Matt Beleskey was an important cog in the Anaheim machine as the Ducks made it to the conference finals and fell one victory short of the Stanley Cup Final. But Beleskey may be too pricey for the Ducks to keep as GM Bob Murray has put the word out that the UFA might have priced himself out of Anaheim:
“It’s a bumpy road right now. I’m not going to lie. We’re going to take one more shot at it, and then we’ll have to move on,” Murray told Hockey Central at Noon Monday.
“You gotta protect yourself. It’s not just the contract this year; it’s what it does to your team in future years. You’ve gotta be looking one, three, five, seven years out. You gotta see what that contract does to you, the term of it. There’s lots of things that go into this that people don’t see right off the bat.”
This is a tough one because he could be construed as a one hit wonder who reached career highs in points and points per game last season, and will be seeking a new contract on the strength of one great playoff year. Could he repeat that year after year and earn the contract he’s seeking? But then again, at the age of 27, this one good season and great postseason could be a glimpse of what’s to come over the next five years or so. I can tell you just by watching him throw his body around and chip in with key goals (like the overtime winner in Game 5 against Chicago), I was thinking “man, I’d love to have him on my team next season”.
So, whatever he might not get in Anaheim, he’ll certainly get somewhere else.
