How much will Cutter Gauthier get paid, and who will the Anaheim Ducks lose?
Anthony Di Marco of the Daily Faceoff joined TSN Radio in Montreal and was asked what the next contract for Cutter Gauthier will look like in Anaheim. He was also asked who will need to be moved to make the cap work.
NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
Cutter Gauthier’s number has gone up, and the Anaheim Ducks will need to move money
Host: “Tell me about what’s going to happen with Anaheim and Cutter Gauthier.”
Anthony Di Marco: “Man, that’s a tough one. Hey, you know, led by Kurt Overhardt, or as some GMs like to refer to him as ‘Overcharge’, a notoriously tough negotiator. But I mean, you hear, I believe, it’s Keith Yandle and Spittin’ Chicklets saying that he’s not going to take one penny less than Leo Carlsson. I mean, I think that he’s going to come in somewhere between Bedard and Leo Carlsson.
Maybe not get exactly $18 million, but that offer sheet, man, they kept Leo Carlsson. But that was a grenade chucked into Pat Verbeek‘s office by Danny Briere, and there’s going to be a trickle-down effect for probably the next 24 months or so.
And you have Cutter Gauthier now, and then two years’ time you have Beckett Sennecke to deal with. So I mean, I think they get it done. I think it probably comes around $16-$17 million dollars per season between Bedar and Carlsson, but it is not going to be an easy season, in a little bit probably for Pat Verbeek to make all the puzzles fit financially for the Anaheim Ducks.
The Anaheim Ducks Potential Cap Crunch Was Avoidable
Host: “And that means you’re probably circling a (Chris) Kreider or an (Alex) Killorn that has to move on.”
Di Marco: “Yeah, or a Frank Vatrano, and they have three second-round picks in next year’s 2027 NHL Draft to deal with, probably with currency, but you look at that blue line. That is massive. It is a big candidate for a big step back next year, the Anaheim Ducks, because they’re going to lose some quality, depth guys.
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Their defense looks completely different. You move off of (Olen)Zellweger, (Radko) Gudas, (Jacob) Trouba, and John Carlson. Nick Jensen. Okay, not terrible. You’re hoping that Pavel Mintyukov takes a step forward, but that’s the left side of the defense.
Jackson LaCombe, one of the better young defenseman in the NHL, but I mean, I think that’s a team that defensively last year had a lot of ups and downs and was bailed out by Lukas Dostal. And if I’m a betting man right now, guys, the only way that Anaheim gets back in the playoffs is because the Pacific Division is just that bad. But that is a massive regression candidate for my money for next season.”
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