"The Ducks made sure Francois Beauchemin won't be on the trade market in the coming weeks when they signed the defenseman to a three-year contract extension on Friday worth $10.5 million.

Beauchemin, 31, has six goals and is tied with Cam Fowler for the defenseman lead in scoring on the club with 18 points. The seven-year veteran is logging a team-high average of 25 minutes, 44 seconds of ice time per game.

After a ragged start, Beauchemin has been one of the team's best players over the past two months and is playing his best hockey of the season. He scored twice and tied a career high with three points Wednesday in a 6-2 victory over Phoenix and is a plus-10 during the Ducks' current 6-0-1 run.

"I'm really excited to be here for another three years," Beauchemin said. "I know we have a great group of guys (and) good young players. We're going to have a good team for a while. It's just a matter of us keep playing the way we've been playing lately."

Ducks general manager Bob Murray initiated contract discussions with Beauchemin's representatives around the Christmas holiday and said the defender "probably left a little on the table" with regard to what he could have made on the free agent market once his current deal expired on June 30."