On Saturday the Anaheim Ducks locked up one of their core players as they signed defenseman Sami Vatanen to a four-year contract extension worth $19.5 million ($4.875M per).
I think this is an excellent contract for a few reasons:
1) 5 v 5 point production
Over the last two seasons Vatanen has averaged .91 points per 60 minutes of 5 v 5 ice. That puts him in a tie for 29th with the likes of Keith Yandle, T.J. Brodie, Ryan McDonagh and Anton Stralman, among others.
Vatanen has not only equalled their 5 v 5 production but also been a more efficient point producer than Justin Faulk, Duncan Keith, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Drew Doughty and Hampus Lindholm to name but a few.