Ducks’ Frank Vatrano Signs Three-Year, $18-Million Contract Extension
Few enjoyed a more productive Sunday than Anaheim Ducks forward Frank Vatrano, who inked a new three-year contract extension and potted a pair of goals in a 4-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Vatrano’s three-year extension is worth $18 million, per the club’s announcement. He’s in the final season of a three-year, $10.95-million contract signed in free agency during the 2022 off-season and would’ve become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Since joining Anaheim ahead of the 2022-23 season, the 30-year-old skater has produced 70 goals and 124 points across 201 career games, including his three-point performance against Tampa Bay on Sunday.
“All I wanted [for] a long time was to be a Duck. It didn’t matter what money I was making or anything,” Vatrano told reporters. “I wanted to play here, I didn’t want to play anywhere else. I’m just happy to help these young guys grow and be a part of it.”
The structure of Vatrano’s extension is fairly unique and was inspired by Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani’s 10-year, $700-million contract, which includes $680 million in deferred salary.
Anaheim will pay the veteran forward $3 million in base salary per season, with his deal carrying an average annual value of $4.57 million. The remaining $9 million will be deferred to payments starting in 2035, earning him $900,000 each year over 10 years.
Jeff Solomon, the Ducks’ vice president of hockey operations and assistant general manager, presented this idea to GM Pat Verbeek last summer, hoping the creative strategy would provide financial flexibility when the franchise returns to a competitive state.
“As this process went along, I think ‘Frankie’ was looking for a number and we were looking for a number. … We looked at it and said this could be the perfect scenario for us to present this to Frankie and his agent Peter Fish,” Verbeek said. “I’m grateful that they were open to this idea of how we set this sort of thing up, and I think as the talks evolved it became clear that this was going to be a scenario that satisfied the club and what we were looking for and also satisfy Frankie.”
“What players don’t realize is when you retire, those checks that you’ve been getting for the last 10 years suddenly stop, and this allowed Frankie to be able to have a situation where he’s going to provide for his family and take care of them for the next 10 years after. The more we talked about it and the more the other side understood it, it became a win-win for all of us.”
Salary deferrals are becoming increasingly popular in the NHL, as Vatrano joins Carolina’s Seth Jarvis, Jacob Slavin and Toronto’s Jake McCabe as players who’ve recently signed extensions with deferred payments.
Vatrano, whose deal also includes a seven-team no-trade list, plans to reside outside California after he retires, avoiding the state’s income tax laws while receiving his deferred payments, as TSN’s Pierre LeBrun noted.
The Ducks will save nearly $1.5 million per season against the salary cap, savings the organization can reinvest into the rest of the roster in future seasons.
“It means everything. This is home for us,” Vatrano said. “I can’t say enough good things about this team, the guys, the organization, the staff. We love it here and we’re excited to be here another three years.”
“This is one of the best rooms I’ve been a part of. I’m excited for the change here and the culture that we’re trying to build. I’m just so thrilled to be part of it in the future.”
In 38 games this season, Vatrano has scored 11 goals and 23 points while averaging 17:58 per night, the second-highest of his 10 NHL seasons. He enjoyed a career year last season, setting new marks in goals (37), points (60), shooting percentage (13.6 percent) and average ice time (18:21) over 82 contests.
While it’s been tough sledding for Anaheim, which sits third last in the Pacific Division with 38 points and a 17-18-4 record, there are better days ahead for the franchise’s young core, featuring Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Mason McTavish, Olen Zellweger, Pavel Mintyukov and Jackson LaCombe.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @Hall_Thomas_
Photo: Jenn G. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.