Frank Vatrano signed a three-year, $18 million contract with the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday.
The contract, which will have an average annual value of $4.57 million, will pay Vatrano $3 million in each of the next three seasons, with the remaining $9 million in deferred salary beginning in 2035.
Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said Jeff Solomon, the team’s vice president of hockey operations and assistant general manager, came to him last summer with the idea to structure a contract similar to Shohei Ohtani’s with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“As this process went along, I think ‘Frankie’ was looking for a number and we were looking for a number. … We looked at it and said this could be the perfect scenario for us to present this to Frankie and his agent Peter Fish,” Verbeek said. “I’m grateful that they were open to this idea of how we set this sort of thing up, and I think as the talks evolved it became clear that this was going to be a scenario that satisfied the club and what we were looking for and also satisfy Frankie.”
“What players don’t realize is when you retire, those checks that you’ve been getting for the last 10 years suddenly stop, and this allowed Frankie to be able to have a situation where he’s going to provide for his family and take care of them for the next 10 years after. The more we talked about it and the more the other side understood it, it became a win-win for all of us.”
The 30-year-old undrafted forward, who could have become an unrestricted free agent after this season, is third on the Ducks with 20 points (nine goals, 11 assists) in 37 games this season after scoring an NHL career-high 37 goals in 82 games last season.
“Ever since my family and I got here three years ago, fans, teammates and staff welcomed us with open arms,” Vatrano said in a video posted by the Ducks on X. “It’s something that we’ll be forever grateful for. I see how bright our future is here. We’re making turns in the right direction to build a winning culture and ultimately bring a Stanley Cup here to Anaheim.
“With that being said, I couldn’t be happier to say that I signed a three-year extension to stay on here in Anaheim. I’m excited to help this team grow and be part of the future here.”
Vatrano signed a three-year contract with Anaheim on July 13, 2022, after helping the New York Rangers reach the Eastern Conference Final. He has 291 points (169 goals, 122 assists) in 601 regular-season games for the Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers, Rangers and Ducks, and 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) in 34 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
“We’re excited to have Frankie in a sense that he wants to be here,” Verbeek said. “We value his goal-scoring ability, and I think that’s going to be important as we start to become more competitive in one or two years.”