Pavel Mintyukov's contract situation with the Ducks is heating up again, and Anaheim isn't the only team in the mix.
According to NHL Rumour Report, Anaheim and Mintyukov's agent reconnected Saturday after weeks of apparent silence on a new deal.
The 22-year-old defenseman posted 22 points over 73 games this season, adding two game-winning goals and a shorthanded assist.
He went cold at the wrong time, though. Pointless across 12 playoff games, he finished that stretch at minus-5.
Anaheim rolled through Edmonton in the first round before dropping a six-game series to Vegas, the last result on the schedule.
Why let talks go quiet in the first place? That's the question hanging over this front office heading into the summer.
Letting a core young piece sit unsigned this long is a bad look for a club still trying to build trust with its prospects.
A pointless playoff run complicates his next paycheck
There's no cap number attached to him right now, and that blank space says plenty about where this negotiation actually stands.
General manager Pat Verbeek has to weigh term against production, and a rough playoff stretch does not help his leverage at the table.
This kind of stall feels like a first date that goes cold for weeks, then somebody finally works up the nerve to text back.
The report also says outside teams have been circling during the quiet stretch, which adds real pressure for Anaheim to move fast.
Head coach Joel Quenneville will need Mintyukov settled and ready well before training camp opens, whenever that gets sorted out.
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Whether Verbeek closes this deal before the summer drags on, or another club swoops in first, is still very much unresolved.
Should the Ducks lock up Pavel Mintyukov even after his pointless playoff run?
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