The Ducks locked in one of their most important young pieces on Tuesday night, announcing a six-year, $81 million extension for Cutter Gauthier.
At 22, Gauthier now sits behind only Leo Carlsson on Anaheim’s pay scale, with his new deal carrying an $18 million AAV for Carlsson at the top. The extension also secures one extra year before unrestricted free agency.
The timing matters, too. By getting the contract done before the new collective bargaining agreement takes effect on Sept.
16, Anaheim keeps open the option to front-load the deal with signing bonuses - something that won’t be available under the new labor rules. The financial breakdown hasn’t been released yet.
Last month, Gauthier’s camp reportedly turned down a four-year offer with a $13 million AAV.
“This is a very exciting day for my family and me,” Gauthier said in the same club statement. “I’m so pleased to be able to sign long term with the Ducks and be part of what I believe is a great future.”
The signing comes after Anaheim cleared $6.5 million in cap space by terminating Chris Kreider’s contract last week, a move that made it increasingly clear a deal with Gauthier was nearing the finish line.
With Gauthier in the fold, the Ducks can check off one of the biggest items on their offseason list. Cap space still isn’t exactly a comfortable place for them, but there should be some short-term relief once Troy Terry, who is out 2-3 months after hip surgery, lands on LTIR.
A shortened training camp and preseason won’t leave much time for major fine-tuning, but Anaheim does at least get a later season opener than most teams. If they can get rolling early again, like they did last year, it could give them some breathing room as they push for a second straight playoff trip.
In Other News...
Ducks Just Made A Massive Cutter Gauthier Statement
Cutter Gauthiers breakout season gave the Ducks a legitimate cornerstone to build around, and Anaheim wasted little time treating him like one. The club re-signed the restricted free-agent forward on a long-term deal after he led the team in goals and points, a strong follow-up to the trade that brought him over from Philadelphia in January 2024.
The contract also says plenty about where the organization sees him in the pecking order, since it makes him the clubs second-highest-paid player. There is a timing element to the agreement, too, with a significant chunk of the money structured in signing bonuses before the leagues new limits come into play, which only adds to the sense that the Ducks moved decisively to lock in one of their most important young pieces. [Read more 🡒]
Ducks Face Growing Pressure To Get Cutter Gauthier Signed In Time
The Ducks are back in the spotlight on the contract front, and this time the focus is Cutter Gauthier, one of the most important restricted free agents on Anaheims list. With a CBA deadline looming, the club has been working to get a deal done while a few other teams around the league juggle their own pressing business, from Minnesota extending John Hynes to Detroit shifting into an interim GM setup.
For Anaheim, though, this is the kind of negotiation that can quickly become a must-watch subplot because it sits right on the edge of the leagues rules calendar. The Ducks have been trying to bridge the gap with Gauthier before time runs out, and the sides have continued talking as the pressure builds, with the specifics of the structure still carrying the weight in the talks. [Read more 🡒]
Ducks Just Made Their Biggest Bet Yet On Cutter Gauthier
The Ducks have made their biggest commitment yet to Cutter Gauthier, locking up the young forward after a breakout stretch that quickly made him central to their future. Gauthier had reached restricted free agency coming off his entry-level deal, and Anaheim moved decisively to keep one of its most important pieces in place after he emerged as a key driver in the clubs push back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Originally drafted by the Flyers before landing in Anaheim ahead of his first NHL contract, Gauthier has already become more than just a promising name in the organization. The new deal reflects how much the Ducks believe in his trajectory, and it also puts a spotlight on the price of keeping a player who has already started to look like a foundational scorer as the roster tries to take its next step. [Read more 🡒]