The Anaheim Ducks agreed to a six-year contract with restricted free agent Cutter Gauthier, the team announced Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Gauthier’s deal is worth $81 million across six years, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman<\/a>. About $69.5 million of Gauthier’s deal is in signing bonuses, Friedman added. <\/p>\n The Ducks haven’t been afraid to spend big heading into the 2026-27 season, as they previously matched<\/a> a five-year offer sheet worth $90 million to retain center Leo Carlsson in July. The $18 million average annual value of Carlsson’s deal represented a new NHL record.<\/p>\n Anaheim now has just over $2 million in 2026-27 cap space following Gauthier’s contract, via PuckPedia<\/a>.<\/p>\n His $13.5 million cap hit is also\u00a0tied<\/a>\u00a0with Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel for the No. 5 mark among all NHL players.<\/p>\n Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek was excited that an agreement was reached with Gauthier, keeping him with the organization through the 2031-32 season.<\/p>\n “We are pleased to get Cutter signed to a long-term deal and have him in camp on time,” Verbeek said as part of Tuesday’s\u00a0announcement<\/a>. “He’s a major part of our young core, a pure goal-scoring talent that will continue progressing into an elite NHL player.”<\/p>\n Although Gauthier was still a restricted free agent as the preseason drew closer, there appeared to be momentum towards a new deal with Anaheim.<\/p>\n