The Ducks took care of a big chunk of their restricted free-agent business earlier today, qualifying seven players and leaving four others without offers.
Forward Leo Carlsson, forward Cutter Gauthier, forward Sasha Pastujov, defenseman Pavel Mintyukov, defenseman Tyson Hinds, goaltender Vyacheslav Buteyets, and goaltender Calle Clang all received qualifying offers. Forward Jan Mysak, forward Jaxsen Wiebe, defenseman Kyle Masters, and defenseman Jeremie Biakabutuka did not.
A qualifying offer is the club’s way of keeping a player’s rights in play. It guarantees the player at least a minimum percentage of his previous salary, and once it’s on the table, the two sides can still negotiate a longer contract or settle on the one-year qualifying deal.
If a player doesn’t get that offer, he becomes an unrestricted free agent and can sign anywhere, including back with the same team. Teams sometimes skip the qualifying offer to try to bring a player back on a cheaper contract, and the Ducks did exactly that a couple years ago with Brett Leason before re-signing him at a lower price.
There was never much suspense around Carlsson, Gauthier, and Mintyukov. Their names were always going to be on the list.
The bigger question is what comes next for Carlsson and Gauthier, who could land long-term deals or, depending on how talks unfold, bridge contracts. Mintyukov feels like a tougher read.
He hasn’t quite done enough to scream eight-year extension, though that possibility isn’t off the table. A deal in the neighborhood of what Brandt Clarke just signed with the Los Angeles Kings, but for a little less money, also wouldn’t be a shock.
Pastujov’s qualifying offer makes sense too. The 2021 third-round pick has been San Diego’s top forward for much of the last season and a half, and while he still hasn’t made his NHL debut, he has piled up 102 points in the AHL over the past two seasons. He’s likely headed for a two-way contract for a few years, and the hope is that his next deal finally opens the door to a shot in Anaheim.
Hinds was another easy call, especially after the Olen Zellweger trade. The 2021 third-rounder stepped into Zellweger’s role late in the regular season and for much of the playoff run. A full-time NHL job still isn’t guaranteed, depending on what Anaheim does the rest of the summer, but he should get some NHL action this season.
Buteyets is a more interesting case. The 2022 sixth-round pick had a rough year, spending most of it in the ECHL with the Tulsa Oilers, where he went 18-19-5 with a 3.11 goals against average, a .908 save percentage, and two shutouts in 44 games.
He also appeared in four games for the Gulls, picked up his first AHL win, and made his NHL debut in relief for one game. Given how the season went, the qualification was a little surprising, but goaltending depth matters.
He’s expected to spend plenty of time back in the ECHL with some AHL work mixed in.
Clang was the biggest surprise of the qualified group. Acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Rickard Rakell deal, he has already signed to play for Rogle BK of the SHL this season.
By qualifying him, the Ducks keep his rights if he ever wants to return to North America. Clang spent all of last season in the AHL and became San Diego’s starter after Ville Husso was recalled to back up Lukas Dostal.
On the other side of the ledger, the Ducks passed on Wiebe, Mysak, Masters, and Biakabutuka.
Wiebe, signed as a free agent three years ago, brings a physical edge but has spent too much time on injured reserve in the last couple of seasons. He played all of last year in the ECHL with Tulsa and Savannah. A return to San Diego on an AHL-only deal is possible, but a two-way offer would be a surprise.
Mysak, who came from Montreal in the Jacob Perreault trade, has spent his time with the Gulls since arriving. He broke through in his first full season in San Diego with 18 goals and 42 points in 68 games, and he and Pastujov were a strong second-line duo.
This past season was tougher, though, with his production dropping to 10 goals and 23 points in 56 games, and he finished much of the year on injured reserve. Since it was already announced that he signed with HV71 of the SHL, the lack of a qualifying offer wasn’t a surprise.
Biakabutuka, acquired from St. Louis in the Cam Fowler deal a year and a half ago, has mostly lived in the ECHL, though he did play 11 games for the Gulls in 2024-2025.
He spent this past season with Tulsa. Like Wiebe, he could be a candidate for an AHL-only deal, but don’t expect him to come back on a cheaper Anaheim contract.
Masters, the most recent addition of the group, came over from the Carolina Hurricanes along with a sixth-round pick in exchange for John Carlsson’s signing rights. Originally drafted by Minnesota in the fourth round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, he was later traded to San Jose and then Carolina.
He’s played in both the ECHL and AHL, but without putting up much in either league. Of the three remaining unsigned players, he seems the most likely to land a cheaper deal with Anaheim, though that still would be a major surprise.
More likely, he walks in free agency or ends up with the Gulls on an AHL-only contract.
Even after sorting out these restricted free agents, the Ducks should still have plenty of cap space to work with this summer. The free-agent market isn’t loaded, but there are still some players worth watching, and Anaheim could also choose to attack its remaining needs through trades.
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