Ducks re-sign Lukas Dostal to five-year contract

Dostal is coming off a two-year bridge contract, which saw him have a cap hit of $812,500. He became a restricted free agent this offseason, electing to file for salary arbitration.

It’s a big extension for the Czech goaltender, who has gone from prospect to the Ducks’ starting goalie over the past couple of seasons. He took the job away from veteran goaltender John Gibson, leading to the team offloading the latter to the Detroit Red Wings at the 2025 NHL Draft.

The 25-year-old is coming off the best performance of his young NHL career. In 54 games and 49 starts, Dostal posted a record of 23-23-7, with a 3.10 goals-against average, a .903 save percentage and one shutout. It marked the first time a Ducks goaltender has gone .500 in a season with over 30 appearances since Gibson accomplished the feat during the 2018-19 campaign.

The Ducks as a whole might not have been great, missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the seventh consecutive year. However, the team finished sixth in the Pacific Division, reaching 80 points and posting its best winning percentage in six years. A lot of credit goes to Dostal, who played admirably while Gibson was either slumping or injured.

Across four seasons, Dostal has played in 121 NHL regular-season games, going 42-58-13, with a 3.29 GAA, a .902 SV% and two shutouts.

Dostal will most likely be paired up with veteran Petr Mrazek, who was part of the return in the Gibson trade, or Ville Husso, whom Anaheim acquired from Detroit for future considerations in late February.

According to CapWages, the Ducks are projected to have a hair under $22.5 million in cap space next season.