"Not $9M, contrary to what's circulating" - NHL analyst provides clarity on what Ducks can afford to offer Cutter Gauthier

The Anaheim Ducks and Cutter Gauthier have yet to reach an extension agreement. What makes the situation a bit more difficult for the Ducks is that various reports suggest they have only $9 million in salary cap space, which is far less than what Gauthier is seeking. Ad However, recently an NHL analyst slammed such reports. On his personal X account, Nicolas Cloutier wrote that the Ducks have $19.4 million to sign Gauthier, and not $9 million, which has been circulating. He also added that it's important for the Ducks to comply with the $104 million salary cap at the start of the season. Cloutier wrote: "Regarding Cutter Gauthier: As teams can exceed the 10% cap during the summer, the Ducks have $19.4M available to sign Gauthier (and not $9M, contrary to what's circulating). However, the Ducks must comply with the $104M cap at the start of the regular season." Ad Trending You can check Cloutier's tweet below: Expand Tweet Ad Signing Cutter Gauthier before the 2026-27 NHL season will be a matter of utmost importance for the Anaheim Ducks. After all, Gauthier was one of the Ducks' best players on the rink and was instrumental in helping the team make the playoffs. In 76 regular-season games, Gauthier recorded 69 points (41 goals, 28 assists). He even did well in the playoffs as he recorded 12 points (4 goals, 8 assists) in 12 games. Another NHL analyst predicted the Ducks and Cutter Gauthier to agree to a "short term deal" While Cutter Gauthier and the Anaheim Ducks continue to negotiate to come to terms on a new deal, an NHL analyst believes that the player does not have a lot of leverage. The NHL analyst in question is Frank Seravalli. Ad During an appearance on FAN Morning Show, Seravalli predicted the Ducks and Gauthier to agree to a "short term deal." "This is one of those situations where he doesn't have a ton of leverage, the team has to squeeze him because of the cap situation...and my guess is it produces some kind of short term deal." Expand Tweet While Seravalli believes it's going to be a short term deal, NHL analyst Elliotte Fredman recently revealed the Ducks and Gauthier have made progress. According to Friedman, the new deal Gauthier will sign will involve "a really really big number." × Feedback Why did you not like this content? Clickbait / Misleading Factually Incorrect Hateful or Abusive Baseless Opinion Too Many Ads Other Cancel Submit Was this article helpful? Thank You for feedback Wayne Gretzky's wife Janet responds to critics questioning his loyalty to Canada, Bobby Orr's support following 4 Nations drama