The Ducks have trimmed their unsigned RFAs list down to one. Mason McTavish is the lone RFA left for the Ducks to sign after they signed forwards Sam Colangelo and Tim Washe to two-year deals on Monday. Both deals are two-way contracts in 2025-26 and will convert into one-way contracts for the 2026-27 season.
Colangelo split time between the NHL and AHL with the Ducks and San Diego Gulls during the 2024-25 season. He scored 22 goals in 40 games with the Gulls during his first full season as a pro and was named to the AHL All-Star Game. In 32 games with the Ducks, he scored 10 goals, with five of those coming during a four-game goalscoring streak at the beginning of March.
"I think I've grown a lot this year," Colangelo said. "I think the biggest thing I've probably gotten better at is my defensive play. Still a work in progress, especially playing against the best players in the world. It's hard to defend them, but just playing through bodies and using my size to my advantage, finishing checks. I think I've grown a lot, but I still think I have a long way to go."
Primarily used in the bottom-6 at the NHL level after occupying a top line role in the AHL, Colangelo is likely to have a similar role for the Ducks this upcoming season. Despite the departure of Trevor Zegras via trade, the additions of Chris Kreider and Mikael Granlund will fill out the top-6, pushing the likes of Ryan Strome and Frank Vatrano down the lineup. Colangelo's best bet at a regular lineup spot may be on the fourth line, perhaps playing alongside another new addition in Ryan Poehling and fellow youngster Nikita Nesterenko.
At 6-foot-2 and weighing over 210 pounds, Colangelo can use his size and strength to help create what would be a much more complete fourth line than any that the Ducks have had in seasons past. With Granlund taking No. 64, Colangelo has switched to No. 12, which he wore during his senior collegiate season with Western Michigan.
Washe has just two NHL games under his belt, joining the Ducks as an undrafted free agent in April after helping lead Western Michigan to an NCAA championship. A sturdy center who excels on faceoffs, Washe said that he signed with the Ducks because of their young core and their need for another center.
"I'm just trying my best to make that fit and help the team," Washe said. "Just try to help any way I can. At the end of the day, you control what you can control. Effort, attitude, all that stuff. Just focus on that and getting better each day."
With a strong set of players down the middle in Leo Carlsson, McTavish, Strome and Poehling, Washe will likely start the season in the AHL to get more seasoning, barring an impressive training camp performance. The Gulls' center depth is quite strong as well, led by AHL veteran Ryan Carpenter and supplemented by Nathan Gaucher and Jan Myšák, who had a breakout AHL season in 2024-25.
All attention now turns to McTavish, who will likely see a large pay bump on his next contract. With a little over a month until training camp, there has been plenty of speculation on McTavish's future from external media outlets. Reaching an agreement before training camp would prevent a scenario similar to the one that played out with Zegras and Jamie Drysdale in 2023, where the pair of players signed mid-way through camp but then got injured.
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Featured image caption: Nov 27, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Anaheim Ducks right wing Sam Colangelo (64) shoots the puck during the second period against the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
