MVN - Most Valuable Network

Perry Remains a Duck

On a day when free agency begins, the Ducks made sure their top restricted free agent, Corey Perry, was re-signed to a new contract. The new contract is reportedly a five year deal worth $26.625 million, averaging $5.325 million per year. $8 million of the contract is in signing bonuses, including $3 million in the first year, $2.5 million in the second year and $1 million in each of the following three years.

GM Brian Burke stated, “Corey is one of the top young players in the NHL today.  He’s a true Duck, a hard-nosed goal-scorer who’s difficult to play against.”

Perry’s linemate, Ryan Getzlaf, was signed to a similar contract earlier in the season but there was not enough salary cap space to sign Perry prior to July 1. While some have wondered why Perry did not see what sort of offer sheets would be offered before signing a contract, it speaks volumes to Perry’s previously stated intentions that he wanted to remain in Anaheim where he has already won the Stanley Cup.

Ever since last year, teams have been a bit skittish with their RFA’s. There was a rash of RFA signings mid-season to avoid the possibility of rich offer sheets being tendered to players on July 1. Edmonton GM Kevin Lowe submitted a couple of offer sheets last summer, including one to Thomas Vanek and one to Dustin Penner. Vanek’s offer sheet was matched by the Buffalo Sabres, but the Ducks refused to sign the ridiculous contract offered to Penner. In return, the Ducks received several draft picks in compensation.

It remains to be seen if this summer will also yield hefty offer sheets to young players, but one thing is certain - the Ducks and their fans can breathe easier knowing that yin and yang (Perry and Getzlaf) will remain as Ducks for now.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 1st, 2008 at 8:53 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.