Since July 1, the Ducks have had a handful of players eligible to sign contract extensions. Frank Vatrano is one of those players.
The 30-year-old winger is coming off a career season in which he scored 37 goals and had 60 points. Vatrano was a fixture on both the power play and penalty kill, averaging 18:21 of time on ice, the second-highest amount among Ducks forwards behind Alex Killorn.
It’s expected that Vatrano will see a pay bump from his current $3.65 million cap hit. A deal similar to what Tyler Bertuzzi got this summer from the Chicago Blackhawks could be in the cards if Vatrano can maintain his 20+ goals pace from the last two seasons.
Whether the Ducks will extend Vatrano or not is still unknown. The player is a popular figure in the locker room and general manager Pat Verbeek had glowing words for his team’s top goalscorer in his post-trade deadline presser.
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“I don’t want to play anywhere else,” Vatrano said to NHL.com’s Jon Lane at the 2024 Shoulder Check Showcase last month. “It’s where I want to be. I see the bigger picture. I see how good we’re going to be next year and the years to come, so I want to be part of the solution.”
While Vatrano isn’t the most vocal leader, his play on the ice is indicative of his leadership, says Ryan Strome, who is good friends with Vatrano and played with him previously when the pair were on the New York Rangers.
“Everyone talks about the 37 goals and 60 points, (but) he led (our forwards) in hits and blocked shots,” Strome said. “Those are two very unselfish stats that I think he takes pride in. He’s a huge part of this team.
“To be his best buddy and to get to see it first-hand for a majority of the season is awesome. He cares so much and he puts so much into it. I think he’s a great role model for a ton of guys on our team from where his career path has kind of gone. Hopefully he can replicate it.”
Vatrano has always been quick to credit his teammates as the reason behind his success this past season. He did so after being named an NHL All-Star for the first time in his career and he did it again during his exit interview after the Ducks’ season…