Cutter Gauthier inks six-year, $81 million deal with Anaheim Ducks

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gauthier-cutter/Aua8QuVu/"]Gauthier[/a], 22, led the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/anaheim-ducks/4CM4ojpD/"]Ducks[/a] last season with 41 goals and was tied for fifth-most in assists (28) through 78 games, along with four goals and eight assists (12 games) during their playoff run.[/p][p]He is just the fourth Ducks player to score at least 40 goals in a single season.[/p][embed guid="14609b91-b19c-4e5a-a1f6-37c5777e68fb" url="https://x.com/AnaheimDucks/status/2100039576886943798?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]The former fifth-overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft made his league debut a season later, playing in one game. It wasn't until 2024 that Gauthier put together his first full season in the league, recording 20 goals and 24 assists in 82 games, earning All-Rookie Team status.[/p][p]Gauthier is a key piece in the Ducks' incredible franchise turnaround. Last year marked the first winning season for the Ducks since 2017 and was the first time they made the second round of the playoffs in a decade, finishing the regular season with a 43-33-6 record.[/p][p]The Swedish star joins Leo Carlsson, who signed a five-year, $90 million deal in July, as the two young stars look to become the centerpieces of a Ducks team quickly turning their way into contenders.[/p][p]Their 2026-2027 season begins on October 2nd against the Vegas Golden Knights in a playoff rematch.[/p][embed guid="cebf20f9-e4c5-4854-8860-2510d76b87d4" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOeRgWLwtBQ&pp=ygUbQ3V0dGVyIEdhdXRoaWVyIGdvYWxzIGR1Y2tz" social-type="youtube" /]