Ducks sign Cutter Gauthier to 6-year deal, avoid training camp drama

ANAHEIM, Calif. – The soap opera summer for the Anaheim Ducks is finally nearing a close, as their last outstanding business and leading goal-scorer were wrapped up on Tuesday.

Ducks signed their last remaining restricted free agent Cutter Gauthier to a 6-year, $13.5 million per season contract to avoid another training camp holdout with a franchise cornerstone.

Gauthier scored a team-high 41 goals and 69 points last season with another four goals and 12 points in 12 playoff games last spring. The 22-year-old is signed through the 2031-32 season.

“We are pleased to get Cutter signed to a long-term deal and have him in camp on time,” Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said in a statement. “He’s a major part of our young core, a pure goal-scoring talent that will continue progressing into an elite NHL player.”

Tuesday was the last day of the previous NHL-NHLPA collective bargaining agreement, which meant it was the last day for many teams to lock up young talent for a maximum of eight years or for that talent to collect a payday under prior salary structures.

According to NHL insiders Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet and Pierre LeBrun of the Athletic, Gauthier will receive about $69.5 million of the contract’s total $81 million in signing bonuses, which is nearly 86% of the contract. Leo Carlsson’s new five-year deal from his NHL-record offer sheet is around 95% in signing bonuses ($85.3 million of the total $90 million).

The new CBA rules that kick in on Wednesday would limit signing bonuses to just 60% of the total contract value.

Anaheim gets its value in the years and cap hit, and Gauthier gets his value in the salary structure. The Ducks now have $3.17 million in salary cap space with another nearly $4 million in relief on the way when Troy Terry is likely put on injured reserve to open the season.

“This is a very exciting day for my family and I,” Gauthier said in a statement. “I’m so pleased to be able to sign long term with the Ducks and be part of what I believe is a great future.”

It was a dramatic summer to secure that future for Anaheim.

After trading Mason McTavish–who held out his own RFA negotiation into training camp last season–and pending RFA defenseman Olen Zellweger, the Ducks looked ahead to five RFA negotiations. Defensemen Ian Moore and Tyson Hinds were easy, but the other three came with pressure.

First was the offer sheet heard around the hockey world, as the Philadelphia Flyers tendered a deal to Carlsson on July 3 that made the Swede the highest-paid player in the NHL next season at $18 million per year. (San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini at $18.8 million and Colorado’s Cale Makar at $20.4 million will surpass Carlsson in 2027-28.)

While Verbeek and the Ducks weighed their options on Carlsson, Pavel Mintyukov was secured on July 5 under the reported threat of another offer sheet. The right-handed Russian defenseman was signed to a five-year deal at $7.4 million per season.

Once the Ducks made the “easy decision” to match Carlsson’s offer sheet on July 9, all eyes turned toward Gauthier, who due to lack of NHL service time was not eligible for an offer sheet.

That meant the Ducks had a bit more leverage over Gauthier, and as the summer wore on, that had many worrying about another training camp holdout like other under Verbeek in McTavish, Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale.

However, wheels were put in motion last week when the Ducks and Chris Kreider agreed to a mutual termination of Kreider’s contract via waivers. That freed up $6.5 million in salary cap space, which Verbeek needed to secure Gauthier.

That extra room paired with the CBA negotiation deadline led to Tuesday night’s deal.

Now, Verbeek, Gauthier and the rest of the Ducks can enter training camp on Thursday with peace of mind and a clear focus on the season ahead.