Cutter Gauthier's contract standoff takes another turn as Dylan Larkin trade buzz resurfaces

Cutter Gauthier's contract fight with the Ducks has reached the point where missing training camp is a real possibility.

Daily Faceoff's latest breakdown digs into the holdout, and it doesn't stop there.

The crew also gets into how a Dylan Larkin trade could fit into Anaheim's plans if the Gauthier situation keeps dragging on.

Gauthier turned down a four year, $52 million offer this month, worth $13 million a year, according to NHL Network's Paul Shaheen.

That number would have made him one of the highest paid wingers in the league, but after watching linemate Leo Carlsson land $18 million a year through an offer sheet the Ducks were forced to match, Gauthier's camp clearly believes he's worth more.

Anaheim is sitting at just over $9 million in projected cap space, and that number was already tight before Gauthier turned the offer down.

Pat Verbeek had to get creative to match Carlsson's deal this summer, and now he needs several million more just to get Gauthier signed, let alone anywhere close to the $15 to $17 million range his camp is reportedly seeking.

Gauthier led the Ducks with 41 goals and 69 points last season and stayed a point per game player through the playoffs, so the confidence isn't baseless.

The catch is he has no arbitration rights and can't sign an offer sheet elsewhere until next summer, which limits him to signing or sitting out.

Anaheim was floated as a landing spot for Larkin back when he first requested a trade from Detroit, and that chatter hasn't fully disappeared.

One popular fan account raised it again this week, suggesting a trade or a long holdout both feel possible given how the summer has played out.

Camp is only weeks away, and the Ducks now have two storylines that could shape their season before it even starts.

Also read on House Of Hockey :
Edmonton Oilers lose scorer who signs new two-year deal outside North America