Salary Cap Deep Dive: Anaheim Ducks

Navigating the salary cap is one of the most important tasks for a front office. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful.

Those who don’t often see struggles and front office changes.

As we do each year, PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2026-27 season, though in a slightly different format than before. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL.

All cap figures are courtesy of PuckPedia. We’re currently covering the Pacific Division, first up are the Ducks.

Current Cap Charge: $88,426,605

Cap Space: $15,573,395

Potential Bonuses: $3.1MM (around $1MM could be reached)

Still To Sign: F Cutter Gauthier

Chris Kreider remains on Anaheim’s books for now, pending waiver clearance. For the purpose of this article, we’ll operate as if his deal has been terminated as planned.

Gauthier’s case is certainly notable, given that he reportedly turned down $13MM for four years last month. On a five-year pact like a certain teammate signed that we’ll get to in a bit, he may be looking for a couple million more than that.

On a max-term pact, his deal could land around where said teammate’s did price-wise.

Expiring Contracts (RFA): D Drew Helleson ($1.1MM), F Tim Washe ($812,500)

It should be noted that Anaheim has a couple of other players on expiring entry-level deals who could factor into their roster planning. However, they could opt to carry a shorter roster to help facilitate affording Gauthier’s next deal so for this piece, we’ll assume they’re not full-timers.

Washe came up midseason in 2025-26 and never looked back, securing a spot on the fourth line the rest of the way. Assuming he retains that role this season, doubling his current price tag seems rather likely, if not a bit more than that.

Helleson played a big role early on last season but saw his role and ice time wane as the year went on. That makes him a likely candidate for another short-term pact but with arbitration rights, that still could approach the $3MM mark.

If Anaheim’s hesitant to go that high, he could be a non-tender risk although, with the state of their back end, losing another rearguard wouldn’t be ideal.

Expiring Contracts (UFA): G Laurent Brossoit ($1.1MM), G Ville Husso ($2.2MM), F Alex Killorn ($6.25MM), F Nikita Nesterenko ($837,500)

Killorn will be 37 in a few weeks and is ideally more of a third liner than a second liner at this stage of his career. He might be going year-to-year at this point with a price tag at least $2MM lower than his current one.

Nesterenko hasn’t played a lot with Anaheim (he has been more of a minor leaguer) but having a contract below the league minimum could help secure him a full-time slot this fall. He needs 19 NHL games to remain RFA-eligible and shouldn’t cost much more than the minimum next season.

Husso receiving this contract last year was a head-scratcher as it was a premium for a third-string netminder. Then Petr Mrazek missed most of the year with injury so it worked out a little better from a role perspective.

Performance-wise, however, he hasn’t done well. He should be a third-stringer moving forward with a cap hit around half of his current one.

Brossoit signed in free agency after dealing with some injuries the last few years. If he can secure the backup spot, he could land something more in Husso’s current range next time out.

Otherwise, if he remains a veteran depth piece, he’ll stay in this price range.

Notably, Anaheim can (and almost certainly will) waive one of these two goalies, opening up a bit more cap space than is currently shown. Brossoit’s full contract would come off the books if they demoted him while $1.225MM of Husso’s would be cleared if he went down.

Something to keep in mind with Gauthier still unsigned.

Projected Upper Limit: $113.5MM

Current Cap Charge: $74,374,939 (14 players signed)

Cap Space: $39,125,061

Potential Bonuses: $3.1MM (around $1MM could be reached)

Dead Cap: None yet, but there could be some carryover bonus charges

Gauthier’s next deal will obviously cut into this space considerably. Still, there’s enough room for them to retain their RFAs, keeping the core group together.

Expiring Contracts (RFA): D Tyson Hinds ($900K), D Ian Moore ($1.15MM), F Beckett Sennecke ($953,333 + $1MM in ‘A’ bonuses, $2.1MM in ‘B’ bonuses)

Sennecke had a solid rookie year, notching 60 points and finishing third in Calder Trophy voting. He looks like he’ll be a core piece for the long haul, justifying the third overall pick used to take him.

That’s the good news. The bad news for Anaheim is that the big swing the market has taken – especially on Anaheim’s roster – is going to position Sennecke to potentially push for similar money.

Perhaps he doesn’t wind up with as much as Gauthier ultimately receives but he should have a case to come in close to that. That deal probably won’t be a max-term agreement, setting him up to reach UFA eligibility in his prime as well, where the cost will probably jump higher.

This is one GM Pat Verbeek will have to keep in mind when planning his moves over the next couple of years. Bonus-wise, he should reach his A ones but the B ones are highly unlikely to be hit.

Moore saw his role fluctuate a lot over his first (mostly) full NHL season but he held his own overall to earn this bridge deal in June. Doubling this price tag should be doable if he has a similar showing the next two seasons but if he can lock down a higher role on the depth chart, the cost will only go up further.

Hinds received a one-way commitment this summer, a vote of confidence for a player who has just six NHL games under his belt. The limited track record will affect his next contract but if he can hold down a spot on the third pairing, he should check in around the $2MM mark on his next deal.

Expiring Contracts (UFA): F Mikael Granlund ($7MM), F James Hamblin ($875K), D Nick Jensen ($2.25MM), F Frank Vatrano ($4,571,189)

Granlund was counted on to play big minutes last season and responded well when healthy, producing close to a 60-point pace while playing a big role defensively as well. While he’s undersized for a center, his track record is strong enough that he could still pick up a multi-year deal and at least a small raise two years from now when he’ll be 36.

Vatrano had a year to forget both on and off the ice last season. There are a lot of deferrals in his deal ($3MM per season) which helps keep the cap hit down but he will need to get back to being a reliable scorer if he wants any shot at a contract of this magnitude again.

Hamblin could have an inside shot at a reserve spot this season and will be below the minimum cap hit next year. He’s likely to remain around the minimum salary moving forward, however.

Jensen came over in free agency to try to help stabilize a back end that lost several key pieces. His effectiveness waned last season but he will still likely be asked to take on a bigger workload than he had in Ottawa.

If he rebounds, he could land at least a small raise, though likely on a one-year pact as he’ll be heading for his age-38 season when his next contract starts.

Forecasted Upper Limit: $123MM

Current Cap Charge: $57.55MM (8 players signed)

Potential Bonuses: None

Obviously, Sennecke is the big one here. His next deal should probably cover all of the projected cap increase and then some, which could squeeze someone like Granlund off the roster.

Having someone like Roger McQueen ready to step in down the middle could help on that front.

Expiring Contracts (RFA): None

Expiring Contracts (UFA): F Jeff Malott ($1.85MM)

Verbeek prioritized fourth-line toughness this summer in free agency and while someone else’s contract drew the most attention, this was a bit on the pricey side for someone who, at 30, has fewer than 80 NHL games under his belt. They feel he can be a legitimate full-timer on that fourth line.

If not, he could drop closer to the minimum salary which is where Malott had typically been until now.

Forecasted Upper Limit: $133.5MM (8.5% increase)

Current Cap Charge: $55.7MM (7 players signed)

Potential Bonuses: None

With no big expirings to contend with in the 2029 summer, this should be an opportunity for Anaheim to try to add a core piece back to their group. With the expirings still to come, this might be their only chance for a bit to do so.

Expiring Contracts (RFA): None

Expiring Contracts (UFA): G Lukas Dostal ($6.5MM), F A.J. Greer ($4.25MM), F Ryan Poehling ($3.75MM), F Troy Terry ($7MM)

Terry hasn’t quite gotten back to being a dynamic scorer like he was when he had 37 goals in 2021-22 but he has managed at least 54 points in five straight years now. That streak may be in jeopardy given that he’ll be LTIR-bound to start this season but he has shown himself to be a capable top-six producer.

He’ll be going into his age-33 year on his next contract and should be in a position to add a couple million or so more to his current price on a multi-year agreement.

Greer’s contract was a stunner, given that his previous career high in goals before last season was six. Clearly, Verbeek feels his breakout performance is repeatable.

If not, this will be an anchor deal for them more than it already is, given their current cap situation. Poehling had a career year last season as well, building off a solid final year in Philadelphia.

This is a little below the going rate for a third-line center so if Poehling can hold down that role during this deal, Anaheim should do well with it. He’ll only be 31 when this contract ends so if he’s still a solid third-line option at that time, he could bump up a bit closer to the $5MM mark.

Dostal is coming off a tough year but has shown enough for the Ducks to think he can bounce back. Now the unquestioned starter, he’s in for consistently high workloads for the duration of this contract.

If he can handle it and be even a league-average starter, there’s a chance for a long-term deal at a price tag closer to $8MM. If he rebounds and is an above-average starter, the price point could tick closer to $10MM.

For that season, there will be a new CBA in place so trying to forecast the cap and cap space basically becomes a guessing game. Accordingly, we’ll go back to the old Deep Dive format for players signed beyond the 2030-31 campaign.

While Terry will need a raise, there’s enough coming off the books to pay for that if Greer isn’t re-signed while the expected cap increase will help as well.

F Leo Carlsson ($18MM through 2030-31)

D Jackson LaCombe ($9MM through 2033-34)

D Pavel Mintyukov ($7.2MM through 2030-31)

The Carlsson contract made huge headlines, not just because it was an offer sheet from Philadelphia but for just how outrageously above market value it was. It has certainly been a market mover for several top players and will continue to be used as a benchmark, though some teams will reject it as a viable comparable for some of their pending free agents if the match isn’t close.

It’s possible that Carlsson could be worth that money by the end of this deal and if that’s the case, the price tag will jump even higher for someone who will hit the open market at 26.

LaCombe was a rare instance where a deal got done a year early and boy, did that ever work out well for the Ducks as this contract would have cost much more this summer. He has blossomed into a top-pairing defender and still has some runway to develop.

He’ll be 33 when this contract is up, young enough to still command a longer-term pact with a notable raise. Mintyukov’s deal came under the threat of an offer sheet which is an important qualifier for an otherwise way-above-market contract given his performance thus far.

He should have a chance to play a more prominent offensive role moving forward, however, giving him a chance to live up to the deal at some point. While this contract gets him to unrestricted free agency at 27, he’ll need to be a full-timer on the second pairing at a minimum to land this money again.

Salary cap outlooks can change in a hurry. A few months ago, it looked like Anaheim had ample space to re-sign their core players and maybe even add one.

Now, with some pricey deals on their books and some unnecessary fourth-line spending, they were facing a crunch before the Kreider contract termination. Still, if they can get through this cleanly, the Ducks should still be in reasonable shape most years cap-wise, but their window to add has shrunk.

Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect.