The Anaheim Ducks have signed defenseman Nathan Beaulieu to a one year, $850K contract.
Beaulieu was an unrestricted free agent after finishing a two year deal with a $1.25M cap hit that he signed with the Winnipeg Jets. He was playing with the Ducks in the preseason on a professional tryout, where he had one goal in two preseason games with them.
Beaulieu struggled to stay in the lineup in 2021-22 with the Jets, playing just 24 games for them. He had just four assists that year, and hasn’t scored a goal since the 2019-20 season.
Beaulieu also struggled defensively last season, as he was outplayed to an extreme level. He finished the season with a 41.63% 5v5 shot attempt share and 39.6% 5v5 expected goal share, both low totals even considering he played on a Jets team that also struggled defensively.
Beaulieu will likely serve as a bit more experienced depth for the Ducks blueline, especially in the wake of the injury to Urho Vaakanainen in Friday night’s preseason game against the San Jose Sharks, which saw him get stretchered off the ice. Beaulieu joins Dmitry Kulikov and Colton White as the Ducks offseason additions to the blueline that are likely to make the NHL roster.
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