Graduated Prospect: Cutter Gauthier

By Thomas Harrington

Acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers in the Jamie Drysdale trade, forward Cutter Gauthier completed a successful rookie season with the Anaheim Ducks. After playing in the final game of the 2023-2024 season, Gauthier played in all 82 games this past season, one of only three Anaheim players to do so. He was also one of only two rookies in the NHL to play in all 82 games, the other was Calder Trophy winner Lane Hutson.

Gauthier scored 20 goals and 44 points in his rookie season. He ranked third in goals, tied for sixth in assists, and fifth in points among all NHL rookies. Among Anaheim skaters, Gauthier finished tied for fourth in goals, tied for sixth in assists, and fifth in points. He had a slow start to the season, only recording four assists through his first 10 games. He finally scored his first career game in mid-November against Detroit, and then scored again in the next game. It wasn’t until the second half of the year when Gauthier really found his stride, with 12 of his goals coming after the start of February. In April, he scored five goals in a three-game stretch to get him to 20 on the season. However, of all the stats for Gauthier from his rookie season, the one that impresses me the most is 82 games played. It’s difficult for a rookie to play 82 games, especially coming out of college, where most players play around 35 to 40 games a season. Seeing Gauthier appear in every game shows how hard he worked all year.

Among Anaheim rookies all-time, Gauthier ranks fourth in goals and points, behind only Trevor Zegras, Bobby Ryan, and Dustin Penner. He is also only one of two Anaheim rookies to ever play a full 82-game season, the other being Penner back in the 2006-2007 season. The top four rookies in the NHL this past season were clearly Hutson, Dustin Wolf, Macklin Celebrini, and Matvei Michkov. The four of them ended up finishing first through fourth in Calder Trophy voting. Gauthier ended up finishing fifth in voting for the trophy. He received 74 fifth place votes and six fourth place votes. He was also named to the NHL’s All-Rookie team, joining Hutson, Wolf, Celebrini, Michkov, and Denton Mateychuk.

Gauthier started the year on a line with Leo Carlsson and Alex Killorn, but the trio only lasted a handful of games into the season. After that, he bounced around the lineup, seeing time on all four of Anaheim’s lines as he adjusted to the NHL. It took a while, but he was eventually reunited with Carlsson and Killorn towards the end of the season. Together, the three formed a dangerous trio, showing why they were put together at the start of the year. This line being reunited was one of the main reasons why Gauthier was able to hit 20 goals as a rookie.

Gauthier also played for Team USA at the recent World Championships, helping America win its first gold since 1933. He played in all 10 games, scoring five goals and nine points. He finished tied for third on the team in goals and tied for sixth in points.

I had two sets of expectations for Gauthier last summer. Coming into the year, I thought there was a chance he would spend some time in San Diego. It’s not that uncommon for players who come out of the college ranks to struggle to adjust to the NHL. If that happened, a few games with the Gulls wouldn’t be surprising. While Gauthier had his ups and downs, he played well enough for that time in San Diego to not be needed, so he certainly passed that expectation. My second expectation was for him to put up some points in the NHL. I thought if he spent the year on the team’s top line, he could finish between McTavish’s 43 point rookie season and Zegras’ 61 point rookie season. While he didn’t get as much time with Carlsson as I thought he would, Gauthier still managed to just beat out McTavish’s rookie year and passed this expectation as well.

After a strong rookie season, Gauthier’s spot in Anaheim next season should be pretty safe. However, if he really struggles early in the season or has an awful training camp, it’s conceivable the Ducks could consider giving him some AHL time or scratching him for a few games. I think that unlikely, but it could happen. Instead, I’m hoping to see him and Carlsson play a lot more with each other and build on the chemistry that seemed evident to end the season. If they can do that, the Ducks could have found their next dynamic forward duo.

Gauthier has one year left on his entry-level deal, and he’ll be a restricted free agent next summer. I fully expect him to be qualified and signed. Unless he has an absolutely massive sophomore campaign, I don’t expect Gauthier to be signed to an eight-year extension. Instead, I think he’ll likely sign a bridge deal, possibly similar to the three-year deal Zegras signed when his entry-level deal was up. Regardless of length, I believe he’ll have definitely earned a one-way contract from the Ducks.

The next and final graduated prospect will be Nikita Nesterenko.

Related Articles:

Prospect Profile: Tim Washe

Prospect Profile: Jeremie Biakabutuka

Prospect Profile: Herman Traff

Graduated Prospect: Sam Colangelo

Graduated Prospect: Drew Helleson

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June 24th, 2025