The Anaheim Ducks have locked up another cornerstone of their young core, signing forward Cutter Gauthier to a six-year contract on Tuesday.
The deal is reportedly worth an average annual value of $13.5 million and runs through the 2031-32 season. Gauthier had been among the notable restricted free agents who hit the market on July 1 after finishing his three-year entry-level contract with Anaheim. That original deal, signed in April 2024 after his sophomore season at Boston College ended, carried an AAV of $1.9 million because of performance bonuses.
Gauthier’s new contract comes shortly after the Ducks matched the Philadelphia Flyers’ offer sheet for teammate Leo Carlsson, a five-year deal with an AAV of $18 million.
Since arriving in Anaheim, the Swedish-born winger has become a central piece of the offense and a big reason the Ducks have mattered again in the Pacific Division. He put up 20 goals and 44 points in his rookie season in 2024-25, then took another jump this past year with career highs in goals (41), assists (28) and points (69) in 76 games. That led the Ducks in scoring and tied him for 11th in the NHL in goals.
His production helped Anaheim finish third in the Pacific and reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2018. Gauthier also played a major role in the Ducks’ first postseason series win in nine years, scoring four goals and seven points in a six-game victory over the two-time defending Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers. Anaheim’s run ended in the second round against the eventual conference champion Vegas Golden Knights, and Gauthier finished with four goals and eight assists for 12 points in 12 playoff games.
Through 159 regular-season NHL games, Gauthier has 61 goals and 53 assists for 114 points.
Originally drafted fifth overall by the Flyers in 2022, Gauthier was later traded to Anaheim after it became clear he would not sign with Philadelphia. The Ducks sent defenseman Jamie Drysdale and a 2025 pick to complete that deal.
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 A Huge Cutter Gauthier Commitment
The Ducks made their commitment to Cutter Gauthier official with a six-year extension, a deal that puts a major piece of their future squarely in place. It is the kind of move that says Anaheim is not waiting around to see what he becomes, but betting on him now as part of the core around which the roster keeps taking shape.
The timing matters, too, because the contract was finished before the new collective bargaining agreement takes effect, giving the team some flexibility in how it can be structured. Gauthier has said he is excited to sign long term with Anaheim, and the organization clearly views him as more than just another young scorer, even if the full financial and roster implications will keep being felt well beyond this season. [Read more 🡒]