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Ducks Lock Up Pavel Mintyukov With Five-Year Extension Through 2030-31
The Apex Times

THE APEX TIMES

Sports/The Apex Times/Jul 5, 8:05 PM EDT

Ducks Lock Up Pavel Mintyukov With Five-Year Extension Through 2030-31

Anaheim has signed defenseman Pavel Mintyukov, keeping a key piece of its young left side in place with a long-term deal that runs through the 2030-31 season.

By The Apex Times Newsroom2 min readAI-assisted Apex article

The Anaheim Ducks have agreed to a five-year contract extension with defenseman Pavel Mintyukov, finalizing a major piece of their offseason roster work and securing one of their developing core players beyond the summer deadline window. The club announced the extension on Sunday, and it runs through the 2030-31 NHL season.

Mintyukov, 22, has been a regular presence on Anaheim’s blue line since making his debut in 2023-24. According to the Ducks’ official release, he has totaled 204 career NHL games with Anaheim through the end of the 2025-26 season, producing 69 points and 61 penalty minutes. The team also pointed to his 2025-26 output, when he set single-season career highs with 8 goals and 22 points overall, while appearing in 73 games.

From a contract standpoint, multiple reports specify that the deal carries an average annual value of $7.2 million. The first year includes a $3 million signing bonus, and the final year features a 10-team no-trade clause, details that matter for how Anaheim can plan the long arc of its defensive group and its flexibility leading into the back half of the contract.

The extension also clarifies Anaheim’s internal defensive priorities at a time when the franchise has been reshaping its mix of young players and emerging roles. The Ducks emphasized Mintyukov’s impact in the defensive zone and around puck movement, and they noted that he appeared in all 12 of Anaheim’s Stanley Cup Playoff games in 2026. In that postseason, the team said Mintyukov co-led the Ducks in blocked shots with 19 while ranking fourth in time on ice, underscoring that he was not treated as a spare during the playoff run.

Around the league, contract negotiations for restricted free agents can sometimes escalate into offer-sheet scenarios. The Hockey News reported that Mintyukov had a pending offer sheet with an unidentified team before Anaheim reached agreement on its own extension terms. Anaheim’s announcement confirms the outcome, even if the broader offer-sheet context remains framed as reported information rather than something the Ducks publicly detailed.

For fans trying to read the Ducks’ forward identity, Mintyukov’s extension is less about a short-term spark and more about stability in a key position. A long-term pact for a young defender helps the coaching staff plan pairings with fewer disruptions, and it can also allow the organization to build the rest of its defensive depth knowing one of its top-left side options is locked in for the next several seasons. The next test will be how Anaheim’s overall defensive mix looks on the opening roster and how Mintyukov’s role evolves as teammates settle into their own long-term contracts.

Why It Matters

  • Locking up a young top-pair/regular minutes defender helps Anaheim keep its defensive development plan on track over multiple seasons.
  • The extension adds roster stability at a time when long playoff runs and roster turnover can change pairings and responsibilities quickly.
  • A no-trade clause in the final year adds certainty to Mintyukov’s long-term role and limits Anaheim’s flexibility later in the contract.
  • The deal reduces the risk of a potential RFA holdout or contract uncertainty that can ripple into power-play and defensive deployment decisions.

Sources

Key Facts

  • Anaheim signed defenseman Pavel Mintyukov to a five-year contract extension through the 2030-31 NHL season.
  • The Ducks reported that Mintyukov has played 204 NHL games with Anaheim and produced 69 points through the end of 2025-26.
  • In 2025-26, Mintyukov recorded career highs in goals (8) and points (22) while playing 73 games.
  • Reports indicate the extension carries a $7.2 million average annual value and includes a $3 million signing bonus in the first year.
  • Reports also indicate a 10-team no-trade clause in the final year of the agreement.
  • The Ducks said Mintyukov appeared in all 12 of Anaheim’s Stanley Cup Playoff games in 2026 and led or ranked near the top in blocked shots.