Apr 7, 2025; Anaheim, California, USA; Anaheim Ducks left wing Cutter Gauthier (61) in action against the Edmonton Oilers during the second period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Ducks Winger Could Be NHL's Next 30-Goal Scorer

Originally posted on Breakaway on SI | By Jacob Punturi | Last updated Aug 2, 2025 7:00 AM ET

The outlook for the Anaheim Ducks' 2025-2026 campaign is split. The offseason featured more wholesale changes, headlined by the trade sending Trevor Zegras to the Philadelphia Flyers. The organization also pulled the trigger on a separate deal that shipped their long-time starting goalie, John Gibson, to the Detroit Red Wings. In their place, they extended restricted free agent goalie Lukas Dostal to an extension, acquired Chris Kreider and made veteran forward Mikael Granlund the team's highest-paid forward.

While the Ducks will need to take the next step to re-enter the playoff picture in the Western Conference, their second-year winger is poised to become the next 30-goal scorer in the NHL. Cutter Gauthier, the team's top young forward, had an excellent rookie season. Over 82 games, he scored 20 goals and added 24 assists for 44 points. It was an impressive first campaign, raising the expectations Anaheim has for the former fifth-overall pick.

Gauthier should smash those expectations in the 2025-2026 campaign. Everything about his first season in the NHL indicated he would explode in year two. NHL EDGE collected a few intriguing data points to support this claim.

The first is his speed. The fastest players dominate today's NHL. Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon finished last season with 83 bursts of 22 miles per hour (mph) or faster. That number nearly doubled the third-place finisher, Martin Necas, who recorded 47 such bursts. It's no surprise that the top two forwards in the world are the ones most often blowing by defenders.

Gauthier registered a top skating speed of 23.37 mph, ranking in the 95th percentile of all NHL skaters last season. His 200 speed bursts over 20 mph also ranked in the 95th percentile.

He also recorded one of the highest total shots on goal in 2024. His 190 shots finished 66th among the nearly 400 NHL forwards who played at least 40 games in the previous campaign. 79 of those shots on goal came from the mid-range area of the offensive zone, but just 32 registered in the high-danger scoring area.

What this all means is that Gauthier has the toolkit to be a 30-goal scorer in the NHL. If he can utilize his top-end speed to get to the high-danger areas a bit more, he will likely find himself surpassing that coveted 30-goal plateau.

The Ducks are set to run a significant amount of offense through Gauthier as well, only increasing the likelihood that he improves greatly. A 20-point jump is on the table for the 21-year-old forward in 2025. Expect him to finish with 31 goals and 35 assists for 66 points, establishing a new career-high and a new top dog on the Anaheim Ducks.

This article first appeared on Breakaway on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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