Details of Deferred Extension Between Frank Vatrano and Ducks

In a social media post labeled “A message from Frank Vatrano,” the Anaheim Ducks forward announced that he has signed a three-year extension with the team. Set to become an unrestricted free agent, financial details of the extension were released by Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic and TSN.

A message from Frank Vatrano. #FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/FISmD6fqPF

— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) January 5, 2025

LeBrun writes:

Frank Vatrano’s 3-year, $18M extension is an interesting one. He will get paid $3M a year in base salary but then $9M in deferred salary. Starting 10 years from now in 2035, will make $900,000 a year for 10 years, and his plan is to live outside of California (and its tax system) at that point in retirement.

LeBrun adds that the Ducks will benefit from deferred payments by having $4.57M AAV (instead of $6M AAV) on the deal. Others have noted that the decision to sign Vatrano to a short-term extension is an interesting move. He’s 30 years old, which means a long-term deal would have taken him into his declining years. At the same time, this AAV is good for the Ducks.

The Ducks keep some flexibility on their salary cap, lending credence to the idea that they might try to make a splash this summer to add to the roster.

Ducks Got Vatrano to Defer A Good Portion of His Contract

Deferred deals are still rare, but they are becoming a bit more common. LeBrun notes, “Creative way for both the team and player to make it work. And perhaps show other players in future way to stick-handle around California tax issue.”

Vatrano has nine goals and 20 points in 37 games for the Ducks this season. He is coming off a 2023-24 campaign with 37 goals and 60 points.

While not nearly in the same ballpark in terms of money, Elliotte Friedman called this the NHL’s equivalent to a Shohei Ohtani type of extension.

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