Remember when Leo Carlsson nearly got offer-sheeted by the Philadelphia Flyers? It was a sign that general manager Pat Verbeek wasn't capable of managing the salary cap regarding his restricted free agents. Well, it happened again.
This time, it involved Cutter Gauthier, the guy that they got from... the Philadelphia Flyers. According to Paul Sheehan of the NHL Network, the restricted free agent rejected a four-year, $52 million deal from the Ducks. Mind you, Gauthier was the Ducks' leading scorer from last season, notching 69 (nice) points. That consisted of 41 goals and 28 assists.
Now, the Ducks currently have $9,073,395 in available cap space, according to PuckPedia. They'd have to make a move to free up the cap space to keep their leading scorer around for the long term. Could that mean that Alex Killorn and Chris Kreider, both on the last years of their respective deals, get the boot? Stay tuned.
But one thing's certain. Yet another Pacific Division team is in a salary cap pickle. The Ducks are navigating scenarios where they can keep yet another restricted free agent around for the long term. That's not even mentioning how Beckett Sennecke will be a restricted free agent in 2028, putting Anaheim in a pickle once again. Don't forget about building depth around the team since that's important, too!
Anyway, the Golden Knights benefit from the aftershocks of the Leo Carlsson deal. The Ducks are trying to pay Gauthier similar money to Jack Eichel and give him a better deal than Mitch Marner. But they already have an $18 million AAV problem on their hands. Vegas? That could never be them.
Why the Cutter Gauthier fiasco matters for the Vegas Golden Knights
The Pacific Division has tried its hardest to compete with teams like the Golden Knights and the Edmonton Oilers for the longest time possible. Some teams have tried splashy moves to give them a hand against the top dogs (see Artemi Panarin to the Los Angeles Kings). Others have tried drafting and developing the world's best players (see the Ducks and the San Jose Sharks with Macklin Celebrini). Others... well, nobody knows what they're doing (see the Seattle Kraken).
For the Golden Knights, those Mitch Marner and Jack Eichel deals come into focus again. A $12 million cap hit and a $13.5 million cap hit don't hit as hard when the salary cap rises. But anything north of that makes it harder for the salary cap.
Do you want to pay a player anything north of $14 million to sacrifice depth? Look at teams like the Carolina Hurricanes and the Florida Panthers. The past two Stanley Cup champions don't have a single player making anything above $10 million. The proof is in the pudding: Depth matters.
Once again, that comes into focus and the Vegas Golden Knights come out as winners. General manager Kelly McCrimmon has the team in a good place heading into the future. As for the Ducks? Well, the future just got a little more complicated.
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