Ducks Sign Defenseman Gudas to Three-Year Contract

The Ducks have signed defenseman Radko Gudas to a three-year contract through the 2025-26 NHL season.

Gudas, 33 (6/5/90), helped the Florida Panthers to the 2023 Stanley Cup Final, recording three assists with 34 penalty minutes (PIM) while he led all skaters in postseason hits (91), and ranked seventh in blocked shots (35) and ninth in shorthanded time on ice (46:37 total). In the regular season, Gudas appeared in 72 games, earning 2-15=17 points with a +14 rating and 79 PIM. His 312 hits set a single-season career high and Panthers franchise record, and ranked second among all NHL skaters in 2022-23.

The 6-0, 208-pound blueliner has collected 33-131=164 points with a +73 rating and 843 PIM in 682 career games in 11 NHL seasons with Florida (2021-23), Washington (2019-20), Philadelphia (2015-19) and Tampa Bay (2012-15). He set single-season career highs in points (6-17=23) and goals with the Flyers in 2016-17, and assists (19) with the Lightning in 2013-14. Over the last two seasons, he has registered a +41 rating while he is +62 since the 2019-20 campaign.

Since his NHL debut in 2012-13, the Prague, Czechia native ranks second among NHL leaders in hits (2,565). He led all NHL skaters in hits with the Panthers in back-to-back seasons in 2021-22 (355) and 2020-21 (250), while he has led his team in hits on five occasions, including 2021-22 and 2022-23 (Florida), 2015-16 and 2016-17 (Philadelphia) and 2013-14 (Tampa Bay). He also leads all Czechia-born NHL players in career hits, and paces Czechia-born NHL defensemen in points, goals, assists and hits since his debut in 2012-13. His 355 hits in 2021-22 are the fifth-most in a single season by an NHL player the last 10 seasons.

Originally selected by Tampa Bay in the third round (66th overall) of the 2010 NHL Draft, Gudas helped the Norfolk Admirals to a Calder Cup championship in 2012, scoring two goals during the American Hockey League (AHL) postseason. He led the AHL with a +32 rating in 2012-13 with Syracuse and was named an AHL All-Star. He appeared in 206 career AHL games with Tampa Bay's primary development affiliates in Norfolk and Syracuse, scoring 14-42=57 points with a +66 rating and 567 PIM.

Gudas has represented Czechia at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, three straight World Championships (2017, 2018 and 2019), and back-to-back World Junior Championships (2009 and 2010). He began his professional career in his home country, recording one assist in seven games with HC Kladno in 2008-09. He also skated in 65 Western Hockey League (WHL) games with the Everett Silvertips in 2009-10, earning 7-30=37 points with a +45 rating and 151 PIM.