The Ducks have made a statement on Saturday afternoon by signing goaltender, Jonas Hiller, to a new 4-year deal worth $18 million over the duration of the deal. Hiller has gained a lot of confidence among the Ducks brass and he has been rewarded with his efforts with this new deal. Now this deal revs up the rumour mill, as the J-S Giguere possible destinations are being marked out on the map.
Hiller has appeared in 39 games for the Ducks this season, amassing a record of 21-15-2 with one shutout this season, plus he has an assist to his name, which has lifted his point totals to 45 points in the 2010 season, which ranks him 52nd, unofficially, at the time of when this post is written. Hiller has earned himself the number one job there in Anaheim and with those numbers, you can see why.
So, now its down to the salary cap numbers. Here's what we do know for sure... the new deal for Hiller will be worth $4.5 million against the cap starting next season and that means with Giguere's current deal, that would mean there is a cap hit of $10.5 million between the two keepers. Even with the two goalies, the Ducks are in a position of some flexibility, having only 12 players signed for a total of $34.4 million against the cap. This already includes the goalies, Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, Ryan Whitney, Joffrey Lupul, Dan Sexton and Steve Eminger, which isn't a bad core of players. They will need to work on their depth and build around what they have to succeed.
The assumption is that Giguere is going to be out the door, either via trade or by a buyout, but since they have the flexibility in their potential roster space and cap room, a deal for Giguere would be likely when dealing with a team that is looking to make sure they off-load enough of a cap hit in order to take on the big lump, which is Giguere.The Ducks have also made a great move by decided on Hiller, especially when it comes to age, as Hiller is 4 years younger and has matured well. Giguere should be an attractive pick-up as a goalie, but only for a team that can eat his $6 million cap hit next year.
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