Anaheim Ducks general manager Brian Burke continues to very busy in recent days. After swinging two trades in a week and placing goalie Ilya Bryzgalov on waivers, Burke also found the time to re-sign one of his key players today to a multi-year contract.
Center Ryan Getzlaf, who’s emerged as one of the Ducks brightest stars, was re-signed to a five-year, $26.5 million contract, which breaks down to an annual cap hit of $5.3 million per season.
Getzlaf was slated to become a restricted free agent next July, making him eligible to receive offer sheets from rival clubs.
Having lost winger Dustin Penner last summer to the Edmonton Oilers via an offer sheet it’s apparent Burke wasn’t going to risk losing Getzlaf the same way, or to have a rival team dictate Getzlaf’s contract.
Getzlaf is only 22, and with 21 points in 19 games is on pace for an 88-point season, which would be a career-best to date. Given the fact he’s yet to reach his prime and could hit even higher point totals in future seasons, $5.3 million per season could end up being a bargain for the Ducks as salaries for the league’s top players keep rising in the coming years.
With Getzlaf now under contract, Burke’s attention will turn to Corey Perry, who’s also slated for RFA status next July and like Getzlaf is on pace for a career-best season, currently on track for 43 goals and 70 points.
Don’t be surprised if Perry is re-signed long before July 1, 2008.
The Getzlaf signing is yet another example of the ripple effect throughout the league by the Edmonton Oilers successfully signing away Penner from the Ducks last summer as well as their unsuccessful attempt at signing Buffalo’s Thomas Vanek.
General managers can no longer assume they have the luxury of an entire summer to negotiate new contracts with their top restricted free agents, not when there’s perhaps a desperate rival with available cap space and a willingness to overspend waiting to pounce.
First off, congratulations Lyle on landing The Hockey News gig! Bravo!
Good to see that since Brian Burke no longer spends all that time with yakking with Kevin Lowe on the blower, he's able to dedicate himself to a little solid work! [*grin*] The man has had a busy week.
Good signing -- NECESSARY signing -- by the Ducks, although they are a train wreck on the salary cap next year. That's roughly $46.5 million for 17 players thus far. Among the other six players to get under contract for the active roster is Corey Perry, so assume another $4 million for him which puts the Ducks right up against the current cap number with five more players to go.
Looks like the Ducks have to hope for a healthy bump in the cap number over the summer, and we better expect Scott Niedermayer to take another four month vacation to start the 2008-09 season.
Last edited by Matt_McCallum on November 20th at 8:56 AM.
This is a great signing for the ducks. Getzlaf will be teh player to build around, him and giguere for a long time. They needed to do this, and i hope my Avs follow them and lock up stastny.
Good sign for the Ducks, Getzlaf is a solid player now locked up. Thank God for Brian Burke, he's the only GM in all of So Cal sports that actually knows what he's doing.
THIS IS AWESOME FOR THE DUCKS!!! This should prevent any offer sheet coming the Ducks way. I was hoping for longer, but 5 years is a pretty good start. Getz is definitely coming into his own this season. Getz has all the tools to be a really special player in the NHL. Of all the upcoming youngsters, I don't think there is one that has an overall package like Getz.
Man. If it weren't for the stupid Dustin Penner signing that Lowe did. Getzlaf probably would've gotten what Nathan Horton got at around 3-4 million per season instead of the 5.3 million he got. But yea no brainer. He's gonna be a stud. Plays a solid two way game.
Hi
Let me start by saying I'm an Oiler's fan. I'm not too proud of it these days, and I didn't think I was anymore after our lovely GM traded Ryan Smyth. Then all the other stupid things he did were just icing. But the new season got underway, and I can't help it. I love my team, and wish upon a star every night that something occurs that will make Kevin Lowe go away. I do agree with Burke's comments about Kevin Lowe being desperate and fighting to keep his job, but it seems to me that he really didn't have to fight too hard for the four year extension he got. Anyways... my point. What I want to say is this: The Penner signing does not look good. It looks stupid, it did from the beginning. It looks as though the ducks are going to get a very nice draft pick out of the deal. As an Oilers fan, it's no good at all. As a hockey fan who loves pages such as Spec's trade rumours, I like it. There's bleeding little trade action these days, so at least there is now a precedent and a legitimate concern that RFA's will be signed to offer sheets. Gives us something to talk about (COREY PERRY). So, I'm glad that some GM's may start using this tool to get new players, and although Kevin Lowe displayed decidedly poor judgement in his execution of his rebuilding programme, he did so within the rules. I guess all GM's are free to screw themselves and their TEAM'S fans over if they so desire. More player movement in the process is just more fodder for conversation.
Hey, we're just twenty games into the season -- I'd say it's a little early to start writing off Penner.
Remember, twenty games into the season last year there was serious talk (including right here on this site) that Petr Sykora, who appeared to have great chemistry with Ales Hemsky, would command Ryan Smyth money when it came time to re-sign him. Hemsky got injured, Sykora cooled off, and prediction didn't match reality.
With Penner, you've got a guy in a new city, with a new system and new expectations. There is going to be an adjustment period, particularly for a young player. He's currently on pace for 40 points, about the same as he scored last year, but his game has picked up over the last half dozen contests. If his development continues, he'll exceed his point total from last year.
Frankly, it's going to be five years to make a full and proper assessment of the Penner signing. What Penner contributes to the team and the success (or lack thereof) of the Oilers in that timeframe, versus what Anaheim gets for those draft picks.
I was going to compliment Brian Burke on this, but in retrospect, he had to sign Getzlaf if they Ducks want to stay competitive. As a Sharks fan, I root against the guy, but I enjoy watching him play.
Now Mr. Spec or Mr. McCallum, can you answer me this...Why doesn't the NHL do more to market all of the "young" talent in the league? Enough with Crosby already, the league needs to spotlight more guys like the young guns in the West. Oh well. Sorry for the soapbox.
I'm Lyle Richardson, also known as Spector, Foxsports.com 's "Prince of Pucks".,which is based on the fact I live in Prince Edward Island, Canada and I couldn't think of a better byline. I've been an NHL hockey commentator since 1998 on my website, Spector's Hockey, and I'm a contributing writer for Foxsports.com , The Hockey News and Eishockey News. I'm also a regular on The Faceoff Hockey Show and a frequent guest on "The Late Crew" on The Team 1200 Ottawa.
