The Ducks signed left wings Max Comtois and Max Jones and defenseman Josh Mahura to multi-year contracts Monday, locking up their final three restricted free agents more than six weeks before the start of training camp next month at Great Park Ice in Irvine.
Comtois, 22, was rewarded with a new two-year contract that carries an average annual value (AAV) of $2,037,500, after he led the Ducks with 16 goals and 33 points in 55 games last season. He was the second-youngest player to lead the Ducks in scoring behind a 20-year-old Paul Kariya in 1994-95.
Jones, 23, earned a three-year deal with an AAV of $1,295,000. Mahura, 23, received a two-year contract with an AAV of $750,000, the first season of which is a two-way deal. He’ll make a guaranteed $120,000 whether he plays with the Ducks or with their AHL team, the San Diego Gulls, this coming season.
Now, about signing unrestricted free agents to bolster the Ducks’ roster after a second-to-last finish in the NHL’s overall standings in the pandemic-altered 2020-21 season, well, those moves aren’t likely to happen. Several capable veterans around the league remain unsigned, but the Ducks aren’t interested.
General manager Bob Murray is believed to be focused on trades that will break up the Ducks’ veteran corps of players while netting a return of effective players in the 19- to 24-year-old range. Above all, Murray doesn’t wish to part with prospects such as defenseman Jamie Drysdale or forward Trevor Zegras.Jack Eichel, the Buffalo Sabres’ 24-year-old center, would fit the bill nicely. But Murray’s unwillingness to trade Drysdale and/or Zegras to complete any trade has led to a stalemate. Murray wants to add players to play alongside Drysdale and Zegras rather than to use them as trade chips.
Comtois, Jones and Mahura also are considered important pillars of Murray’s rebuilding project, three youthful players who have the potential to form a new corps of veterans as the Ducks attempt to regain elite status in a league that’s passed them by over the past three seasons.
The Ducks’ 17-30-9 record last season was better than only the Sabres’ 15-34-7 mark in the 31-team league, which expanded to 32 with the summertime addition of the Seattle Kraken. Additionally, the Ducks’ points percentage of .384 was the worst in the franchise’s history, which dates to its expansion season of 1993-94.
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August 10, 2021 at 01:10AM
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Ducks sign Max Comtois, Max Jones and Josh Mahura to new contracts - OCRegister
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