Hiller Signs 4 Year Contract Worth $18 Million

The Ducks have identified their goalie of the future by signing Jonas Hiller to a four-year, $18 million extension, it was announced Saturday. The 27-year-old will make $4.5 million in each year of the contract.

The deal comes after a quick three-year ascension for Hiller in the NHL, in which he took over the No. 1 mantle from Jean-Sebastien Giguere, led the Ducks into the second round of the playoffs last season and now will be paid like a starting goalie.

"When I got here I didn't know what to expect, my first year was more about showing I could play here," Hiller said. "My second year I tried to get better ... having that security is a great thing."

Since the Ducks signed Hiller as a free agent out of the Swiss Elite League, only Boston's Tim Thomas (.9244) and Florida's Tomas Vokoun (.9241) have a better save percentage than Hiller (.9192). He's just ahead of Roberto Luongo (Vancouver), Martin Brodeur (New Jersey) and Ryan Miller (Buffalo) on that list.

This season Hiller is 21-15-2 with a 2.75 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage. Like the rest of his teammates, those numbers have gotten better as the Ducks have turned their season around.

"We had a lot of new players and never found a way to play 60 minutes," Hiller said. "There is a lot of talent on this team. I was able to be a factor in that process."

Hiller said Giguere was the first teammate he told about his new contract - "That's the honesty me and Jiggy have"

content retrieved from: http://www.dailynews.com/sports/ci_14304608