Ducks adding winger Vatrano

*Photo from The Athletic*

   We have another young addition to an already young team. The Anaheim Ducks and LW/RW Frank Vatrano have agreed to a 3 year, $10.95 million deal, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The Ducks have confirmed the signing.

   After being acquired at last season's trade deadline by the New York Rangers, Vatrano quickly became a strong contributor to their success, playing a big role in both the final stretch of the regular season, as well as the postseason, helping to take them to the Eastern Conference Finals.

   Vatrano said of playing in New York that he "Went to New York into an unbelievable situation, playing on the power play and playing in the top six. When the playoffs come around, you have to take your game to a whole new level and the regular season doesn't really mean much. It's just getting there and getting a chance to compete for the Stanley Cup. When you can produce and help your team out in the playoffs, it's extra special."

   After playing out a 3 year, $7.6 million deal with a $2.53 million AAV with the Florida Panthers, Vatrano gets a pay raise in his new deal with the Ducks, as he'll be making $3.65 million annually until the deal expires after the end of the 2024-2025 regular season. Vatrano has zero trade protections in his contract, and no performance or signing bonuses, according to CapFriendly.

   Last season, split between the Panthers and Rangers, Vatrano netted 18 goals and 14 assists, with a +4 plus/minus rating while averaging 13:10 of ice time, playing in 71 regular season games. He added another 5 goals and 8 assists in 20 playoff games.

   Across 7 NHL seasons, split between the Panthers, Rangers, and Boston Bruins, Vatrano has 101 goals and 69 assists, averaging 13:39 of ice time per game while posting a -9 plus/minus rating in 401 games. In 34 career playoff games, he has 7 goals and 9 assists.

   Vatrano said of joining the Ducks that "I think you can see all the pieces are there. There are great veterans on the team, guys who have been around a long time, and then you have younger guys who have proven themselves already at such a young age. When you have a good mix of veteran leadership and young players who can push the play, that's a sign of a great team."

   The signing of Vatrano gives the Ducks another young and talented goal scorer to go with Troy Terry, Trevor Zegras, Adam Henrique, and Max Comtois.