The Anaheim Ducks have made a huge bet on Tristan Luneau, handing the defenseman a six-year extension worth $43.2 million. At an average annual value of $7.2 million, it’s a staggering number for a player who has appeared in just 14 NHL games, and Elliotte Friedman says it’s the biggest contract in league history for someone with that little NHL experience.
That alone explains why the deal is already drawing debate. Is this Anaheim getting ahead of the market, or is it a classic overreaction after the offer sheet chaos tied to Leo Carlsson?
There’s a case to be made for the Ducks here. Luneau is believed to project as a top-four defenseman, and Friedman noted that Anaheim kept him in the AHL all of last year after previous injuries.
Friedman also pointed to a lesson the Ducks seem determined to apply now: “take care of your business before someone else does it for you.” If the organization is truly convinced Luneau is a high-end NHL player, then locking him in early could save them a lot of money down the road as the salary cap keeps climbing.
General manager Pat Verbeek made it clear the club sees this as a long-term fit. “Signing Tristan to a long-term contract was a priority as we see him as a top-four defenseman for years to come,” Verbeek said. “Getting the deal done before the season started was a key part of our planning for now and the future.”
The Ducks have also been signaling for a while that they intended to be more aggressive with RFAs and pending RFAs, and this move backs that up. Marco D’Amico reported there’s strong belief in Luneau inside the organization, with expectations that he could eventually play a major role alongside Jackson LaCombe. D’Amico also said that when he asked Luneau this summer about signing early to avoid another offer sheet, the defenseman laughed and said he’d love to stay in Anaheim long-term.
Still, the risk is obvious. Fourteen games is not much to build a franchise-altering contract around, and it’s a thin sample for projecting where a player will end up. This is a deal based entirely on upside, not on a long résumé of NHL production.
At $7.2 million per year, Anaheim is paying top-pair money for a player who hasn’t yet proven he can be a regular even on the third pair. If Luneau keeps developing the way the Ducks believe he will, the contract could end up looking smart by 2028 or 2029. If he doesn’t, the criticism will be loud - especially after the Ducks already let the Leo Carlsson situation spiral once.
It’s a major swing. If it lands, Anaheim looks sharp. If it misses, this will be remembered as a very expensive lesson.
In Other News...
Ducks Blue Line Suddenly Has An Opening Night Battle To Watch
The Ducks roster took another turn just before the season opener, with several moves reshaping both the forward group and the blue line. Roger McQueen and Cruz Lucius were sent to AHL San Diego, while defensemen Tristan Luneau, Travis Mitchell and Noah Warren were brought back up from the Gulls as Anaheim adjusted its opening-night mix and LTIR situation.
The blue line shuffle is the part worth watching most closely, because the Ducks now have more competition for those spots than they did a day ago. With Drew Helleson unavailable and the club making room elsewhere on the roster, the door is open for one of the recalled defensemen to claim a real early-season role while Anaheim waits for the lineup to settle. [Read more 🡒]
A.J. Greer Suddenly Looks Like A Bigger Ducks Story Than Expected
A.J. Greers status was one of the quieter questions hanging over the Ducks as they moved closer to their season opener, but Wednesday brought a useful sign. Greer was on the ice in a full contact jersey at practice, a notable step forward after an upper-body injury and the kind of development that can matter for a team trying to settle its opening-night lineup.
His presence in contact gear does not settle everything just yet, but it does give Anaheim a more encouraging picture as opening night approaches. The Ducks have been sorting through the usual early-season roster decisions, and Greers progress adds another layer to the picture while the club continues to monitor how its depth pieces fit around the start of the schedule. [Read more 🡒]
Ducks Just Made A Huge Tristan Luneau Bet
The Ducks have made a clear long-term statement on Tristan Luneau, locking up the young defenseman before he has even established himself as a regular in the NHL. Anaheim recalled him for its season opener against the Vegas Golden Knights, a reminder that the organization still sees plenty of upside in a player who spent most of last season with the San Diego Gulls.
Luneau has only 14 NHL games on his rsum, which makes the commitment notable even by the leagues standards for prospect patience. The extension gives Anaheim a lot of runway to see whether his early promise can turn into a top-four fixture, and it shows how strongly the Ducks believe in what he can become once his game catches up to the contract. [Read more 🡒]