The Anaheim Ducks recently announced that they had agreed to an extension with defender Jackson Lacombe, and the response from fans in the competition was a shock and surprise. Shortly thereafter it was confirmed that the Ducks had drawn Lacombe Up to an eight -year extension with an average annual value of $ 9 million (AAV), and fans were quickly questioned.
✍️✍️Comber is signed!
Jackson Lacombe places Pen on paper on an 8-year contract extension that will hold him in Anaheim until the 2033-34 season.
Details⬇️https://t.co/BQYN802L2Q
– Anaheim Ducks (@anaheimducks) October 2, 2025
The extension makes Lacombe the best paid player in the history of their franchise, and it seemed as if some fans quickly called it too much payment, given Luke Hughes and the new Jersey Devils agreed An extension with the same price recently, and fans seem to believe that Hughes is miles better than Lacombe.
Related: Ducks sign Jackson Lacombe to record contract extension
After a part of fans’s pushback on the extension that Lacombe has signed, it is difficult not to see him as the most underrated player in the competition. His defensive game is excellent, his willingness to stimulate the piece is clear, and his analyzes back up the fact that he is an elite player who deserves that extension. If there is something, he will be underpaid.
Jackson Lacombe, signed with an extension of 8x $ 9 million by Ana, is a young skilled two -way defender whose game was watching a huge jump last season. In the second half he was the Ducks’ #1 defender who played huge, difficult minutes, and he was fantastic in every facet of the game. pic.twitter.com/lke5bhvp5g
– JFresh (@jfresh hockey) October 2, 2025
Lacombe played in every situation in a reconstruction team and was able to stay at an elite level, regardless of the competition with which he was confronted. He has almost no holes in his game, and as a young player with a lot of room to grow, this is a smart things of the ducks.
Lacombe’s two -way game and the ability to make plays and at the same time be able to close the top players of an opponent are from the charts. In the next few seasons he could be in conversation for the Norris trophy if he continues to elevate his attacking game, but for now he will have to settle for underestimated.
Lacombe vs Hughes
Lacombe and Hughes will earn the same amount of money for the near future, so it is of course to want to compare the two. In comparison with Lacombe, however, Hughes’ are not that solid.
Luke Hughes, 7x $ 9 million signed by NJ, is a developing puck-moving D with skill that has not yet been completely translated into the results in ICE. He is perhaps the fastest D in the competition, the puck wears a lot of great passer -by. Active in the D zone but a little turnover prone and leak from the hurry. pic.twitter.com/xvi4hgutmx
– JFresh (@jfresh hockey) October 1, 2025
Now Hughes is younger and has a bit more room to grow and probably has a little more leeway, but from now on Lacombe is stronger in every aspect of the game, making it surprising that they get the same wage for the next time.
The other to think about this is that Hughes mainly played a second pairing minutes with the Devils, while Lacombe played the first few minutes and in many clutch moments for the ducks. The closer comparison for Lacombe would be Evan Bouchard by Edmonton Oilers, who was confronted with criticism for a while, but has established himself as one of the most elite defenders in the NHL, and recently signed a new four-year deal worth $ 10.5 million a year.
At the end of the day, both the extensions of Lacombe and Hughes are risky to a certain extent. They are both young and can start to slide and turn out to be paid too much, as well as the risk with every expansion, but in terms of a little more chance, namely that they will both settle as elite two -way defenders who are among the best of the competition, these deals are fantastic things through the respective teams.
The expansion of Lacombe should not have come as a surprise, but playing in a reconstruction market such as the ducks takes the possibility of the possibility that he is in the spotlight. However, his statistics and underlying figures prove that he is an elite, and currently he is the most underrated player in the competition.
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