Cutter Gauthier Rejects Ducks Latest Offer

Still, Gauthier isn’t without his leverage, either. Anaheim not only reached the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2018, but they also defeated the back-to-back Western Conference champions in the first round. In Round Two, they challenged the eventual Western Conference champions, taking them to six games. Since the Ducks are looking to keep the good times rolling, it’s unlikely that Anaheim would be willing to stomach not having a forward coming off a 40-goal season.

It remains uncertain what Gauthier and his representation seek in his next deal. Anaheim only has approximately $9MM in cap space heading into the 2026-27 season, so it’s already evident they’re willing to push the envelope and give themselves more work to do to retain Gauthier.

While not entirely similar to Carlsson’s case, Gauthier may argue that the Ducks opted to sign Carlsson at $18MM per year rather than recouping four consecutive first-round picks in exchange for his services. Considering that he outscored Carlsson last season, it’s reasonable to think Gauthier could command slightly more than $13MM per year with that argument. Moreover, if Anaheim had signed Gauthier for $13MM a year, they would have been in a position to trade either Alex Killorn or Chris Kreider. Trading one of these players would then provide the Ducks with enough salary cap space to sign Gauthier to a yearly contract ranging from $14MM to $15MM.

On the flip side, the Ducks could rightfully argue that an offer sheet is not the same process as negotiating internally, which it isn’t. Anaheim could point to Bedard’s extension with the Blackhawks as the best comparable from their perspective. Despite suffering through injuries and arguably playing on a worse team than Gauthier, Bedard has outscored Gauthier by nearly 30 points over the past two years, despite playing in seven fewer games. Additionally, Bedard is two years younger than Gauthier. Using that argument, paying Gauthier $13MM per season is reasonable.

Regardless, it’s yet another negotiation indicating the changing of the guard in the NHL. For better or worse, depending on who you ask, younger players are being much more aggressive in contract negotiations, despite their perceived leverage, and for the most part, the tactic has been working out for them.