Meghan Duggan Signs With Boston Pride

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In the biggest surprise of the NWHL’s final day of free agency, former Buffalo Beauts co-captain Meghan Duggan will sign a deal with the Isobel Cup champion Boston Pride, the team announced Sunday.

Duggan takes a $20,000 deal, the same salary that U.S. National Team and new Boston Pride teammates Hilary Knight, Brianna Decker, Gigi Marvin and Kacey Bellamy took. Each of them taking less than league-high deals like Amanda Kessel and Kelli Stack’s $26,000 contracts, gave the Pride the kind of flexibility to keep them a superpower in the NWHL.

For Duggan, the $20,000 deal is $2,500 less than she earned last season.

The Pride appear well-positioned to defend their title, having only improved the team through good signings and bringing in Duggan and number one overall pick from the 2015 draft and 2015 Patty Kazmaier Award-winner, Alex Carpenter.

Duggan put up six goals and 16 points through 13 games for the Beauts last season and added an assist in the playoffs when the Beauts made a run to the Final, only to be beaten by the Pride in two tight games.

She is a decorated member of the U.S. National Team, having captained Team USA at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and in the last two IIHF World Championships, where the U.S. took home back-to-back golds.

Duggan’s deal, like the deals of most players on the National Team, are not officially signed yet. Terms have been agreed on, but ink hasn’t been put to paper. The NWHL announced the commitments Sunday to meet a self-imposed free agency deadline.