A recent report suggests that Cutter Gauthier passed on a four-year extension from the Anaheim Ducks that would carry a $13-million AAV. Is this another sign of a changing financial landscape in the NHL?
The Cutter Gauthier saga has reportedly taken a dark turn for the Anaheim Ducks.
Over the weekend, NHL Network Radio contributor Paul Shaheen reported that the 40-goal winger turned down a four-year extension from the Ducks that would have paid him $13 million per season.
While the validity of Shaheen's reporting remains unclear, the longer that Gauthier remains without a contract, more key questions for the Ducks are being raised.
Ducks GM Pat Verbeek has long been known as a harsh negotiator, and this summer in particular it appears to have gone too far.
The Leo Carlsson Effect
While Leo Carlsson has said that he was more than happy for Anaheim to match the offer sheet from the Philadelphia Flyers, it does make you wonder if there's trouble in paradise before that five-year deal even officially starts.
The same question arises with Gauthier. If he looked at the changing financial landscape in the league — with Carlsson getting $18 million, Macklin Celebrini taking down $18.8 million, and Connor Bedard "settling" for $15 million — and thought a $13-million AAV wasn't enough, it's hard to blame him.
But Verbeek can look at what's happening in Montreal, where every good, young player seems to be taking a discount and maxing out their term, and say, "That should be us, too."
That's especially true because Gauthier, unlike Bedard and Carlsson, is not eligible for an offer sheet. All he can really do to leverage his position is withhold his services.
It's kind of forgotten now, but Anaheim narrowly made their way into the playoffs last season, so the idea that a 40-goal guy might spend the first few days, weeks, or months of the season at home is a huge problem.
The leverage, nonetheless, isn't as strong as it could be unless Gauthier wants to use the nuclear option and publicly ask for a trade.
To be clear, that is incredibly unlikely to happen, but also this is a player who has shown before he's not afraid to force his way out of a situation he doesn't think is advantageous to him. That's how he got to Anaheim in the first place.
Anaheim's Salary Cap Restraints
The Ducks only have about $9 million to spend, so even $13 million for Gauthier would require some personnel moves. Every extra dollar he asks for only makes a trade of a semi-significant player off the existing roster more imperative.
Philadelphia, in what could be seen as some measure of revenge for the Gauthier saga of a few years ago, helped paint Verbeek into this corner. Although, nobody forced him to give Frank Vatrano almost $4.6 million against the cap, or sign AJ Greer and Ryan Poehling this summer for a combined $8 million.
And certainly, nobody made him do it before he took care of business with Carlsson and Gauthier.
This is where the negotiating tactics the Ducks engage in come into play once again. It's nice to have an idealized internal budget for every player on the roster, but it's the team's failure to recognize where the cap is going and what that means for salaries and the kind of term players prefer.
A four-year deal for Gauthier would not walk him right up to unrestricted free agency — a five-year deal would. If the Ducks want to be sticklers on money and term simultaneously, these impasses are going to become more common.
While the San Jose Sharks were undoubtedly thrilled to get Celebrini under contract for a five-year deal that will get him right up to UFA status in 2032, he didn’t command an exorbitant AAV in exchange for that extra year. The Ducks are asking Gauthier to give a little in both money and term.
What's Next For Gauthier And The Ducks?
This is ultimately about a team that's already in a bad position actively refusing to learn its lesson, and potentially alienate a guy who's supposed to be a key cog for them for many years to come.
Maybe that's just the end result of how they approach every negotiation, but the outcome is the same. Even though Gauthier's only power here is in withholding his services, the Ducks have to realize they can't afford to keep playing hardball like this.
The perception around this team is really good right now, even after the Carlsson fiasco. If they fail to make the playoffs because Gauthier misses games, or simply starts slow because he sat out some or all of training camp, how much will that perception shift? Who will face the scrutiny?
Verbeek probably won't like the answer to either of those questions.
That said, there's a long way to go between now and the start of training camp. There is plenty of time for everything to get worked out, but the clock is ticking, and the noise around Gauthier and the Ducks gets louder every day.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free.
See more of The Hockey News on Google and save us as a preferred source. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
