Ducks sign Alex Killorn to four-year contract with $6.25M AAV

Killorn, 33, was an unrestricted free agent after the conclusion of a seven-year contract with a $4.45M cap hit, one he signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning after an arbitration filing in the 2016 offseason. 

He sees a pay raise of $1.8M per year, with his current cap hit being the highest of his career. Only former Lightning teammate Anthony Cirelli shares the same cap hit as him amongst all the forwards in the league, although seven defensemen and one goalie also have that cap hit.

Killorn is coming off his best season with the Lighting in 2022-23, with career-highs in goals with 27, assists with 37, and points with 64 in 82 regular season games. He also had three goals, two assists, and five points in six playoff games as the Lightning lost in the first round for the first time since 2019 at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Killorn was a third round pick of the Lightning in 2007, although he didn’t sign until 2012 after four years at Harvard University. He’s since spent 11 seasons in the NHL, all with the Lightning, winning two Stanley Cups with the team in 2020 and 2021.

Killorn is the second signing of the day for the Ducks, as they also signed defenseman Radko Gudas to a three-year contract with a $4M cap hit. They still have almost $29M in cap space, but have to negotiate deals with restricted free agents Trevor Zegras, Troy Terry, Jamie Drysdale, and Lukas Dostal.

The Ducks are coming off a season where they finished last in the Pacific Division, the Western Conference, and the league with a 23-47-12 record. However, they did not win the draft lottery to get Connor Bedard, instead getting the second pick where they surprised by drafting Leo Carlsson instead of Adam Fantilli.