Not long after signing a new five-year contract that will keep him in Anaheim through the 2029-30 season, Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal discussed the deal and the bright future for this team.
On confidence that the deal would get done
I think during the season there was something that I talked to the agent and we left it up to the agent. I think every player doesn't want to go to arbitration. So yeah, honestly, I just let my agent to fully handle it and he did a great job, and I think both sides are happy. I just led [my agent] to handle it all. Obviously we were having a discussion with the team about different scenarios, but what my agent said, it went all pretty smoothly, which that's how I felt about it too, was very, very professional. And I think as I said, both sides ended up very happy.
On what the contract means to him
It's a big honor, obviously. I always look at myself in the mirror and I always see myself being a kid from a village that has 300 people in it. And it's always a good reminder that if you have a dream and you want to chase it, there's always the possibility to reach it. And obviously for me it's a big milestone, but all the work that has happened, this is kind of the reward, but there's long way ahead of us. We are the rising team. I truly believe that's why we agreed on the long-term deal because that's something that I was very interested in because I really trust the core that we have here, and I really believe it's going to be very exciting time to be a Ducks fan. So I'm very excited for the future.
On a bright future for the Ducks
I truly believe that, and that was one of the reasons that I was willing to sign a long-term deal because it's always about trusting the process. And I really trust the process that's going on in Anaheim right now. And as I said, it's very exciting for the future. I'm going to always go on the ice and just do my best for the team as I always tried. And I know there's still a lot of things for me to get better at, and I'm just excited to work on my game and play a lot of games and play in front of the fans in Honda Center. And so I said it's going to be an exciting time to build that fan base.
On the negotiation process
Obviously there has been some talk closer to the end of the season, but nothing major. We both agreed, both sides agreed that it's going to be better to leave it for the summer, and that's exactly what happened. So I didn't want to really get distracted because ultimately I knew I'm a restrict free agent. So there was something that I really wanted to focus on to finish the season on a good note, and I didn't want to get really distracted by it. So we just left it for the summer and it turned out well for both sides.
On the Ducks trading John Gibson last month
My first reaction was right away reaching Gibby because I believe we had a good professional relationship, and I learned so much from him. I got to the league, he's been there for 10-plus years and in my opinion, he's a great goaltender and a better person. So for me it was I could learn a lot from him. So I really wish him all the best, and it's always sad to see your friend go somewhere else, but I wish him all the best. It's going to be a fresh start for him, and as I said, he's a great goaltender and we still stay in touch, so I wish him all the best.
On who he called after signing the deal
Yeah, well first call, it went right away to my dad, my family, because it actually happened kind of at midnight here. So next day I actually had a gym and ice afternoon, so I had two sessions. I was like, I know I have to finish this, I have to sign this deal, but I have to go sleep too because I have a practice in the morning, and I don't want to hurt myself. But right away I called my dad, "Hey, it's done. You saw the numbers and we can chat more next day." And my dad didn't want to hang up the phone and he just wanted to talk to me, and he was very speechless. So obviously it's a big moment for my family, and I'm super, super excited and I'm still trying to soak it in because it basically just happened. So I think I'm going to really realize it like a week after what happened.
