The Ducks have been fairly quiet through free agency, but their one notable move has been to bring in Frank Vatrano on a three-year deal worth $3.65M per season.

Here was my initial thought on Vatrano before he signed:

59. F. Vatrano, RW (NYR – UFA)
Age: 28
Projected AAV: $2.1M
Estimated Term: 2-4yrs
Vatrano saved his value with the trade from Florida to New York, though even then he is probably still just a third line winger.
— Alex MacLean (@alexdmaclean) July 11, 2022

What the Ducks are getting:

Vatrano had struggled lately with the Panthers, and with the move to New York he showed again that he can play when given the opportunity with skilled players. Well, in Anaheim he should get the chance to do just that. After they failed to extend a qualifying offer to Sonny Milano, there was a top-nine wing spot that opened up. On top of that, one of Milano's most frequent linemates from last season was Trevor Zegras. As Zegras improves, with the shiny new Vatrano possibly on his wing, there's lots of upside here for a player that was last year left for dead in fantasy leagues.

Vatrano's career season was a 40-point-pace, and has consistently been within the 35-40-point range with limited power play exposure. That could see an uptick of 10-15%, which would nestle him is as a 45-point player just at even strength. If he does see time on one of the main power play units, there's a chance here for his first 50-point season. That's the peak of what we can expect, but for a player that you should be able to get fairly cheap, 2.5 shots per game and 40-45 points is nothing to turn your head at.

Players this helps:

Frank Vatrano

Players this hurts:

Max Comtois (Less opportunity to regain his footing as a similar role player)