The Ducks are making a bigger bet on Tim Washe, and they’re doing it early. Anaheim announced a four-year extension for the forward, and shortly after, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported the deal comes in at $9 million total with a $2.25 million annual average value.
On paper, it’s a notable commitment for a player with just 41 NHL games under his belt. Washe, a Detroit native, has two goals and five points in those appearances, along with a minus-6 rating and an average of 11:50 of ice time per game. He’s also brought some bite, finishing with 95 hits.
The contract pushes Washe through the end of the decade, even though his NHL résumé is still pretty short. But Anaheim clearly sees more than a depth piece here, especially after the path he took to get to this point.
Washe spent one season with the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers before moving on to Western Michigan University. He had originally planned to stay with Nanaimo for his junior career, but the 2020-21 BCHL season was suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and he waited until the second semester to join the Broncos.
His college career didn’t explode right away. Through four seasons, he had just two goals and 12 points in 38 games, with a minus-5 rating, and he was mostly used in the lower part of Western Michigan’s forward group.
Everything changed in his fifth and final season.
Before the 2024-25 campaign, Washe was named Western’s captain, then earned his way into the top six. He put together his best year, scoring 16 goals and finishing with 38 points in 42 games, plus a plus-22 rating. He also led the Broncos to the National Championship, helping Western Michigan win its first title in program history.
After that run, Washe signed a one-year entry-level contract with Anaheim to finish the season. The Ducks then kept him under team control last summer with a two-year deal worth $1.63 million, carrying an $812.5K AAV.
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What makes the situation sting is how much of the leagues recent talk has centered on asset management and the cost of keeping pace in a fast-moving market. Anaheims summer has been framed as a missed opportunity compared with clubs that at least showed a clearer direction, and the Ducks now enter the season with little margin for error. Even with opening night approaching, the strongest thread around this team is still the one asking whether the front office has put the roster in a spot where improvement has to come from within. [Read more 🡒]