Greg WyshynskiOct 2, 2025, 02:43 PM ET
- Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.
The Anaheim Ducks have locked up defenseman Jackson LaCombe, a key part of their rebuilding team, on a long-term contract extension.
LaCombe, 24, signed an eight-year deal that carries a $9 million average annual value, a source told ESPN on Thursday. The contract is the largest ever given out by the Ducks.
The extension has the same AAV as the deal defenseman Luke Hughes signed with the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday, although that was on a seven-year term.
LaCombe’s new contract will begin in the 2026-27 season and end in 2033-34. He has one year left on a two-year bridge deal ($925,000 AAV) that he signed in 2024.
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LaCombe was selected 39th overall in the 2019 NHL draft. He has 60 points in 148 NHL games, with a career-best 14 goals and 29 assists in 75 games last season for the Ducks as he formed an effective pairing with bruising veteran defenseman Radko Gudas.
Anaheim general manager Pat Verbeek said extending LaCombe was “a priority” for the team and that the young defenseman has “all of the tools to be an anchor on our back end for many years to come.”
LaCombe said it was an “easy decision” to go long term in Anaheim.
“We are building something special here and I am excited to do everything I can to help this team win,” he said in a statement.
The Minnesota alum was invited to the U.S. men’s Olympic orientation camp, putting him in contention for a spot on the 2026 men’s hockey team that will battle for gold in Italy. LaCombe helped the U.S. win gold at the 2025 world championships — the Americans’ first gold at the event in 92 years.
This is the second big signing for Verbeek in the past week. The Ducks and restricted free agent center Mason McTavish agreed to a six-year, $42 million extension Saturday, ending a contentious negotiation that kept him out of training camp.
Anaheim is seeking its first playoff berth since 2018.
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