Anaheim Ducks sign forward Troy Terry to seven-year contract extension

The Anaheim Ducks have inked Troy Terry to a seven-year deal worth $49 million. The contract carries an AAV of $7 million. Terry has been one of the most consistent Ducks’ players over the last two seasons. He’s a key member of the core of the team and it made sense from all parties to get a long-term deal done before arbitration.

Terry was scheduled to go to contract arbitration Wednesday but the two sides came to an agreement in the nick of time. Things could have gone very differently if they hadn’t gotten a deal done before the meeting took place. Both sides had submitted their arbitration numbers and they were $3.5 million apart and the two parties seemed destined for an arbitration decision. If they had gone through with it, Terry would have likely signed a one-year deal at an AAV somewhere between the Ducks $4.5 million offer and the player’s $8 million offer. But more importantly that would send him right to unrestricted free agency which is not a place the Ducks want Terry going.

The contract makes sense for both sides, Terry is a late bloomer who gets to cash in on a $49 million deal in the prime of his career. The Ducks get seven years of team control of a top player on their team from the age of 26-33. Not to mention the salary cap will be going up soon so the actual cost of his contract will go down in relation to that, over time.

Terry played 70 games for the Ducks this past season, scoring 23 goals and 61 points, finishing tied for first in goals and second in points on the club. The Ducks are a rebuilding team and having a proven 25-35 goal scorer around for the better part of the next decade will provide much needed stability for the franchise.