Free-agent defenceman Kodie Curran agreed to terms with the Anaheim Ducks on a contract today. The two-year contract carries a $1,000,000 average annual value (AAV) and carries him through the 2021-22 season.
Anaheim #Ducks have signed free agent LD Kodie Curran to a 2 year/1-way contract starting in 2020-21.
The contract carries an AAV of $1,000,000.
2020-21: $1,000,000 Base
2021-22: $1,000,000 BaseCurran played in the SHL for Rögle BK last seasonhttps://t.co/iDmJhfKem8 pic.twitter.com/973oq0dn2p
— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) June 1, 2020
Kodie Curran Heads to Anaheim
Curran is a journeyman defenceman in the strictest sense of the term. Never drafted, Curran played five years of college hockey at the University of Calgary from 2010-11 to 2014-15. After a failed stint in the New York Rangers organization the following season, Curran headed to Denmark to continue his pro career. He began to rediscover his game there but left after only one season to hop across the North Sea to Norway for the 2017-18 season. For the 2018-19 season, he joined the more established SHL in Sweden with Rogle BK. However, his 2019-20 campaign with Rogle finally had the hockey world paying attention to Curran.
This past season, Curran topped a point-per-game pace, posting 12 goals and 37 assists for 49 points in just 48 games. That was a good enough performance to have him named not only the SHL’s Defenceman of the Year but the SHL’s Most Valuable Player as well. It’s a stark rise for a player who had largely fallen off the map years ago.
The million dollars per year will be paid entirely in base salary, and the deal is a one-way contract.
What This Means for the Future
For the 30-year-old Curran, this is the biggest break he’ll ever get. Curran gets a chance here to establish himself as an NHL player on a team with a largely struggling defence. Cam Fowler and Hampus Lindholm are not the players they once were. His power-play skills may also help boost the confidence of some of Anaheim’s younger players, something that could end up paying dividends for the club far down the road.
It’s a low-risk signing that can easily be buried in the minors if it doesn’t work out, and it provides a bit of certainty for Curran’s career as well.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
