
Ducks ink Cutter Gauthier to six-year, $81M extension
The Anaheim Ducks signed restricted free agent Cutter Gauthier to a six-year, $81 million contract, front-loaded with about $69.5 million in signing bonuses and a $13.5 million cap hit (No. 5 in the NHL), leaving just over $2 million in 2026-27 cap space. Gauthier, who had 69 points in 76 games last season and earned All-Rookie honors earlier in his career, is under contract through 2031-32 as Anaheim doubles down on its young core. The move follows the Ducks’ earlier record-setting matching of Leo Carlsson’s $90 million, five-year deal, underscoring a bold spending strategy aimed at deeper playoff runs.













