NHL rumors: Cutter Gauthier turned down Ducks’ 4-year contract extension offer

To call this offseason tumultuous for the Anaheim Ducks would be a massive understatement. General manager Pat Verbeek was forced to make Leo Carlsson the highest-paid player in NHL history based on average annual value to fend off an offer sheet from the Philadelphia Flyers.

The organization then watched its blue line undergo a massive overhaul, as former captain Radko Gudas, along with veterans Jacob Trouba and John Carlson, signed elsewhere. Olen Zellweger was traded to the Buffalo Sabres, and it will be a new-look defensive unit in California in 2026-27.

Now, there is even more pressing business for the front office, as breakout sniper Cutter Gauthier needs a new contract. The restricted free agent scored 41 goals and 69 points in 76 games in 2025-26, leading the Ducks in both categories. He is due for a massive raise from the $950,000 he earned on his entry-level contract.

With Carlsson now making $18 million in each of the next five seasons, the Ducks have just over $9 million in projected salary cap space to work with, per PuckPedia.

That’s just not going to be enough for Gauthier’s camp, who reportedly turned down a lucrative offer from Anaheim earlier this summer, according to NHL Network’s Paul Shaheen.

“Word today from reliable sources that Anaheim has offered RFA Cutter Gauthier $13M at four years. Rejected by Gauthier and his agent Kurt Overhardt,” Shaheen wrote.

“In the moment, per PuckPedia the Ducks are just over $9M in salary cap. Suffice to say, if/when Gauthier signs, the Ducks will have to be creative to be at the cap come the start of the season.”

It’s a tough position for Verbeek and the front office to be in, as Gauthier is a future franchise cornerstone and already the best goal scorer on the roster.

An AAV of $13 million seems reasonable to get the former fifth overall pick locked up, but the fact that he rejected the offer suggests his camp is seeking more money, more term, or both. A potential benchmark could be Connor Bedard’s recently signed $15 million AAV extension with the Chicago Blackhawks, although there is no indication that $15 million is Gauthier’s asking price.

Either way, there is clearly more work to be done between Gauthier and the Ducks. Anaheim needs to find additional cap space while also figuring out what kind of contract will satisfy one of the most important young players on the roster.

If Gauthier and the Ducks are unable to find common ground on a new deal before December 1, he would be ineligible to play for the remainder of the 2026-27 season, as well as the playoffs. That gives both sides plenty of time to negotiate, but the pressure is already mounting on Verbeek to get a critical piece of the future re-signed.

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