After matching the Philadelphia Flyers' five-year, $90 million offer sheet for Leo Carlsson earlier this offseason, the Anaheim Ducks have now handed out another big payday. The Ducks have announced that they have signed young star forward Cutter Gauthier to a six-year, $81 million contract. Starting this season, the 22-year-old forward will have an average annual value of $13.5 million.
Gauthier was a restricted free agent for over two months before the Ducks got this deal done with him. It took so long for Anaheim to re-sign him because they did not have enough cap space for much of the summer. Yet, that changed when Chris Kreider mutually agreed to terminate his contract with Anaheim last week, who has now signed with the Montreal Canadiens.
Now, after landing this big contract, Gauthier will be looking to continue to grow his game. The 2022 fifth-overall pick just had a strong breakout year for Anaheim in 2025-26, as he set new career highs with 41 goals, 28 assists, and 69 points in 76 games. Yet, with him being so young and having a lot of potential, it would not be surprising if he gets even better as his new contract carries on.
In 159 games over three NHL seasons, Gauthier has posted 61 goals, 52 assists, and 114 points.
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