Anaheim Ducks1 of 32
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Cutter Gauthier
Salary cap space: $38.7 million
Restricted free agents: Cutter Gauthier, Leo Carlsson, Ian Moore, Tyson Hinds, Olen Zellweger, Pavel Mintyukov
Unrestricted free agents: John Carlson, Jacob Trouba, Radko Gudas, Ross Johnston, Jansen Harkins, Jeffrey Viel, Petr Mrazek
Biggest questions
How do they fix the defense? The Ducks have one of the best collections of young forward talent in the NHL and played a wildly entertaining brand of hockey to not only end their playoff drought, but also advance to the second round. The thing that held them back, and the big concern going into the summer, is that their defensive metrics were among the worst in the NHL among all teams, not just playoff teams. With Carlson, Trouba, and Gudas all set to reach the unrestricted free agent market, they are not only going to need to make upgrades, but they are also going to have to simply add more bodies to fill out the roster. It would be a good way to spend some of that salary cap space.
What will the contracts for Gauthier and Carlsson look like? Given the amount of salary cap space the Ducks have to work with, they would be in a position to match pretty much any potential offer sheet that would come Gauthier and Carlsson’s way. But they are two of the most important long-term pieces the Ducks have, and both will command major dollars. The Ducks have had issues signing young players in a timely manner in recent years, and it would probably be a good idea to avoid that this summer.
What is Mason McTavish’s future? McTavish has rapidly gone from being a potential building block to a player whose future with the team is in doubt. His skating does not seem to be up to the level of a top-line player, and he found himself as a healthy scratch at times this season. His salary cap number is $7 million per year through 2031, so any team trading for him would have to be very confident a fresh start helps.