Hampus Lindholm Signs Contract, Perry Passes Kariya & More

The Anaheim Ducks and Hampus Lindholm have agreed to terms on a six-year contract worth $31.5 per TSN insider Bob McKenzie. The deal comes with a $5.25 million cap hit which is down from the $5.5 that Lindholm and his camp were looking for last week, per Pierre LeBrun.

The deal also comes with lockout protections, including a low salary in the 2020-21 season due to the fact that either the NHL or NHLPA can opt out of the CBA in 2020, as LeBrun later pointed out when the full breakdown of Lindholm’s contract was revealed.

The sixth overall selection from the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Lindholm has already played in three full NHL seasons. In 236 games, Lindholm has recorded 23 goals and 92 points as well as two goals and 15 points in 34 games in the playoffs. Despite being just 22-years-old, Lindholm has already established himself as one of the top young defensemen in the entire NHL.

Prior to Lindholm signing his extension, he was the only restricted free agent in the Ducks organization. Forward Rickard Rakell signed his contract prior to the start of the 2016-17 season which left the attention solely on the young star defenseman. Rakell also received a six-year deal, though his came with a lower cap hit at $3.8 million per season.

The Ducks are one of the teams in the NHL that employ an internal salary cap that is lower than the actual league’s salary cap. As a result, many believe that getting Lindholm locked up to a long-term deal will require some sort of subsequent transaction to clear up cap space. One name that has been rumored to be a potential casualty from a Lindholm trade – both prior to and following the Lindholm contract – is defenseman Cam Fowler.

Corey Perry Passes Paul Kariya on Duck’s All-Time Points List

In other Ducks news, Corey Perry passed Paul Kariya on the team’s all-time leading point scorers list Wednesday  night after tallying his 670th career NHL point. Kariya scored 300 goals and 669 points in 606 games while playing for the Ducks between 1994 and 2003 and is a Duck’s legend.

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It took Perry 812 games to score his 670th point, which includes his 334 career goals. Perry has also scored 32 goals and 78 points in 97 playoff games. Perry has been with the Ducks since 2003 when he was drafted with the 28th overall selection. In his time in Anaheim so far, Perry has won a Stanley Cup in 2007 as well as the Hart Memorial Trophy and Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy in 2010-11 after recording 50 goals and 98 points in 82 games as well as two goals and eight points in six games.

Only two players currently sit ahead of Perry in Duck’s franchise history, including teammate Ryan Getzlaf and former teammate Teemu Selanne. In 794 games, Getzlaf has scored 749 points, ranking him second in Duck’s history. Selanne, however, ranks first in the franchise with 988 points in 966 games and sits securely atop the all-time points list in Anaheim.


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David Pastrnak to Have Hearing for Hit on Dan Girardi

David Pastrnak may have started the scoring for the Boston Bruins on Wednesday night against the New York Rangers, but his night ended poorly in more ways than one. The Bruins ultimately lost the game, and additionally, Pastrnak was informed that he would have a phone hearing for his hit on Rangers’ defenseman Dan Girardi at the midway point of the second period.

Girardi ended up getting hurt on the play but was able to return shortly after returning to the Rangers’ dressing room. Pastrnak has never been suspended in his short NHL career. That could change, however, with much focus shifting to player safety within the NHL, especially in the form of concussion protocol after a wave of concussion lawsuits has swarmed professional sports leagues over previous conduct policies, or lack thereof, that have led to a detrimental impact on health later in life.


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In seven games so far this season, Pastrnak has been scorching hot, scoring five goals and eight points while skating alongside veterans Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. Pastrnak is still only 20-years-old, and though the hit on Girardi didn’t look to be malicious, the league may still seem it fitting to discipline Pastrnak, despite his lack of a record, to set an early tone for the season for any player looking to potentially take liberties in how they conduct themselves on the ice – record or not.