The Anaheim Ducks have signed winger Andrew Cogliano to a three-year contract extension worth an average annual value (AAV) of $3.25 million. The Ducks’ official Twitter account announced the signing, with the full terms later being provided by Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic and TSN.
AAV of $3.25 million per year; would have been UFA July 1 https://t.co/ShtiAawl3q
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) January 12, 2018
The deal will take Cogliano through the 2020-21 season and also includes a full no-trade clause (NTC) for the rest of this season and a limited one (six teams) once the new contract kicks in. The six-team NTC will cover the next three seasons.
Iron Man Cogliano is Rewarded
Cogliano has been a key role player for the Ducks, helping them become perennial contenders over the last handful of seasons. Drafted in the first round (25th overall) by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, Cogliano played four seasons in Edmonton (2007-08 through 2010-11) before the Ducks acquired him via trade in the 2011 offseason. They sent a 2013 second-round draft pick the other way, which became center Marc-Olivier Roy, who is no longer in the Edmonton organization and has never played an NHL game. Chalk this one up as yet another loss for the Oilers in the past decade.
Getting back to Cogliano, the 30-year-old has been a fixture in the Ducks’ lineup ever since the deal. In fact, he has been a fixture in the NHL since 2007—more so than anyone else can say. Incredibly, Cogliano has never missed a game in his NHL career. As of the announcement of the deal, he has appeared in an astonishing 829 consecutive games. That is not only the longest active streak in the NHL; it’s the fourth-longest iron-man streak in league history. Cogliano hit the 800-game milestone earlier this season.
His achievement, as if it needed to look more impressive, seems especially so this season in the midst of a Ducks campaign that has seen countless players miss significant stretches of time with injuries. Cogliano has defied that and been a constant, as he has for his entire career.
He never fully developed into a significant scorer like the Oilers probably hoped he would, given his draft position, but he has carved out his niche on the Ducks and in the league. A depth forward, his game has enough versatility whereby he can be moved up and down the lineup. He is one of Anaheim’s top penalty killers as well, using his excellent speed and smarts to his advantage.
An AAV of $3.25 million seems like a good deal for Anaheim if not a tad high considering Cogliano has hit the 20-goal plateau only once and has never reached 50 points in a season. Nevertheless, Cogliano’s incomparable consistency and reliability in his middle-to-bottom-six role are what earned him this deal.
Cogliano’s Value to the Ducks
In his career, Cogliano has tallied 149 goals and 202 assists for 351 points. Of those 351 points, 205 (92 goals and 113 assists) have come in his six-plus seasons with the Ducks. More importantly, though, is his strong two-way game. Known for his strong defensive abilities, Cogliano has logged the second-most shorthanded ice time among forwards on the team this season. Over his career, Cogliano has notched 17 shorthanded goals.
As for this season, while he only has five goals and 13 assists in 43 games, he has been a decent driver of possession relative to his team, which has struggled as a whole while battling injuries to key players. This only emphasizes Cogliano’s role as a stabilizing force for this Ducks team.
https://twitter.com/AnaheimDucks/status/951918866656935936
Forgive the cliches, but Cogliano is also a consummate professional from whom young players can learn a lot not just in terms of on-ice play, but also with respect to the day-to-day grind of being in the NHL and how to stay healthy and ready to play hard every night. General manager Bob Murray spoke to these notions after the contract extension was announced.
“Cogs is such a valuable member our team and we felt it paramount to keep him,” said Murray. “He’s very consistent, competes every night and most importantly, is a terrific person. He sets a great example to our younger players with his attitude and approach to the game, and is extremely deserving of this contract extension.”
From a less sentimental standpoint, the deal should also not be a problem for the Ducks in terms of salary cap implications. Although they will have to re-sign pending restricted free agents (RFAs) like Brandon Montour, Ondrej Kase, and Nick Ritchie this offseason and John Gibson by next offseason, they will also see some contracts come off the books to open up some room (Kevin Bieksa’s $4-million AAV being the most notable one).
As Cogliano plays into his thirties, the Ducks have every reason to believe that he will bring the same things to the table every game. After all, his work ethic and approach have allowed him to do it non-stop for over a decade.