The Ducks have avoided salary arbitration with center Chase De Leo. CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that Anaheim has signed him a one-year, two-way contract. The deal will pay him $750K in the NHL, $100K in the AHL, and contains a guaranteed salary of $130K.
Anaheim acquired the 23-year-old just before last year’s free agent period opened up in a trade with Winnipeg. The change of scenery certainly helped De Leo as he posted career highs across the board with AHL San Diego, collecting 20 goals and 35 assists in 66 games. His performance was good enough to earn him a brief recall to the Ducks, his first NHL action in three years.
With the recent re-signing of center Derek Grant and the addition of winger Nicolas Deslauriers last month, there doesn’t appear to be much of an opening for De Leo to make a case for a full-time spot with Anaheim in 2019-20. However, another strong showing with the Gulls should have him in the mix for another recall at some point next season.