Devante Smith-Pelly Signs Two Year Deal With The Ducks
By Jason Byun
Finally, the last domino of restricted free agency has fallen. Right winger Devante Smith-Pelly has signed a two year, $1.6 million one-way deal with the Ducks, making him a member of the Anaheim organization until the end of the 2015-2016 season. The deal comes two days before the Ducks open their training camp, so the Ducks will have their full core together for camp as the preseason and regular season approach.
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Drafted in the 2nd round with the 42nd pick in 2010, Smith-Pelly made the NHL club out of camp before the 2011-2012 season and made his debut on October 7, 2011. In 49 games with the club in 2011-2012, Smith-Pelly scored seven goals and 13 points. However, in order to get more seasoning and improve on his skills, Smith-Pelly has spent the majority of the past two seasons down in AHL Norfolk. He has only played in 26 of the possible 130 regular season contests in the past two seasons (20%), but Smith-Pelly has 41 goals and 75 points in 120 games for AHL Norfolk in that span as well. The team called up Smith-Pelly on April 6th, and he played in three of the final five regular season contests before entering the postseason. In those three games, Smith-Pelly scored a goal and assist for the club.
However, Smith-Pelly really made his mark and showed that he’s going to be a mainstay at the NHL level in this past postseason. After Matt Beleskey suffered an injury in Game 1 against the Dallas Stars, Smith-Pelly was inserted into the lineup. In 12 games, Smith-Pelly scored five goals in the postseason, which led the entire team. His impressive play and strong forechecking game led him to playing a good portion of his shifts on the top line with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, and he should be a candidate to be the third member of that currently incomplete line.
Smith-Pelly will be receiving a modest raise this season: his salary will jump from $690,000 last year to $800,000 this year. If he can show that his postseason success can be sustained through the long NHL regular season, Smith-Pelly will be in position to receive another raise at the completion of this contract. Since he will only be 24 with five years of service time after the 2015-2016 season, the Ducks will again hold his negotiating rights as a restricted free agent (though he will be eligible for arbitration).
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