The Anaheim Ducks and restricted free agent Lukas Dostal have come to terms on a new 5 year extension which will carry an average annual value of $6.5M.
“Super excited to announce that I’m staying in Anaheim for another five years. I love to play in front of you and I love to live in this community. We are a team on the rise and I can’t wait to see you soon in the Honda Center,” Dostal said on social media.
The 25 year old will now officially be the unquestioned number 1 net minder in Anaheim following the trade of longtime goalie John Gibson to the Detroit Red Wings. Gibson was the team’s all-time leader in starts and saves, was second in wins, and third in shutouts.
Coming back the other way was veteran goaltender Petr Mrazek, along with two future draft picks. Mrazek figures to play the back up role to Dostal in Southern California this season, before becoming an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.
“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 prepared statement. “He is just entering the prime of his career with his best hockey ahead of him.”
Across 121 NHL games, Dostal has amassed a 3.29 GAA and .902 SV%, though he’s largely had to deal with some leaky defensive groups in front of him throughout the Ducks rebuild. In signing the Czech born goaltender to a multi-year extension, Verbeek checked off a major item from his offseason to do list.
The club has brought in Joel Quenneville to act as the team’s head coach, and has been busy on the trade front, acquiring Chris Kreider from the Rangers, sending Gibson to the Red Wings, and trading Trevor Zegras to the Flyers.
Anaheim also made a splash on the free agent market, inking forward Mikael Granlund to a 3 year, $21M contract. However there remains one major piece of business still to complete, which is restricted free agent Mason McTavish.
Rumours are swirling that the 22 year old Is unhappy with a diminished role on the team, leading to a standstill between his camp and the team’s front office. More than a few teams have been linked to the 2021 3rd overall pick, but Verbeek has yet to indicate whether the club plans to lock him up longterm, or explore a trade heading into training camps.
Photo: Jenn G. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.