Though I covered the Anaheim Ducks’ offseason in my first report on team’s performances with transactions made in the summer and we here at Black Stitch Hockey have written/talked extensively about their efforts to lock down their future assets (see: here, as well as various reels we have posted and different talking points made on our weekly podcast, all of which can be found on our Meta platforms which you can find on our contact page here on our WordPress), I have abstained from covering the most unusual predicament the team finds itself in with regards to keeping their young talents long-term. The case of Jamie Drysdale is arguably the most intriguing offseason narrative in how it pertains to a team’s future, as well as how challenging that NHL contract situations can get. We will take a deep dive into the Drysdale predicament and its ties to relevant contract standards and regulations, particularly regarding contracts’ expiries.

An elite defensive prospect coming from the OHL’s Erie Otters, Jamie Drysdale was drafted 6th overall in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. The RHD has always been known as a skilled and fast skater with an excellent hockey IQ. He scored in his NHL debut on March 18th, 2021, and in his first full season in 2021-22, he posted an impressive stat line of 32 points in 81 games. Unfortunately, his 2022-23 campaign lasted only eight games (with no points posted) before it had to end due to surgery to repair a torn labrum. This is where the difficulties begin for keeping him locked down long-term. Due to a lack of sufficient games played, Drysdale did not qualify to be a Group 2 Restricted Free Agent (also known as a RFA, wherein “[a player] is eligible to negotiate and sign a contract with any club […] [and] if the player signs a contract with any club other than the club that holds their rights, the contract is known as an Offer Sheet, and the signing club must possess the required compensatory draft picks”), instead being designated as 10.2(c) player. In this contract expiry “scenario”, similarly to a RFA, a player becomes an unrestricted free agent (AKA a UFA, who is eligible to sign a contract with any team beginning at noon Eastern Time at the beginning of the new league year upon the expiration of the last league year of their previous contract) if they are not tendered a qualifying offer by the deadline; however, the player and his agent/representative’s abilities to bargain are less than those of a RFA. For one, a 10.2(c) player is “ineligible to negotiate a contract (offer sheet) with any other club [and] they are also ineligible for arbitration.”

While Drysdale has been qualified, as has his fellow elite young teammate Trevor Zegras (who was a RFA), the Ducks have yet to reach a new deal with either. Like Troy Terry, both of these players are essential to the team’s future. However, handling the Drysdale situation has been the most complex task given his coming off a catastrophic injury and it has most likely been trying for the 21-year-old, as well, given the manner in which he was/is limited in his options. The speculation right now that I have seen from most Ducks fans is that GM Pat Verbeek will likely offer Drysdale a team friendly deal lasting perhaps two years, hopefully by the time preseason rolls around in late September. The team can certainly afford to pay up, however. At present, the team has over $16M in cap space, a total projected to go up to over $43 million in 2024-25 (let us also await what it will look like with a possible rise in the league’s cap). Of course, though, the team under the ownership of Henry Samueli does a history of expecting big names to take low pay. It should be interesting to see how this matter ends up getting resolved. It already has been very intriguing observing the micronarratives and how they tie into the bigger picture for Drysdale and the Ducks.