- Cutter Gauthier broke his L1 and L2 vertebrae on a March 30 cross-check from Jake McCabe
- The 22-year-old played all 12 playoff games and led the Ducks in scoring with 12 points
- Read below for video of the hit and full details on Gauthier’s exit interview reveal
Cutter Gauthier finished the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs with a fractured spine.
The Ducks winger told reporters at his exit interview this week that he broke both his L1 and L2 vertebrae on March 30 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, an injury Anaheim had previously listed only as “upper-body.” Sporting Tribune beat writer Zach Cavanagh broke the news Thursday, alongside the play that did the damage.
Watch video of the cross-check from Jake McCabe that sent Gauthier off the ice:
Gauthier played 3:20 after the hit, scored on his only shot, and didn’t suit up again in the regular season. Anaheim brought him back in time for Round 1, and he never came out.
All told, the 22-year-old logged every playoff game for head coach Joel Quenneville and led the Ducks in scoring with 4 goals and 8 assists, including a two-goal night in Game 2 against Edmonton that swung the first-round series back to even.
That’s a lot of weight to carry on a broken back, especially in your first NHL playoff run.
The full exit interview video from Sporting Tribune covers Gauthier’s RFA status alongside where Mason McTavish and Leo Carlsson stand heading into the summer:
Anaheim’s season ended Thursday with a 5-1 loss to Vegas in Game 6 of Round 2.
Mitch Marner picked the Ducks apart in the first period, and Pavel Dorofeyev added two more in the third to send the Golden Knights to the Western Conference Final.
Across the Vegas series, Gauthier managed only five assists. The Ducks struggled to crack a battle-tested defensive structure. He still walked out as Anaheim’s most productive forward of the playoffs.
Pre-injury, Gauthier scored 41 goals and 69 points in 76 regular-season games. The Ducks have no idea what his ceiling looks like with a healthy spine.
