- Keith Yandle says Cutter Gauthier won’t sign for a dollar less than Leo Carlsson’s $18M
- The Ducks already matched Carlsson’s deal and have about $9M in cap space left
- Read below for why Gauthier’s 41-goal season gives him a case, and where his price likely lands
The Leo Carlsson offer sheet keeps costing the Anaheim Ducks, and the bill isn’t done yet.
Keith Yandle shared what he’s been hearing on the latest Spittin’ Chiclets, and it’s not what general manager Pat Verbeek wanted out there.
“I was fed a little tidbit that Cutter Gauthier will not be taking one dollar less than what Leo Carlsson took.”
Here’s the episode where Yandle laid it out:
Carlsson’s five-year, $90 million offer sheet from the Flyers carried an $18 million cap hit, the highest number in the league. Anaheim matched it earlier this month rather than lose its young center.
That leaves Verbeek with a mess. The Ducks have a little over $9 million in cap space, and Gauthier is a restricted free agent still waiting on his own contract. Fitting one $18 million deal under the cap was hard enough. Two is a different animal.
Gauthier has the numbers to argue he’s worth it. He led the Ducks with 41 goals and 69 points last season, and he outscored Carlsson, who put up 29 goals and 67 points. Watch Gauthier bury the game-winner on Edmonton back in February:
The catch is leverage. Carlsson’s price came from a rival team forcing the issue with an offer sheet. Gauthier has no arbitration rights and can’t be poached until next summer, so Verbeek controls his rights outright.
Yandle’s co-host Ryan Whitney thinks it could drag out. He said the line he heard from Gauthier’s side was “See you boys in January,” hinting at a holdout that runs deep into the season.
We reported earlier this month that Gauthier’s next deal could climb toward $15 million. Most projections land lower than that, closer to $13 million on a long-term deal. The $18 million figure reads more like an opening shot than a signing number.
Either way, the Ducks built this headache themselves the day they let the Carlsson fight go to an offer sheet. Now they get to negotiate against their own biggest contract.
