The Anaheim Ducks have signed defenseman Simon Despres to a five-year contract extension, the team announced on Friday.
The deal is worth $18.5 million, according to Renaud Lavoie. That’s an AAV of $3.7 million, which will kick in next season. He’s currently finishing off a two-year deal that carries an AAV of $900,000.
Despres came to the Ducks back in March in a trade that saw the Ducks send Ben Lovejoy to Pittsburgh in exchange for the 24-year-old defender.
Despres was a 1st round draft pick for Pittsburgh back in 2009. He’s played 160 career NHL games with75 of those coming last season split between the two teams. During that span he scored three goals and 20 assists.
The signing has the Ducks betting on Despres’s continued development and banks on him becoming an ongoing regular presence in the young, dynamic blue line the Ducks have put together. If he continues on his current development trajectory, the $3.7 million hit in could be quite a good deal in a couple of years.
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