The Anaheim Ducks signed forward Cutter Gauthier, 22, to a six-year contract, the team announced Tuesday night. Sources told ESPN the deal is worth $13.5 million annually.
The contract includes an $18.6 million signing bonus in Year 1 plus $850,000 in salary, meaning Gauthier will make nearly $19.5 million in his first year, a source said.
The deal keeps Gauthier in Anaheim after a breakout season in which he led the Ducks with 41 goals and 69 points. He added 12 points in 12 playoff games as the Ducks made the playoffs and upset the Edmonton Oilers in the first round, their first playoff appearance in eight years.
Gauthier was the No. 5 pick of the 2022 NHL draft by the Philadelphia Flyers and arrived in Anaheim in a 2024 blockbuster trade. He became a restricted free agent this summer after finishing his entry-level contract.
"This is a very exciting day for my family and I," Gauthier said in a team statement. "I'm so pleased to be able to sign long term with the Ducks and be part of what I believe is a great future."
The signing caps a transformative offseason for Anaheim, which matched an offer sheet for Leo Carlsson from Philadelphia in July, making Carlsson the NHL's highest-paid player at $18 million per season at the time, a mark since surpassed by Macklin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks and Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche.
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