The NY Islanders could help facilitate Cutter Gauthier's new contract with the Anaheim Ducks

In a season where the Anaheim Ducks were expected to take a step in the right direction, the team exceeded expectations, making the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2018. The emergence of Cutter Gauthier as one of the league's top goal scorers was a major factor in Anaheim's sudden rise, scoring 41 goals at 22 years old.

With the start of the 2026-27 season just over a month away, Gauthier is still without a contract. It has been reported that Pat Verbeek and the Ducks have offered Gauthier a 4-year, $13M AAV deal, rejected by Gauthier and his camp. The NY Islanders could step in and offer sheet Gauthier, but the price of four first-round picks is likely too steep. But the Isles could still help facilitate Gauthier's new deal with the Ducks.

The Isles can play a role in Cutter Gauthiers new contract

The Ducks currently have $12.8M in cap space according to CapWages, and with Gauthier looking for more than $14M annually, somebody on the current roster will have to be moved.

Chris Kreider, 35, turned back the clock in the early parts of the 2025-26 season, his first with the Ducks. scoring nine times in the team's first nine games. Though he isn't the same player who scored 52 goals with the NY Rangers in 2021-22, Kreider could still add value to the Islanders' roster.

While he may have lost a step, Kreider still has wheels to keep up with players like Mat Barzal and Matthew Schaefe. Additionally, the Isles lost one of the best net-front presence players in the NHL in Anders Lee. Kreider has made a career in cleaning up the garbage around the crease and could continue doing so with the Islanders.

Kreider is in the final year of his current deal, coming with a $6.5M cap hit, but is owed $5M in actual money. The Islanders have only $3.9M in cap space as things currently stand, but could add more space with a few simple moves. With the Ducks desperate to clear cap, it'll likely cost next to nothing to acquire Kreider, perhaps a 7th-round pick or even future considerations.

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