Cutter Gauthier's name is back in trade rumors, and this time it's the Edmonton Oilers pushing the idea.
Hockey writer Allan Mitchell recently argued Edmonton should make a real run at the Ducks winger, according to a post from The Mug NHL on Tuesday.
Mitchell's pitch comes with real names attached. Matthew Savoie, Isaac Howard and a high draft pick as the "outer marker offer" for Anaheim's young sniper.
"Bowman may not have the assets," Mitchell wrote, referring to Oilers general manager Stan Bowman. "It's still worth a try."
Savoie posted 37 points in 82 games this season for Edmonton, while Howard chipped in five points across 29 games.
Both are still developing pieces, not proven top-six scorers. That's the gap Mitchell is pointing at.
Gauthier, meanwhile, is coming off a breakout year in Anaheim. He scored 41 goals and racked up 69 points in 76 games, numbers that put him firmly in the Ducks' long-term plans.
Allan Mitchell wrote recently that the Edmonton Oilers should try to target Cutter Gauthier
“..Bowman may not have the assets. It's still worth a try. Savoie, Howard and a high draft pick is the outer marker offer for the Oilers, and another NHL team could exceed that package..”
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Edmonton could sacrifice two top prospects in blockbuster deal to acquire Cutter Gauthier
That production is exactly why Pat Verbeek wouldn't need to blink on any offer built around futures and complementary pieces.
Anaheim finished the season at 43-33-6, a 92-point campaign with real forward momentum. Trading a 22-year-old goal-scorer off that roster makes zero sense for the Ducks right now.
And that's the real problem with this idea. Savoie, Howard and a pick doesn't come close to matching what Gauthier just did on the ice.
Mitchell himself hedged the pitch, noting another team could easily top Edmonton's package if it ever came together.
The Oilers finished 41-30-11 with a plus-13 goal differential, solid but not dominant. Adding a proven scorer like Gauthier would change their forward group instantly.
Edmonton's issue isn't the desire. It's the assets. Bowman doesn't have a obvious third piece sitting in the system that moves Anaheim off a player this good.
Rumors like this tend to circulate every summer without ever reaching a real offer sheet. This one has a specific shape to it, at least, which is more than most speculation gets.
Whether it ever gets past message board talk depends entirely on what Bowman is actually willing to put on the table, and right now, that list looks thin.
Would you trade Matthew Savoie and Isaac Howard for Cutter Gauthier?
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