Anaheim Secures Its Young Core
The Anaheim Ducks have signed left wing Cutter Gauthier to a six-year contract that runs through the 2031-32 NHL season. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported the deal carries a $13.5 million average annual value, for a total of $81 million. Friedman added that $69.5 million of the contract will be paid in signing bonuses, a structure that became notable because the rules governing how bonuses can be distributed were set to change on Wednesday when a new collective bargaining agreement took effect.[S1][S2]
Gauthier, 22, is coming off a sophomore season in which he led Anaheim in points during both the 2025-26 regular season and the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. In the regular season he recorded 41 goals and 28 assists for 69 points in 76 games, and in the playoffs he added 4 goals and 8 assists for 12 points in 12 games. His production helped the Ducks return to the postseason for the first time in eight years and advance to the second round.[S1][S2]
A Breakout Season in Numbers
During the 2025-26 regular season, Gauthier paced Anaheim in points, goals, game-winning goals with 7, power-play goals with 11, power-play points with 19, and shots with 285. He ranked 11th among NHL leaders in goals and sixth in shots. He also became the fourth player in Ducks history to reach 40 goals in a single season, the 11th such instance, joining Teemu Selanne, who did it five times, Paul Kariya, three times, and Corey Perry, twice.[S1]
In the playoffs, the 6-foot-2, 205-pound forward led Anaheim in points and tied for the team lead in power-play goals with 3, while finishing second in assists and tied for third in goals. His 12 playoff points were the fourth-most by a Ducks player aged 22 or younger in a single postseason, behind only Ryan Getzlaf's 17 in 2007, Corey Perry's 15 in 2007, and Paul Kariya's 13 in 1997. He trailed only Kariya for the most points through the first two rounds of that postseason.[S1]
From College Star to NHL Standout
Gauthier was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team in 2024-25 after posting 20 goals and 24 assists for 44 points with a plus-8 rating in 82 games with Anaheim. He led all NHL rookies in games played and co-led in even-strength goals with 18, while ranking third in goals and plus/minus, fourth in shots with 190, fifth in points, and sixth in assists. He finished fifth in Calder Trophy voting that season.[S1][S2]
Anaheim acquired Gauthier from Philadelphia in exchange for defenseman Jamie Drysdale and a 2025 second-round selection on Jan. 8, 2024. Before turning professional, he led the NCAA with 38 goals at Boston College in 2023-24, tying the program record for goals in a single season and recording the most by an NCAA player since 1999-00. Philadelphia had selected him in the first round, fifth overall, of the 2022 NHL Draft, and he totaled 54 goals and 48 assists for 102 points in 73 career games at Boston College.[S1]
Born in Skelleftea, Sweden, and a native of Scottsdale, Arizona, Gauthier has represented Team USA internationally. He helped the United States win gold for the first time in 92 years at the 2025 World Championship, and he earned a gold medal at the 2024 World Junior Championship, where he co-led the tournament in points with 12 and in assists. He also played at the 2023 World Championship and helped the U.S. earn bronze at the 2023 World Junior Championship and silver at the 2022 Under-18 World Championship.[S1]
