Tristan Luneau’s Lucrative Ducks Deal Shows Early Signs of Being a Bargain

The Anaheim Ducks surprised the hockey world — again — by signing Tristan Luneau to a six‑year, $43.2‑million contract despite his NHL experience totaling just 14 games.

Reactions were split. Some lauded GM Pat Verbeek for taking an early‑step stance and showing confidence in a young defender, while others questioned the wisdom of handing a sizable deal to a player with little proven track record at the highest level.

After three contests, the Ducks’ gamble appears to be paying off.

Luneau skipped any acclimation period, slotting directly onto the top pairing alongside Jackson LaCombe and logging substantial minutes. Over his first three games he recorded 26:58, 26:36 and 21:33 of ice time, averaging 25:02 per contest.

That average places him 13th league‑wide in time on ice, ahead of notables such as Moritz Seider, Matthew Schaefer, Miro Heiskanen and Jakob Chychrun.

What makes Luneau’s rapid rise noteworthy is not merely the heavy workload but his immediate impact. Paired with LaCombe, he has become a top‑tier puck mover, fuelling the Ducks’ rush offense. Neither hesitates to jump into the play after a retrieval, looking to create scoring chances.

Thus far the effort has yielded one assist, but point production is expected to climb as the season progresses.

At 5‑on‑5 the Ducks have struggled analytically; five of their nine goals have come on the power play and they have gone two games without an even‑strength tally.

Despite facing strong opponents — Vegas Golden Knights, Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers — the Ducks have posted a 46.28 % Corsi‑for and a 48.37 % expected‑goals share when Luneau is on the ice at even strength, per NaturalStatTrick.com. The team is also even on the scoreboard, with three goals for and three against.

Not much positive from Anaheim in the first 13 minutes of this hockey game. The brightest spot was just moments ago when Tristan Luneau (Mr. $43 million) took Kulikov outside in with a slick dangle and went bar and out#FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/bchKWvcXmR

— Patrick Present (@PatrickCPresent) October 5, 2026

Luneau has also contributed on the penalty kill, accruing 8:39 of shorthanded ice time. With him on the bench, the Ducks have surrendered no power‑play goals; only LaCombe and Pavel Mintyukov have logged more shorthanded minutes.

The 22‑year‑old sees occasional duty on the second power‑play unit paired with Mintyukov. His shot ranks in the 65th percentile for hardest shot speed and the 85th percentile for average shot speed (NHL Edge), suggesting he can test goaltenders.

Even so, his primary value remains at even strength. His skating enables him to challenge forwards on the rush, join the offensive rush and facilitate clean zone exits for Anaheim.

What initially looked like an overpriced contract may soon prove to be a bargain. Amid notable backend turnover, Luneau’s emergence helps the Ducks offset those losses and stay competitive.

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