The Anaheim Ducks signed left wing Frank Vatrano to a three-year contract extension, the team announced Sunday. The deal is worth $18 million, though it also comes with the unique distinction of having deferred salary, according to a team source.
Vatrano will be paid $3 million in the 2025-26 and 2027-28 seasons. The 30-year-old forward will have the remaining $9 million owed to him by the Ducks paid out over 10 years starting in 2035, per the source. It is a creative way of dealing with California’s state income tax and the Ducks keeping the average annual value of the contract down. Ordinarily, the Ducks would be charged a salary cap number of $6 million but the average annual value will count as $4.57 million in this case, the source said.
“I see how bright our future is and we are making turns in the right direction to ultimately bring a Stanley Cup to Anaheim,” Vatrano said in a statement. “I couldn’t be happier to sign a three-year extension, and I am excited to help this team grow and be a big part of our future.”
A message from Frank Vatrano. #FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/FISmD6fqPF
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) January 5, 2025
Vatrano would be subject to tax payments based on the state where he lives at that time. For instance, the winger and his family do not plan to live in California — where the highest income tax rate is 12.3 percent, according to the state’s Franchise Tax Board — in 2035 or beyond.
The Ducks sought a lower cap number as they expect to enter a competitive window in the coming seasons and want to have more space available for the next expected contracts for potentially important younger players such as Leo Carlsson, Mason McTavish, Lukas Dostal, Jackson LaCombe and Pavel Mintyukov, among others.
NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told The Athletic that deferred compensation in a contract is specifically permitted by the league’s collective bargaining agreement with the players’ union but added that he’s not sure if it will be addressed with the NHLPA in the next round of negotiations. The existing CBA is set to expire on Sept. 15, 2026, though talks between the sides are expected to begin early this year.
Vatrano ranks second on the Ducks in goals with nine and third in points with 20 after a 2023-24 season where he established career highs of 37 goals and 60 points that led the team in both. The Ducks are 16-18-4 entering Sunday night’s home game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
An All-Star for the first time last season, Vatrano is finishing up a three-year contract paying him $10.95 million, with a $3.65 million cap number. Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek signed the winger in the summer of 2022 and has valued his goal-scoring ability and competitive nature.
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