Anaheim Ducks Sign Ryan Miller, Derek Grant, and Korbinian Holzer to One-Year Contract Extensions

The Anaheim Ducks have inked Ryan Miller, Korbinian Holzer, and Derek Grant all to a one-year contract extension.

It has been a busy week for the Anaheim Ducks organization. They’ve announced Dallas Eakins as their new head coach, made a few front office moves, bought out the contract of Corey Perry, and now they have announced the re-signing of Ryan Miller, Korbinian Holzer, and Derek Grant through the 2019-20 season.

Ryan Miller— 1-Year, $1.125M

The most significant of these three signings would be that of the 38-year-old veteran goaltender, Ryan Miller. He may no longer be the spry Vezina winning starting goaltender of his youth, but he has been a solid back up for John Gibson. Although he was only relied upon for 20 games during the 2018-19, he exuded confidence, determination, and perseverance, earning himself a .912% save percentage despite the team in front of him.

Another year with Miller also means that goaltending is the one area they do not have to worry about while they undergo a retool this next season. Gibson was the most notable hero last season, but Miller, too, had to stand on his head and carry his team on his back when he was called upon. That is not an easy task, especially for one of the oldest goaltenders in the league.

Nevertheless, Miller feels like he still has at least one more good year in him before he hangs up his skates and enjoys the life of a retired NHL player. This allows him one more season to bestow years worth of wisdom to John Gibson before the student has to become the teacher. At his point, it is likely that the winningest American goaltender will retire in an Anaheim Ducks sweater, and we wouldn’t want it any other way.

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Derek Grant— 1-Year, $700k

It seems as though General Manager, Bob Murray, is also learning from the mistakes he made last summer. When the free agency market opened up in July, instead of re-signing Derek Grant, GMBM let him walk and the Pittsburgh Penguins picked him up.

It was just a few months later that Murray was phoning Jim Rutherford and offering him Joseph Blandisi in order to bring Elite 1 C back to Anaheim. He had struggled in Pittsburgh, and Rutherford seemed to have no issues sending him back to the team he thrived with.

Grant has never been the best NHL player, never eclipsing more than 4 points before being picked up by the Anaheim Ducks. However, we all know how much Bob Murray loves rehabilitation projects, and Grant was one of the rare players who benefited from the new environment Anaheim provided him with.

He had an odd role during his first season with the Ducks, bouncing around anywhere between the first and fourth line center position. Still, for a player who was quite a gamble, he posted an incredible 24 points. This past season, he has acted as a solid fourth line center, allowing the coaching staff to have confidence in their fourth line and split up ice time a lot more evenly than in years prior.

His 9 points in 31 games aren’t anything to fawn over. However, he provides depth down the center and has grown by leaps and bounds as a player. Plus, he’s a fan favorite, so we don’t mind another season with our favorite Elite 1 C.

Korbinian Holzer— 1-Year, $850k

To be honest, I thought the Anaheim Ducks were going to let Holzer walk in free agency. Nevertheless, with the shortage of right-handed defenseman, re-signing Holzer makes sense. The 31-year-old Munich native will likely fill the role as the Ducks 7th D-man, as he has done at different points over the past few seasons.

He is familiar with coach Dallas Eakins, so it is likely that he will thrive even more under Eakins direction. Holzer’s kind-heartedness and positive attitude allow him to be humble and play in any role that the Ducks need him to. He does what he is told and plays a simple game, and we could ask nothing more from him!

Even with the re-signing of Grant and the buyout of Corey Perry, the Ducks still have a little bit of a log jam in their forward core. Something has to give, and someone is going to be the odd man out. Do you think there’s a trade in the works or will one of the rookies not make the team next season. Let us know by leaving a comment down below!