Ducks announce new five-year deal for star player

The Anaheim Ducks have their goaltender of the future: Lukáš Dostál.

According to multiple sources, the contract is for five years and carries an annual average value of $6.5 million.

Dostál, 25, was originally drafted by the Ducks in the third round (85th overall) in the 2018 Draft. He was a solid backup for John Gibson over the last few seasons, with career numbers of 3.29 goals allowed on average, a .902 save percentage, and a 42-58-13 record, although that is more indicative of Anaheim’s lacking skaters in front of him.

But the Ducks traded Gibson to the Detroit Red Wings earlier this month, paving the way for Dostál to assume No. 1 goaltending duties for 2025-26 and beyond.

Suddenly, this Anaheim team has to feel pretty confident about breaking its seven-year postseason drought sooner rather than later. Young up-and-comers like Leo Carlsson, Jackson LaCombe, Pavel Mintyukov, Olen Zellweger, Cutter Gauthier, and, hopefully for the Ducks, restricted free agent Mason McTavish, should be cornerstones for this new era.

Plus, Anaheim added veterans through free agency and trade, like Mikael Granlund, Chris Kreider, and Jacob Trouba. All of them have probably already played their best hockey, but they, and Troy Terry, should help lead this nucleus back to relevancy.

Keeping Dostál around for the long haul should provide some stability for new head coach Joel Quenneville. He can rely on the new starter while still having Petr Mrazek and Ville Husso to fall back on.

This move alone will not flip the franchise’s fortunes, but it is a good sign nonetheless that encouraging, growing players want to stick around and build something special.