Anaheim Ducks general manager Bob Murray was busy during the offseason, building a contending roster for the upcoming season while also planning for the future. Part of that planning involved financial structuring, ensuring his ability to extend the contracts of his upcoming free agents.
At the draft, Murray traded Kyle Palmieri and Emerson Etem, 2 of his 11 upcoming 2016 restricted free agents. He then began extension talks with others.
First it was the Ducks biggest 2016 unrestricted free agent, Ryan Kesler, who received a massive 6 year $41.25 million dollar extension. With that deal done, Murray then turned to his nine most notable 2016 restricted free agents.