While there was much speculation around the Anaheim Ducks during the trade deadline, general manager Bob Murray knew that he needed more offense and acquired Jamie McGinn from the Buffalo Sabres and Brandon Pirri from the Florida Panthers. Defenseman Sami Vatanen was suspected of being on the way out, but when the trade deadline passed, he was still a Duck. With Vatanen staying, extension talks can go smoother.
The contract will not be cheap, however, as he is the leading scoring defenseman on the team with nine goals and 34 points, placing him in the top 30 in the league for blueliners.
He is currently in the final year of a two-year, $2.525 million deal with a $1.26 million average annual cap hit. A report has suggested that Vatanen is seeking a six-year deal at $6 million per season, a significant raise. Murray that denies this ever happened, but he has faced problems re-signing the 24-year-old back in December.
"I had lots of calls on certain people on the back end," Murray said on Monday. "I've got lots of thinking to do about our defensive corps in the next four months. I wasn't doing anything today. I want to have a long, hard look at what we've got going forward."
Having spent his entire career there, since the 2012-13 season, Vatanen is grateful that he was not traded and is still a Duck.
"You hear all kinds of things when you come to the rink like that," he said. "It's out of my hands. I can't do anything about that. I can just focus on coming to the rink and enjoy it. Having fun with the boys and play my best. I want to be a Duck. That's my first thing what I want to do. It's been my favorite team. That's on my mind. To be here for a long time would be a dream come true."
It will be a busy offseason for Murray, as Hampus Lindholm, Richard Rackell and goaltender Frederik Andersen are also pending restricted free agents.
