The Ducks signed Tristan Luneau to a six-year, $43 million-plus extension after just 14 NHL games. The 22-year-old defenseman is getting his chance to prove himself and live up to the expectations that come with the deal.

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Leo Carlsson wasn’t sure what kind of reception he’d receive this fall.

After being at the center of arguably the NHL’s most dramatic offseason storyline — and completely recalibrating the upper band of the league’s pay structure in the process — Carlsson sounded a touch surprised relaying what he’s encountered on the ice in the early days of this Anaheim Ducks season.

“Just congrats so far,” Carlsson told The Athletic last week. “All that stuff. Nobody’s even chirped me yet.”

Perhaps they’ve been too preoccupied hanging “Thank you Leo!” signs in players’ lounges around the league.

Barely a week has gone by without a fresh example of one of Carlsson’s peers benefiting from the $90 million, five-year offer sheet he signed in early July. The $18 million average annual value attached to that contract was significantly more than what Carlsson had asked for in his own discussions with the Ducks, and with good reason: There was simply no basis or comparable deal at the time for him to seek that level of compensation.

The Carlsson contract — conceived in an offer sheet tendered by the Philadelphia Flyers that the Ducks matched — became the comparable that lifted all other boats, even as San Jose Sharks superstar Macklin Celebrini ($18.8 million AAV) and Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar ($20.4 million AAV) followed with richer deals of their own.

It helped create the conditions for Alex DeBrincat to sign a seven-year extension with the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday, carrying a $13 million cap hit, and few around the league would even bat an eye. The sticker shock is gone.

“I think that’s one thing that this contract with Alex shows,” Red Wings interim general manager Shawn Horcoff said. “Obviously, having full support of ownership to adjust to the changing environment, because the reality is things are changing. This summer it was dramatic, right?”

Chicago Blackhawks captain Connor Bedard ($15 million AAV) and Columbus Blue Jackets center Adam Fantilli ($13.75 million AAV) reaped immediate rewards in the wake of Carlsson’s contract, as did Carlsson’s Ducks teammate Cutter Gauthier ($13.5 million AAV). Drake Batherson more than doubled his existing salary with the Ottawa Senators by signing an eight-year extension carrying a $10.75 million AAV. The Vancouver Canucks handed Zeev Buium an eight-year deal with a $9.38 million AAV despite the defenseman having only 76 NHL games on his resume.

Ducks fly together. Let’s get something going!! Let’s go here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Zv152vXQef8hvJpr9?g_st=ic

Ducks have hit their first bumps of the season. Are these the first signs of a rocky road?

How Ducks line-up is handling injury shuffle + Lukáš Dostál's start + live AMA in this week's Ducks in Deep on Apple, Spotify, YouTube ⬇️

🍎: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ducks-doused-hot-start-in-jeopardy-ducks-in-deep-live/id1853686424?i=1000796406718
🎧: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2jZuPAvUzxHT2dL7uZ89WC?si=1_p6XIAWQNClp6LN6dHpJg
📺: https://youtu.be/CCw8Ua_99WU?si=5e9jF01GMJSPUKAl

Anyone else have streaming issues on every game on Prime?

That was beautiful to see in person, was wondering if anyone has a gif or video of it.

Why don't they allow us to bring in sealed water bottles anymore into the HondaCenter? I remember they allowed it last year... the water is so freaking expensive.

Good game , Sennecke is a beast, glad I got his rookie card recently.

This is probably silly, but I keep going back to it in my head. I was excited to try the “meat lovers” rolls and for one reason or another I didn’t past games until yesterdays game.
Did I buy the right ones ? Mine had just pepperoni. And don’t get me wrong, they were delicious and I would buy them again.
I’m just wondering why they’re called meat lovers rolls and not pizza rolls if they only have one type of meat ? Did I see/taste wrong ? It’s bothering my autisim 😂😂😂😂

In their journey towards being a contender, it's games like this that the Ducks will look back on and wince.

Winless Calgary dictated the terms and broke a tie late on a gotta-have-that five-hole wrister in 4-2 road victory.

Mikael Granlund: "Not our best. It’s a tie game in the third period and we got to find a way to get some points out of those games."

Beckett Sennecke: "It felt like they were honestly on top of us for most of the game five-on-five."

Full Ducks postgame media ⬇️

https://youtu.be/6XJWaQKgnt0?si=TW5XTaFdIwFDgjez

Source: https://x.com/friedgehnic/status/2110017383746199631?s=46&t=9-byUUqs9g9TVZYs1luxag

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yikes mostly. Second and third line not too shabby. That last goal is such a stain on really good performance by dosty.

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