GM Pat Verbeek gets a multiyear contract extension from playoff-contending Anaheim Ducks

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — General manager Pat Verbeek has agreed to a multiyear contract extension with the Anaheim Ducks.

Mike Stapleton has also received a promotion to senior vice president and associate general manager, the Ducks announced Friday.

Verbeek took over the Ducks' front office in February 2022, three months after Bob Murray resigned amid allegations of workplace misconduct. Verbeek has presided over the bulk of Anaheim's lengthy rebuilding project while assembling much of the current team, which is finally on the brink of ending the franchise's seven-year playoff drought.

Led by first-year coach Joel Quenneville, Anaheim (42-32-5) is currently in third place in the Pacific Division, but just one point out of first place with three games left in the regular season. The Ducks could clinch a playoff spot this weekend.

“Pat has done exactly as we hoped, having turned the Ducks into what we believe are perennial contenders for the next decade,” Ducks owners Henry and Susan Samueli said in a statement. “We are beyond exited to see the team continue developing into what is already an exciting, winning team ready to take the next step.”

After several years of high draft picks beginning before Verbeek’s tenure, the Ducks have assembled one of the NHL’s most enviable collections of young talent led by center Leo Carlsson, goal-scoring forward Cutter Gauthier, promising rookie Beckett Sennecke and U.S. Olympic defenseman Jackson LaCombe.

Verbeek's trade with Philadelphia to acquire Gauthier in January 2024 has been widely praised, but his decision to ship center Trevor Zegras to the Flyers last summer has received criticism while Zegras thrives in Philadelphia. Verbeek also parted ways with Ducks mainstays Cam Fowler and John Gibson in recent years, clearing payroll room and playing time for Anaheim's young talent.

Most recently, Verbeek swung a deadline deal for longtime Washington defenseman John Carlson, who has scored 12 points in 13 games during Anaheim's playoff charge.

Last summer, Verbeek also persuaded Samueli to take the risk of hiring Quenneville, Verbeek's former NHL teammate and a three-time Stanley Cup-winning coach who had been out of the league for nearly four years after being banned for his inaction in the Chicago Blackhawks' sexual assault scandal in 2010. Quenneville has immediately turned the young team into a playoff contender, and he became the second coach in NHL history to win 1,000 games this season.

Verbeek became a front-office executive at Tampa Bay and Detroit after the conclusion of his 20-year playing career, which included two Stanley Cup championships.

Stapleton was the Ducks' director of player personnel and assistant general manager under Verbeek following several years as an Anaheim scout. He played 14 NHL seasons.

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