Friedman weighs in on the summer's biggest holdout
Cutter Gauthier's contract standoff with the Anaheim Ducks has become the defining RFA story of the NHL off-season, and on September 8 it got another turn of the screw. Analyst Elliotte Friedman, speaking on NHL Tonight, said Gauthier's eventual deal "is going to be a big number, a really, really big number" — a comment that arrived against reports that the 22-year-old has already turned down a four-year, $52 million offer from Anaheim, amounting to roughly $13 million per year. The Ducks open training camp the week of September 15 with the situation unresolved.
Gauthier's case for a higher number rests on a season that left little room for doubt: 41 goals and 69 points in 76 regular-season games in 2025-26, plus 12 points in 12 playoff games as Anaheim reached the second round for the first time in years. Those are legitimate top-line production numbers for a player entering just his third full NHL season.
A market that moved under Anaheim's feet
The RFA landscape shifted significantly over the summer and complicated Anaheim's ability to close a deal on their own terms. Reports indicate an offer sheet for Anaheim forward Leo Carlsson was matched by the Ducks at approximately $18 million per year — a figure that instantly reset expectations for elite young forwards across the league and left Anaheim with markedly less cap flexibility. Against that backdrop, Gauthier's rejection of $13 million per year is easier to understand: if a similarly aged teammate commands $18 million, a player who outscored him by a wide margin last season has a clear argument for a substantial increase.
The Boston Bruins' extension of Fraser Minten at $7.2 million per year on the same day reinforced the broader point. Even players operating at a lower tier of production are commanding premiums in 2026, and the market floor for top-end age-22 forwards has moved significantly upward from where it stood two years ago.
Anaheim's structural problem
The Ducks are not working from a position of strength in these negotiations. Anaheim carries approximately $9 million in available cap space for 2026-27, meaning general manager Pat Verbeek would need to move at least one significant contract before any Gauthier deal could be registered. That is achievable in principle, but it requires a willing trade partner and takes time that is running short.
Gauthier's leverage is structural: the restricted free agent rules allow any team to submit an offer sheet, and if that offer exceeds certain thresholds, Anaheim would face the prospect of surrendering multiple first-round picks as compensation if they chose not to match. For a Ducks team still building toward contention, giving up premium draft capital is a real cost rather than a formality. The offer-sheet mechanism gives Gauthier's camp leverage without requiring him to sit out.
What comes next
Friedman did not attach a specific number to Gauthier's eventual deal. But given that a reported $13 million per year was insufficient to close the gap, and that the Carlsson deal at $18 million is now the reference point at the top of the market, figures in the $15 million to $17 million range have been discussed widely in league circles as a plausible landing zone.
The 84-game regular season opens September 29. A player who misses training camp and the preseason can still start the year on time, but each passing day without a contract makes it harder for Gauthier to arrive at peak form when the standings start to count. Anaheim's ability to resolve its cap situation quickly will determine how much of the pre-season runway is lost.