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Ducks quickly ink Bieksa to two-year, $8M extension

San Jose Sharks v Vancouver Canucks - Game Two

VANCOUVER, CANADA - MAY 18: in Game Two of the Western Conference Finals during the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Arena on May 18, 2011 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Harry How

The Anaheim Ducks didn’t waste any time locking in Kevin Bieksa.

Acquired yesterday from Vancouver in exchange for a 2016 second-round pick, Bieksa today agreed to a two-year, $8 million extension with the Ducks -- keeping him in Anaheim through 2018.

The 34-year-old has one year left on his current deal (at $4.6M per), so this latest extension won’t kick in until the 2016-17 campaign. While the new deal is a slight pay cut, it’s still a pretty healthy salary for a guy that looked to be slowing down last season, especially in Vancouver’s opening-round playoff loss to Calgary.

Still, Bieksa can be an effective player both offensively and defensively when healthy, and he did miss extensive time last year to a broken hand. He’ll also add some veteran know-how and grit to the Anaheim blueline, especially with Francois Beauchemin likely to sign elsewhere in free agency.

The move to Anaheim will, as has been mentioned earlier, re-united him with former Canucks teammate and roommate Ryan Kesler.