The Anaheim Ducks have a contract problem, and it starts with Cutter Gauthier.
Per NHL agent Paul Shaheen, Anaheim put a four-year deal worth $13 million annually in front of its restricted free agent winger. Gauthier and his agent, Kurt Overhardt, turned it down. That leaves the Ducks with work to do before the 2026-27 season, because the club’s current projected cap space sits at about $9.07 million - not enough to absorb a $13 million contract without another move.
Gauthier has given Anaheim plenty of reason to pay up. The 22-year-old just finished a breakout season, leading the Ducks with 41 goals and 69 points.
That kind of production changes the conversation fast, and it’s why he now carries so much leverage in negotiations. He’s already become one of the central pieces in Anaheim’s young core.
The Ducks’ cap picture got tighter after they matched the Philadelphia Flyers’ five-year, $90 million offer sheet for Leo Carlsson. That move pushed general manager Pat Verbeek into a corner. If Gauthier is going to sign, Anaheim needs to free up at least $4 million more, and probably more than that if the team wants to keep some breathing room during the season.
The cleanest path appears to be a trade. Alex Killorn and Chris Kreider stand out as the most obvious candidates.
Both are in the final year of their deals, with Kreider carrying a $6.5 million cap hit and Killorn at $6.25 million. Either one moved without salary retained would create enough room for Gauthier’s extension.
Frank Vatrano is another name that could enter the discussion. His contract runs for two more seasons and comes with a cap hit of about $4.57 million. Still, dealing a younger player with more long-term value just to keep an older veteran would raise questions about the roster logic.
There’s also a cost to moving one of the veterans. Because of age, salary and trade protection, Anaheim may have to attach a draft pick to get a deal done on Killorn or Kreider. That would sting, but Gauthier has to be the priority.
A longer-term contract could help bridge the gap. A six- to eight-year deal would give Gauthier the security his side appears to want while giving Anaheim a way to build around future cap growth. The Ducks are also projected to have much more flexibility when Kreider and Killorn’s contracts come off the books next summer.
For now, Anaheim’s blueprint is clear: the organization has built its future around Carlsson and Gauthier, and Verbeek has to make the cap math work if he wants both players at the center of the rebuild.