Ducks Sign Cutter Gauthier to Six-Year, $13.5M AAV Extension

Cutter Gauthier signed a six-year contract with the Anaheim Ducks worth $13.5 million annually following a season where he led the team with 41 goals.

The Anaheim Ducks signed 22-year-old left wing Cutter Gauthier to a six-year contract on Tuesday night, according to a team announcement. Sources told ESPN the agreement carries an average annual value of $13.5 million. The deal is heavily front-loaded, featuring an $18.6 million signing bonus and an $850,000 salary in the first year, totaling nearly $19.5 million for the initial season.

Gauthier earned the extension after leading Anaheim with 41 goals and 69 points last season. During the Ducks' first playoff appearance in eight years, the former No. 5 overall pick recorded 12 points in 12 postseason games, helping the team upset the Edmonton Oilers in the opening round. The Hobey Baker Award finalist originally joined the franchise via a 2024 trade with the Philadelphia Flyers.

To facilitate this signing and a previous $18 million-per-season deal for Leo Carlsson, general manager Pat Verbeek waived veteran Chris Kreider last week to create salary cap flexibility. The contract was finalized on the final day of the NHL’s previous collective bargaining agreement, which allowed for the eight-year limits and specific bonus structures that will be restricted under the new CBA. Gauthier, a restricted free agent this summer, now joins Carlsson as a cornerstone of the Ducks' roster alongside recent high-value signings by Macklin Celebrini and Cale Makar.