Ducks extend Mintyukov ahead of reported offer sheet

1 month ago 8

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Under menace of a 2nd connection expanse successful conscionable 3 days for different restricted escaped agent, the Anaheim Ducks have retained 1 of their young halfway pieces.

Pavel Mintyukov inked a caller five-year, $7.2 million-per-season connected Sunday, arsenic Ducks wide manager Pat Verbeek handles a abruptly tense offseason.

NHL insider Frank Seravalli initially reported the deal, and Mintyukov’s cause Dan Milstein confirmed the signing earlier the Ducks' authoritative announcement.

The 22-year-old Russian blueliner reportedly had astatine slightest 2 connection sheets presented to him with reportedly 1 prepped to beryllium signed. However, Mintyukov’s penchant was to stay successful Anaheim, and the hold reports blew successful swiftly.

The woody comes with a $3 cardinal signing bonus for the 2022 No. 10 wide pick, Verbeek’s first-ever draught prime astatine the helm with the Ducks. Verbeek has not handed retired signing bonuses during his tenure. Mintyukov volition beryllium an unrestricted escaped cause astatine the deal's extremity successful 2031.

Minyukov’s reported connection expanse would person been the 2nd connection expanse the Ducks person sustained this weekend, with the Philadelphia Flyers tendering a five-year woody to Leo Carlsson with an NHL-high $18 cardinal per season connected Friday. Anaheim would person 4 first-round picks successful compensation if it does not lucifer the Flyers’ woody wrong the seven-day deadline.

Carlsson’s woody is heavy laden with signing bonuses, with $85.3 cardinal of the contract’s full $90 cardinal worthy coming successful signing bonuses. If the Ducks lucifer the deal, Carlsson volition instantly beryllium owed a $19.95 cardinal signing bonus–the proverbial poison pill of this connection sheet.

With Mintyukov’s declaration and Carlsson’s connection expanse woody connected the books, Anaheim has $10 cardinal successful headdress abstraction with RFAs Cutter Gauthier and Tyson Hinds inactive to sign. Teams tin besides beryllium 10% implicit the wage headdress during the offseason, which equates to different $10.4 cardinal this summer.

Anaheim entered the offseason with 5 restricted escaped agents to instrumentality attraction of connected its NHL roster: Carlsson, Mintyukov, Gauthier, Hinds and Ian Moore

Moore got done cleanly and good up of time, with a two-year, $1.15 million-per-year woody signed connected June 25. The Ducks person yet to determine connected Carlsson’s connection sheet, but Mintyukov was signed to caput disconnected an connection sheet.

Hinds is eligible for an connection sheet, but it’s improbable for a subordinate with truthful small NHL clip to his name. Gauthier is ineligible for connection sheets, which means there’s much clip to dial that in. That clip mightiness beryllium needed, arsenic Verbeek navigates these choppy offseason waters.

Mintyukov’s clip successful Anaheim is defined by akin ups and downs.

Making his debut successful the 2023-24 season, Mintyukov showed disconnected dynamic violative quality from the backend with 4 goals and what stay career-highs of 24 assists and 28 points. That violative output came with immoderate antiaircraft missteps with a minus-20 rating.

His sophomore run was heavy affected by a logjam connected the near broadside of Anaheim’s bluish line. With veterans Cam Fowler and Brian Dumoulin inactive successful the mix, Mintyukov rotated with Jackson LaCombe and Olen Zellweger, and pursuing Fowler’s commercialized to St. Louis, it was Mintyukov swapping with Zellweger. Dumoulin was traded astatine the deadline to yet settee down the question wrong the antiaircraft corps.

Then-coach Greg Cronin wanted Mintyukov to absorption connected his off-puck defense, and the Russian would extremity up retired of the line-up pursuing immoderate mistake. Mintyukov ended up playing 68 games with 5 goals and 19 points.

There was anticipation for a renewed violative burst successful twelvemonth 3 with Joel Quenneville present down the bench, but questions of Mintyukov’s playing clip arrived early. After back-to-back steadfast scratches successful November, there was study that Mintyukov would similar to beryllium moved if helium wasn’t going to play.

Mintyukov was instantly enactment backmost into the line-up and registered 2 goals and 3 points successful his adjacent 5 games. It was a spark of the violative rebirth immoderate were looking for, but this caller Ducks coaching unit besides looked for what the past 1 did: improved absorption connected the antiaircraft broadside of the puck.

Mintyukov divided clip connected pairs with Radko Gudas, Drew Helleson and Ian Moore until the commercialized deadline, erstwhile Anaheim acquired seasoned John Carlson from Washington. Mintyukov was past stapled to Carlson’s hip, wherever his antiaircraft metrics showed monolithic improvements.

With Carlson, Mintyukov five-on-five analytics had a astir seven-point betterment successful changeable effort stock (51.61% with Carlson vs. 44.95% without) and a astir 20-point betterment successful expected extremity stock (52.48% vs. 32.51%). On the antiaircraft broadside astatine five-on-five, Mintyukov saw a seven-point alteration successful changeable attempts per 60 minutes (53.9 vs. 60.98) and a half-goal alteration successful expected goals against per 60 (2.51 vs. 3.02).

In presumption of implicit game, this was the champion twelvemonth of Mintyukov’s vocation with career-best analytic numbers to adhd to a career-high 8 goals (22 goals).

However, Carlson is present successful Tampa Bay, and Mintyukov present has a large wage time to his name, higher than galore had projected.

With Zellweger traded to Buffalo–with a caller three-year, $3.1 cardinal deal–and a changeover successful the Ducks antiaircraft corps–Gudas, Trouba and Carlson each departed–there is nary much menace to Mintyukov’s playing time. His vocation is firmly successful his ain hands, and Anaheim’s blueline volition beryllium wholly dictated by its young pieces.

Mintyukov volition person to illustration his ain way and circular retired his crippled arsenic a full-time NHL defenseman.

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