The Anaheim Ducks announced on Thursday that they had signed defenceman Tristan Luneau to a six-year contract extension worth $43.2 million, a deal that begins in 2027-28 even though the 22-year-old Quebecer has appeared in just 14 career NHL games.
The Anaheim Ducks have signed their young defenceman to a six-year deal worth $43.2 million, carrying a $7.2 million average annual value. The new deal runs from 2027-28 through 2032-33, per Puckpedia's contract tracking. It includes a $3 million signing bonus in year one and a 10-team no-trade list over its final two seasons.
A landmark deal for a player with limited minutes
Friedman noted the extension is believed to be the largest contract in NHL history for a player with only 14 games of NHL experience. The 22-year-old has logged two goals and two assists in his career while averaging 16:52 per contest.
He had nine goals and 52 points in 59 games for San Diego during the 2024-25 season and had 10 goals and 41 points in 70 games last season. The 93 combined points were third-most among AHL defensemen over the past two seasons.
From Victoriaville to the Gatineau Olympiques
Luneau's path to the NHL runs squarely through Quebec junior hockey. He was selected with the first overall pick in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League by the Gatineau Olympiques. He led all defencemen in the league with 83 points in the regular season and then scored 17 more in the postseason during his final QMJHL campaign, winning the Emile Bouchard Trophy as the league's top defenceman.
His development wasn't without setbacks. Luneau missed out on making Team Canada for the 2024 World Juniors after suffering a viral infection. He bounced back, and after his entry-level deal with Anaheim, he made the Ducks' roster before being sent down to refine his game in the minors, where he quickly became one of the league's top offensive blueliners.
Why Anaheim moved before the season began
Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek explained the rationale behind locking up a player with so little NHL experience. « Signing Tristan to a long-term contract was a priority as we see him as a top-four defenseman for years to come, » Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said in a news release. « Getting the deal done before the season started was a key part of our planning for now and the future. »
The timing is no coincidence. Signing him before the potential of an offer sheet next July forced the Ducks to pay more for Mintyukov and bumped up the price for leading scorer Cutter Gauthier. Anaheim general manager Pat Verbeek moved aggressively to lock up Luneau after being burned repeatedly in restricted free agency over the offseason.
The club's defence corps looks very different heading into this season. Luneau will be expected to play a significant role this season for the Ducks, who lost four veteran defensemen — Jacob Trouba, captain Radko Gudas, John Carlson and Olen Zellweger — from last season's already mediocre blue line group over the summer.
What comes next for Luneau
Because the new money doesn't kick in immediately, Luneau still has work to do. Because the extension doesn't begin until 2027-28, it has no immediate effect on this season's salary cap situation, where the Ducks already have little breathing room. He will spend this season on his existing entry-level deal, trying to prove the bet was worth making.
He won't be short on opportunity. Luneau should have open opportunity in front of him, though with a looming challenge for minutes from Drew Helleson and Ian Moore who are currently injured. Anaheim's season opens with the same core now locked up long-term, a group the Ducks hope can finally end their playoff drought — a storyline that connects to the broader wave of opening night intrigue across the league this week.
For Canadian hockey fans, Luneau's rise adds another name from Quebec's junior ranks to the list of homegrown defencemen making an impact out west, in a season that has already seen major roster shake-ups like the Leafs-Blue Jackets trade reshape expectations around the league.