The Anaheim Ducks have certainly settled forward Trevor Zegras’ case by giving him a three-year contract this week, but they have yet to come to terms with defenseman Jamie Drysdale, and even though negotiations have begun, nothing seems obvious.
Free agent with compensation, the one who signed his entry-level contract last season saw it ruined by a torn hip. And it appears the injury continues to cause him problems, not necessarily on the ice or in the hospital. According to Sportsnet network columnist Elliotte Friedman, the California organization knows the guard played eight games in 2022-2023, two fewer than the threshold that allows a season to be added to the total required for eligibility salary arbitration is taken into account. As a result, Drysdale must wait two years, not just one, before qualifying for the process.
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However, according to Friedman, the Ducks want to sign him to a longer-term, lower-value contract due to the defenseman’s recent misfortune. The latter believes that the idea of a low-cost one-year signing is also not in general manager Pat Verbeek’s plans. Some observers also questioned the hockey player’s ability to return to the sport at the end of last season, raising doubts about the club’s intention to keep the main prospect on the sidelines or not.
“The recovery time was always estimated at six months. Doctors always say four to six months, but with Jamie’s injury, it will never take less than six months for him to return to the ice, Verbeek mused, Sportsnet reported. I had this discussion with our specialists and also with Jamie a few weeks before camp. We sorted that out a long time ago.”
The sixth overall pick in the 2020 draft has 32 points in 81 games on the 2021-2022 schedule.