Anaheim Ducks Re-sign Brendan Guhle and Sam Carrick

The Anaheim Ducks have handed out a few small contract extensions over the past few days, and have, most recently, added Sam Carrick and Brendan Guhle to that list.

All seemed quiet in Anaheim, but recently, Bob Murray has handed out a slew of small contract extensions over the past few days. Christian Djoos and Jani Hakanpaa were both signed to one-year contract extensions late last week, and today, the Anaheim Ducks organization has announced that they have re-signed both Brendan Guhle and San Diego Gull Captain, Sam Carrick.

Brendan Guhle Earns Two More Years

Brendan Guhle gained a lot of criticism from fans after not performing up to standards this past season. As a piece of the Brandon Montour trade, he was supposed to improve the defense. However, it might be fair to say that there was too much pressure put on the young Guhle who may not necessarily be NHL ready. Nevertheless, Bob Murray must have confidence in his abilities if he’s willing to give Guhle a two-year contract extension.

Playing in 30 games with the Anaheim Ducks in 2019-20, Guhle posted 8 points (4g, 4a.) He seemed to struggle at both ends of the ice, making more mistakes than he should be at the NHL level. However, he was subjected to a lack of structure on the blueline, which doesn’t bode well for the development of a player who is so young and impressionable.

When he was sent down to San Diego, he seemed to thrive much better under the guidance of Head Coach Kevin Dineen. With 14 points (4g, 14a) in 27 games, he was tied for second among his fellow defensemen for goals. The little extra time in the AHL will hopefully do wonders for Guhle’s game as he prepares to take on a full-time spot with the big club in the next few years.

His injury-prone history could be seen as an issue; he has shown signs of struggle when returning to the lineup post-injury. However, he is young and if he learns to protect himself a little bit more, he could be a valuable piece for the Ducks going forward. He has already shown promise playing alongside Cam Fowler, and with a little more consistency, he might be able to find his groove alongside other pieces of Anaheim’s struggling blueline.

Things were rather uncertain for Guhle over the past seasons, but he handled it well. He has shown a great level of maturity while being bounced back and forth between the NHL and AHL, and with a little offseason work, and maybe a little more time to develop his game in San Diego, Guhle has promise if he continues to work hard.

"“There was a lot of travelling and not necessarily knowing where I was going to be at certain times, but it was a lot of fun,” said Guhle. “I never realized how fun it was playing in San Diego in front of those fans and in that building. That was awesome and I loved it there. Obviously, playing in Anaheim was a dream come true. They were one of my favorite teams growing up and it was a lot of fun to play there this year as well.” –Brendan Guhle"

Contract Details: 2-Year Contract Extension with an AAV of $800,000 

The Captain is Back

The signing of Sam Carrick likely isn’t going to have a huge impact on the Anaheim Ducks. The AHL journeyman will likely continue with the San Diego Gulls. He has served as an excellent leader for the Ducks AHL affiliate, wearing the A for the Gulls for two seasons before being promoted to Captain during the 2019-20 season.

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His 43 points in 46 games makes him the leading point producer for the Gulls during 2019-20 by a wide margin of over 10 points. He also led the team in goals, with 23, and made a pretty good impression during his short 9 game stint with the Anaheim Ducks when injuries ravaged the team.

It was rather disappointing to see the AHL season end so soon, especially with the Gulls on the cusp of making another run at the Calder Cup. With the details of the rest of the season still up in the air, the Gulls have another season under the leadership of Sam Carrick to possibly make it all the way and finally lift the Calder Cup.

Carrick not only makes hockey enjoyable to watch but, despite not being one of the “big names” on the Gulls roster, he has made one of the biggest impacts during his tenure in San Diego. It will be exciting to watch him play in Pechanga Arena for at least another year.

Contract Details: One-Year Contract Extension with an AAV of $700,000

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