The Anaheim Ducks re-signed forward Max Comtois to a two-year contract yesterday, which carries a $2.04 million cap hit.
Comtois made a full-time jump to the NHL this past season, scoring 16 goals and 33 points in 55 games, a pace of 24 goals and 49 points per 82 games. Those numbers were good enough to lead the Ducks in both goals and points, despite the forward being just 22 years old.
It was easy to assume that Comtois was going to get a bridge-deal coming off his entry-level contract, as he’s still played a total of just 94 NHL games over the last three seasons. This extension will give him a couple more years to continue developing as a key part of the team’s forward group, before getting more money on a long-term deal down the road.
Despite the term coming in as expected, however, the price is seemingly quite a bit lower than it could have been. Looking at other players who recently signed bridge deals around the same age, some quick comparables would be Jesper Bratt, Jordan Greenway, Denis Gurianov and Luke Kunin. Despite having a higher points per 82 in his contract year than all four of those forwards, Comtois got less on his deal, while the other four signed for between $2.1 and $2.75 million per year respectively.
Realistically, it wouldn’t have been surprising to see Comtois up around $3 million per year on a two-year contract. The Ducks are getting really good value on this extension, which seemingly comes in below market value.
The kicker here is that the Ducks don’t really need the cap space and while it’s a good deal, the two-year term means the team won’t be able to take advantage of the value it brings, as they enter a rebuild. Perhaps it would’ve been worthwhile to try to extend the forward to a longer deal, based on the low cost of this contract.
That said, the price remains very good for a two-year deal and it’ll be exciting to see Comtois continue to develop with the Ducks in the coming years.
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How many points do you expect from Max Comtois next season?
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