Gauthier to be Held off Power Play Despite Ducks' Struggles
The Anaheim Ducks traded defenseman Jamie Drysdale (6th overall in 2020) and a 2025 second-round pick to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for forward Cutter Gauthier (5th overall in 2022) on Jan. 8, 2024. The most significant driving force behind that decision from the Ducks’ perspective was to move on from a position of surplus and address a gaping need for both the present and future of the depth chart. That need? Goalscoring.
Mar 18, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Anaheim Ducks left wing Cutter Gauthier (61) chases the puck during the third period against the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn ImagesVery simply put, Cutter Gauthier knows how to score goals. Though his game is more complex than that of just a one-note scorer, he can put pucks in the net in a variety of ways and from anywhere on the ice, mostly placing opposing goaltenders at the mercy of his elite release that seemingly teleports into the net in the blink of an eye.
In the two years before he stepped foot on an NHL ice sheet, Gauthier played a total of 98 games, spread between two full seasons at the NCAA level with Boston College, two World Junior Championship tournaments, and the 2023 IIHF World Championships, representing the United States in the latter two events. In those 98 games, Gauthier scored a whopping 67 goals and added 66 assists.
Of Gauthier’s 67 goals in the seasons preceding his NHL rookie campaign, 26 of them (38.8%) came on the power play, and the majority of them came from his familiar spot on the right flank. Gauthier made that spot on the power play his office, allowing himself the optimal shooting angle as a left shot. It also allowed him to display some of his creativity and playmaking prowess, sending misinformation or finding teammates through seams.
The Ducks have the 31st-ranked power play in the NHL, converting at a dreadful 12.6% clip and just 0.5% better than the worst power play team in the NHL, the New York Islanders. Among forwards, Gauthier ranks seventh on the Ducks in TOI on the power play and would be eighth if Trevor Zegras hadn’t missed so much time with a meniscus injury. Despite playing roughly 65 fewer minutes than Ryan Strome, the two are tied for fourth on the Ducks with six power play points on the season.
Gauthier has scored two power play goals this season, both in dynamic fashion. One from the bumper, where he found soft ice and was fed by Brett Leason from below the goal line. The other, from the right flank, where he received a simple pass from the top of the umbrella and sniped Seattle Kraken netminder Joey Daccord on the short side, expertly utilizing a screen provided by Leason and a pair of Seattle penalty killers.
Jan 28, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Anaheim Ducks forward Cutter Gauthier (61) skates with the puck against the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn ImagesGauthier had a difficult start out of the gate for his rookie season amidst much anticipation and excitement both from him and the organization. He had only managed five assists in his first 15 games of 2024-25 before he finally broke through with his first career goal on Nov. 15 against the Detroit Red Wings.
He started the season on that right flank spot on the power play, where he’d been accustomed to playing, but was later moved to the bumper after a handful of bobbled passes, turnovers, and whiffed one-timers. If practice lines hold, Gauthier will be held off either power play unit for the Ducks matchup against the Boston Bruins on Wednesday evening.
“I think you’ve got to find really simple solutions,” Ducks head coach Greg Cronin said of the power play struggles. “For me, that means shooting as many pucks as possible at the net, try and create a mentality where there’s a shot coming.
“There’s going to be two or three bodies going along with the shot to pick up rebounds and get loose puck recoveries. If you do that over and over again, there’s a high percentage chance you’re gonna score.”
If that is the coach’s solution to breaking out of a significant slump with the man advantage, perhaps deploying potentially the best pure goal scorer the Ducks organization has ever seen, who a year ago scored more goals at the NCAA level than any player in 20 years and took over 4.5 shots per game in his college career could be conducive to that philosophy.
Gauthier has 34 points (13-21=34) in 70 games this season and has scored 11 of his goals at 5v5. He has drastically improved and refined his skating and the details in his 200-foot game as the season has progressed, adding dimensions and layers. It may be time to set him loose and see what he can do in a spot he’s comfortable on a struggling Ducks power play.