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It's been kind of a disastrous last 12 months for the Ducks in terms of keeping their core together. They traded away Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale a year before they would hit restricted free agency. They traded Mason McTavish during last month's draft. On Sunday they locked up Pavel Mintyukov, perhaps fearing an offer sheet, and they're paying him enough that they might not be able to afford both Gauthier and Carlsson. There was no question of re-signing veteran defensemen John Carlson and Jacob Trouba. The Ducks are, for lack of a more delicate term, in cap hell, which is a bad and improbable place to be for what is still fundamentally a young team that should be looking to take the next step.

Blame here lands on Anaheim’s front office, led by GM Pat Verbeek. It was voted the hardest front office to deal with by NHL agents in an Athletic poll. “There’s always something they nickel you,” one agent said. Another, intending it as partial praise, called them “assholes.” Saving a few tens of thousands here and there can have totally foreseeable consequences. Carlsson didn’t have to sign an offer sheet, and maybe he doesn’t if he has confidence the Ducks are going to take care of him. But if you know they’re going to fight you on every penny, what player isn’t signing a deal that’d make them the highest-paid player in the league and let them hit free agency when they’re still just 26 years old?

Of course, it wouldn't even have gotten this far if the Ducks locked up their young studs before they hit the market. That's what the Canadiens have done, and they're in great cap shape. That's what the Hurricanes have done, and they're Cup champs without ever facing a real cap crunch. But that's not how Verbeek does business—a slight and early overpay for potential is haram in Duckland—and now it's coming back to bite them. They could've had Carlsson long-term for something like $10 million AAV not too long ago. If Anaheim is now going to have to pay through the nose for his services, we know exactly whose fault that is, and it's not the Flyers'.

pedri: 💪🤠

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