The Anaheim Ducks are nearing a multi-year extension with Pavel Mintyukov on July 5, 2026, a move that would take the 22-year-old defenseman off the offer sheet market. The deal is expected to land in the range of Brandt Clarke’s five-year, $37MM contract, putting a price tag on Anaheim’s push to keep one of its younger blue-liners in place.
Mintyukov is not just a name on a contract list. He has played 204 NHL games, has 69 career points and was the 10th-overall selection in 2022. This season, he finished with 22 points in 73 games, which makes the expected cost notable, but it also reflects how the Ducks view his role over time rather than just his latest scoring line.
That view helps explain why the search for his name has intensified. Mintyukov is a restricted free agent, and multiple teams approached him with interest, which put Anaheim under pressure to move before outside options could keep building. The Ducks had already dealt with a record-setting offer sheet for Leo Carlsson from the Philadelphia Flyers, so waiting into early July carries a price of its own.
The numbers show why the Ducks are willing to act. Mintyukov scored 28 points in 63 games in his rookie season in 2023-24, then followed with 19 points in 2024-25 before settling at 22 points this season. He has averaged 18:17 of ice time through 204 NHL games, with career averages of 82 hits and 103 shot blocks per 82 games. He also finished with the third-most power-play ice time on the Ducks blue line this season behind Jackson LaCombe and Olen Zellweger, which tells you Anaheim still sees him as part of the future structure, not a temporary fill-in.
The friction is hard to miss: Mintyukov is being valued at a level that usually comes with stronger box-score production, yet the Ducks appear ready to pay for the player they believe he will become. Gabriel Foley put the reaction bluntly, calling the expected figure “$7.5 MM for a second pairing guy,” and the market logic is clear enough. At that number, Anaheim is betting that Mintyukov’s age, usage and two-way workload will make the deal look cheaper as the cap rises.
What comes next is the formalization of a deal that is still described as nearing completion rather than already done. If Anaheim closes it, Mintyukov stays in orange and black, the offer sheet threat disappears, and the Ducks settle one of their most important contract questions before the rest of the summer can turn it into a bigger one.
