Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek did not want to negotiate with his impending RFAs in the 2022-23 season — which also notably included Zegras and Jamie Drysdale — so as not to be disturbed as their young stars continued to develop into premier players. But that also meant pushing things to a head if a deal couldn’t be done right away in the offseason.

With plenty of cap space at his disposal, Verbeek has lured veteran free agents over the past two summers. When it comes to negotiating with his own players, however, Verbeek is willing to wait until the deal works on his terms. An example is not wanting to give Hampus Lindholm the eight years he sought and ultimately got from Boston. But in the end, Verbeek and Terry’s camp came together on something that will keep the team’s best two-way skater in Anaheim through what should be his best seasons. — Stephens

Why it’s important for Anaheim to keep Terry

As mentioned, Terry has proven to be a top player for the Ducks and an important piece in their rebuild. They have other younger forwards who do or may have more upside in Zegras, Mason McTavish and potential No. 2 overall pick Leo Carlsson, but Terry is becoming a leader on a club trying to make a difficult road back to the playoffs. . The Ducks stuck with him through his struggles to find his footing as an impact player at the NHL level, and Terry has rewarded them with back-to-back seasons in which he either led them in scoring or came close to doing so.

His goals dropped from 37 in 2021-22 to 23 last season, and some of that could be natural regression, but he’s still with Zegras the team’s most dangerous offensive threat while somehow improving a few defensive metrics on a team that was historically speaking. terrible in its own end. With an improved supporting cast, Terry was able to reach 30 goals again and reach 70 points for the first time.

According to PuckPedia, Terry’s contract also includes a 10-team no-trade clause that takes effect at the start of the 2025-2026 season. — Stephens

What’s next for Verbeek and the Ducks?

In addition to landing veterans Alex Killorn and Radko Gudas in free agency, Verbeek has retained one of his top players for the foreseeable future. Now it’s on to his second major in Zegras, coming off his entry-level contract and also cashing in after two productive seasons that included a Calder Trophy runner-up finish. The difference, as noted in this piece, is that the 22-year-old center has no arbitration rights.

How much of a commitment in salary and contract length is Verbeek willing to make with his wildly talented playmaker, who still has some deficiencies to iron out in his overall game? There is time to get him signed, but is he willing to go against the pressure in training camp to get the deal he seeks? Drysdale, who is coming off a missed 2022-23 due to a shoulder injury, also needs a new contract, but Zegras is the big one left. — Stephens

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(Photo: Gary A. Vasquez / USA Today)