- Ducks sign defenseman Tyson Hinds to a two-year, $1.8 million extension
- The one-way deal carries a $900K cap hit and runs through 2027-28
- Read below for how the 23-year-old earned a spot on Anaheim’s blue line
Tyson Hinds is sticking around Anaheim.
The Ducks signed the 23-year-old defenseman to a two-year contract on Tuesday. It’s a one-way deal worth $1.8 million total, carrying a $900,000 cap hit through the 2027-28 season.
That one-way structure matters for a depth guy. It means Hinds gets his full NHL salary whether he’s in Anaheim or back in the minors, and it tells you the Ducks see him as an NHL player now, not just an emergency call-up.
Anaheim has spent this offseason working around a tight cap sheet, and cheap, controllable deals like this one help keep things flexible.
Hinds went 76th overall to the Ducks in 2021. He piled up 54 points in his final QMJHL season with the Sherbrooke Phoenix, then needed time to find his footing as a pro.
His first two years with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls were quiet. He managed 10 points, then 18, and finished both seasons in the minus.
This past season looked different. Hinds scored five goals and 19 points in 62 games with the Gulls and finished plus-16, a real jump from where he’d been.
He also got his first taste of the NHL, dressing for six games with Anaheim. He didn’t record a point, but he logged more than 15 minutes a night, held up defensively, and showed he’ll throw his body around.
Where he fits next season depends on how the roster shakes out. Hinds projects as the seventh defenseman to open the year, though he could grab a bottom-pair spot if the Ducks move Ian Moore to his off side.
For a rebuilding team stacking up young defensemen, a cheap two-year bet on a guy trending in the right direction is easy to justify.
