Frank Vatrano is staying with the Ducks, and he’s doing it in a pretty clever way.
The 30-year-old forward just signed a three-year, $16 million extension with Anaheim, but here’s where it gets interesting: a big chunk of that money won’t hit his bank account for quite a while.
TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that while Vatrano will make $3 million each year during the contract, $9 million of the total deal will be paid out much later – from 2035 to 2044, he’ll get $900,000 every year.
Why structure it this way? It’s actually a smart money move.
Vatrano plans to retire outside of California, which means he could collect those later payments in a state with no income tax. Plus, this creative setup helps the Ducks too – it drops his salary cap hit to $4.67 million instead of $6 million.
This kind of deferred salary is common in baseball but pretty rare in hockey. It might start a trend, especially for teams in high-tax states trying to compete with places like Florida and Texas, where players keep more of their paycheck.
The deal comes after Vatrano’s best season ever. He just put up 37 goals and 60 points in 82 games – way above his previous best of 24 goals back in 2018-19 with Florida.
It’s quite a turnaround for someone who joined the Ducks in 2022 after a rough patch with the Rangers. In his first year in Anaheim, he scored 22 goals and 41 points. Now he’s nearly doubled that goal total.
This creative contract could be a game-changer for how NHL teams structure deals in the future, especially in states with high tax rates looking to attract top talent.
