Anaheim Ducks Free Agents – Matt Beleskey: Re-sign or Let Walk?
The NHL salary cap causes teams to make tough decisions every summer and even with the projected increase the Anaheim Ducks will have to make some tough calls. The toughest decision they will have to make for this coming summer will be how high to offer a contract to Matt Beleskey.
If you had told me a year ago that Matt Beleskey would be a huge contract for the Ducks to lock up I would’ve laughed. Not because he’s a bad player but because I didn’t view him as a huge player on this team. That has changed watching his star power rise this season, which was nothing short of incredible. Beleskey went 22-10-32 on the season with a goal total that was 3rd on the Ducks behind only Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf. Beleskey followed his regular season performance up by going 8-1-9 in the postseason. Following a quiet showing against Winnipeg in round one, Beleskey broke out scoring a goal in each of the five games vs. Calgary in Round two. He then scored perhaps the biggest goal of his career thus far by netting the overtime winner vs. Chicago in Game 5. While both those stats are impressive, Beleskey also didn’t shrink when the moment was at its largest. He led the team in the regular season with 8 game winning goals and led the team in the playoffs with 3. Though not a perfect stat it shows Beleskey scores meaningful goals and makes an impact when the game needs him to.
Beleskey has an amazing release, can score with his heavy shot and dirty goals in front of the net and does not shy away from the physical stuff. He is tough, throws his weight around, wins puck battles whether in the corners or along the boards. Beleskey also found great chemistry with line-mates Ryan Kesler and Jakob Silfverberg that if they can all remain together, could prove to be an extremely lethal second line. They complement each other extremely well and all play a fairly similar style. Silfverberg needs to be resigned this season as well and Kesler will need to be extended past this season. Both things I expect to happen and will go a long way to the Ducks getting to their ultimate goal of a Stanley Cup.
Beleskey won’t turn 28 until this time next season so he is just starting to enter his prime. He had a cap hit of just 1.4 million last year and his performance will certainly generate a pay day for him. It comes down to a couple things, does he want to stay with the Ducks or chase the money. GM Bob Murray stated he would try to sign Beleskey but knows it may not be easy. Murray doesn’t typically throw money around and you be sure some teams absolutely will should Beleskey remain unsigned come July 1st.
So what will it take to resign Beleskey? Looking around the league at players that scored the same amount he did and are about the same age you get four players. Loui Eriksson of the Boston Bruins, Cam Atkinson of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Matt Duchene of the Colorado Avalanche and Jakub Voracek of the Philadelphia Flyers. With the exception of Duchene who has a 6 million dollar cap hit the other three ranges from 3.5 million to 4.25 million. Potentially selling Beleskey on the fact the Ducks can win now and for years to come he may take a small amount less and maybe somewhere in the ballpark of 3.8 million for three or four years would get it done. This would make Beleskey the 4th highest paid forward on the Ducks which is probably about right. He shouldn’t be making more than Perry, Getzlaf, or Kesler. The salary cap is projected to be somewhere between 71 and 73 million, a potential 4 million dollar increase. With the other Ducks that need to be signed this year and next if that doesn’t get it done I think the Ducks need to walk away. Beleskey is a good player who will just keep getting better but you can’t strap the whole team to sign him with some other big time players needing pay days as well. The Ducks would be better with Beleskey but have the money and prospects to replace him should they not get a deal done.
Verdict: Resign for 3.8 mill/per for 3-4 years
What do you think the Ducks should do with Matt Beleskey? Tell us your thoughts in the comments and poll below.