Cutter Gauthier just cashed in, and the Anaheim Ducks made sure of it before anyone else got the chance.
Elliotte Friedman confirmed the numbers Tuesday. Six years, $13,500,000 annually.
That's a deal that instantly makes Gauthier one of the highest-paid forwards in the entire league, and he's only 22 years old.
Gauthier posted 41 goals and 69 points in 76 games last season, adding 12 more points in 12 playoff games for a Ducks team that finished 43-33-6.
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His 41 goals came with 11 power play tallies and 7 game-winners, the kind of finishing touch that made this extension a formality rather than a debate.
GM Pat Verbeek moved fast on this one, locking in a cornerstone piece before his cap number could climb any higher on the open market.
Anaheim finished 17th overall this season, a real step forward for a franchise that's been rebuilding around exactly this kind of young talent.
Why this number changes everything for Anaheim's cap sheet
At $13,500,000 annually, Gauthier now sits among the league's highest-paid forwards, a massive jump from the $950,000 he carried on his entry-level deal.
That kind of commitment tells the rest of the roster exactly who this franchise is building around long-term.
Head coach Joel Quenneville gets a proven 40-goal scorer locked in through the prime years of his career, giving Anaheim real cost certainty as other young pieces develop around him.
Six years at this price is a bet that Gauthier's production only grows from here, not plateaus.
Given his trajectory the last two seasons, that bet looks reasonable on paper, but it also raises the bar on what Anaheim needs to build around him to actually contend.
The Ducks have their franchise centerpiece signed long-term. Now the front office has to build a roster capable of matching that investment.
Is a 6-year, $13.5 million deal fair value for Cutter Gauthier?
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