{"id":425469,"date":"2026-08-06T14:28:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T14:28:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/425469\/"},"modified":"2026-08-06T14:28:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T14:28:10","slug":"how-can-the-ducks-afford-cutter-gauthier-the-hockey-writers-anaheim-ducks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/425469\/","title":{"rendered":"How Can the Ducks Afford Cutter Gauthier? – The Hockey Writers – Anaheim Ducks"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Anaheim Ducks were involved in one of the biggest stories in recent hockey history. Philadelphia Flyers\u2019 general manager (GM) Danny Briere tendered an offer sheet<\/a> to centerman Leo Carlsson<\/a> with an average annual value (AAV) of $18 million. Ducks\u2019 GM Pat Verbeek previously indicated that he would match any offer sheet given to Carlsson. Anaheim had a dilemma: do they let a true first-line center go to keep the cap space, or do they sign him at the astronomical price and work with the remaining cap?<\/p>\n

The team chose the latter, and Carlsson signed a five-year contract. He was the highest-paid player in the league at the time of signing, but has since been eclipsed by Macklin Celebrini<\/a> of the San Jose Sharks. With Carlsson taking up so much of the team\u2019s salary cap, they will have to reconfigure their roster to afford star forward Cutter Gauthier<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Gauthier\u2019s Value<\/p>\n

The team knows they have something special in Gauthier<\/a>. \u201cThe intention is to get Cutter signed,\u201d Verbeek said. \u201cI think that, obviously, wherever Cutter comes in, I\u2019m going to have some work to do to make sure that we can fit everyone in.\u201d The forward is a restricted free agent, meaning that he is not eligible to be offer-sheeted like Carlsson. The Ducks have the exclusive rights to negotiate his contract first.<\/p>\n

\"CutterCutter Gauthier, Anaheim Ducks (Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

He led the team<\/a> in goals (41) and points (69) last season and blossomed into an incredibly skillful player. He operated at a point-per-game clip in the playoffs, scoring four goals and tallying eight assists. Rarely does a game go by where he does not find himself on the scoresheet, and he has become the team\u2019s strongest offensive weapon.<\/p>\n

His presence in Anaheim is invaluable, and the Ducks will need to do whatever they can to lock him up. However, they have just over $9 million<\/a> in cap space remaining. After seeing a comparable teammate sign a jaw-droppingly high-value contract, Gauthier is unlikely to accept a lowball offer for the sake of the team.<\/p>\n

Roster Shuffling<\/p>\n

How will Verbeek and the front office cut costs to make space for one of their most crucial players? Three names have been floating around as potential skaters to move: Frank Vatrano<\/a>, Alex Killorn<\/a>, and Chris Kreider. It is abundantly clear that at least one must go to offer Gauthier what he is worth. The organization has a tough call to make.<\/p>\n

Frank Vatrano<\/p>\n

Vatrano is one of the more obvious choices of players to move for cap space. He is currently on year two of a three-year contract with an AAV of $4.57 million<\/a>. His performance last season was lackluster at best. While he did spend some time away from the ice with an injury, he still played 50 games but registered just nine points. <\/p>\n

He has seen a major decline in his offensive abilities. In 2023-24, he had a 60-point campaign<\/a>, and followed it up with 45 points in 2024-25. He does not operate as a physical, shutdown-style player, either\u2013he registered just 28 hits last season. The team could free up some cap space for Gauthier and make room for a more apt bottom-six player by pawning off Vatrano.<\/p>\n

Alex Killorn<\/p>\n

Veteran forward Killorn is in the final year of his contract that carries an AAV of $6.25 million<\/a>. Though he was a mid-level player last season, he often played on the first line, whereas high-scoring Gauthier tended to play on the third line. Moving the veteran would not only add a large chunk of change to the team\u2019s cap space, but it would also create a well-deserved first-line spot for the younger forward.<\/p>\n

\"AlexAlex Killorn, Anaheim Ducks (Jess Starr<\/a>\/The Hockey Writers)<\/p>\n

Killorn came to the Ducks fresh off a 64-point season with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2022-23, but has not lived up to that performance in the three seasons since. At nearly 37 years old, he is visibly slowing down and losing his offensive prowess as he begins to age out of the sport. The team also looks to be building up a younger forward core to bolster their future, and Killorn does not fit that mold. <\/p>\n

Last season was his lowest performance with the team\u2013 33 points in 82 games<\/a>. It would be unlikely that the team would re-sign him after this season anyway, but making space for Gauthier could be a viable reason for Anaheim to offload his contract early.<\/p>\n

Chris Kreider<\/p>\n

Another veteran whose movement could help with contract negotiations is Kreider. The forward is also in the final year of a contract worth $6.5 million annually<\/a>. Pawning him off would free up the most cap space of the three, and the team would be able to offer Gauthier roughly $15 million.<\/p>\n

Of the three potential candidates for movement, Kreider is the highest-performing. Last season, his first with the Ducks, he had a 50-point showing and a 20-point increase from the season prior. Just as quickly as his performance began to lull with the New York Rangers, it began to blossom and thrive in Anaheim.<\/p>\n

However, he was inconsistent in his scoring. He tallied just 10 points through December and January and experienced a handful of sizeable goal droughts throughout last season, with his longest being 15 games. At 35 years old, he is also beginning to age out of hockey and will likely begin to see his skills and performance falter. While he is more successful than Vatrano or Killorn, he is still a viable candidate to free up cap space. <\/p>\n

The Ducks front office has a lot of work to do and difficult decisions to make before their season begins on Oct. 2. Who will we see leaving Anaheim, and how much will Gauthier be worth in the end? The Hockey Writers will cover the news as it breaks. <\/p>\n

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