The Ducks and defenseman Drew Helleson have agreed to a two-year contract extension, the team shared in a news release on Friday.
Helleson, 24, returned on a deal that will pay him an annual average value of $1.1 million.
He spent the first month or last season in the minors but came up to play 56 NHL games. He had a +6 rating and 13 points manning the right side of the Ducks’ third pairing overwhelmingly, playing over 16 minutes per game.
The Farmington, Minn., native was a friend of Jackson LaCombe growing up and their reunion with the Ducks has been fruitful. Former coach Greg Cronin said that Helleson’s arrival boosted the confidence and morale of LaCombe, who enjoyed a breakout season that saw him turn around his shaky rookie campaign 180 degrees to become the Ducks’ top blue-liner.
Now, Helleson and LaCombe will be part of a group that added Chris Kreider via trade, Mikael Granlund through free agency and Joel Quenneville from the coaching market. Thus far, their defense has remained unchanged from the end of last season.
Helleson’s re-signing comes one day after the Ducks committed $32.5 million over five years to lock up Lukáš Dostál, their uncontested No. 1 goalie following his stellar 2024-25 and the trade of John Gibson to Detroit.
Among restricted free agents without contracts are a pair of former Western Michigan standouts, Sam Colangelo and Tim Washe, and 2021’s No. 3 overall pick, Mason McTavish. Since Dostál had arbitration rights and McTavish did not, it seemed logical that the Ducks would attend to Dostál’s deal first.
Even with the signings of the past two days, the Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks have the most cap space of any NHL team, over $21 million, per PuckPedia. That should protect them against offer sheets for McTavish and enable them to not only retain their remaining RFAs, but also explore opportunities to add talent.