Elliotte Friedman sends warning about Cutter Gauthier as Ducks talks continue

Cutter Gauthier's contract situation with the Anaheim Ducks is finally showing signs of movement, and the number attached to it keeps climbing.

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman said on NHL Network that he has heard whispers of progress in the negotiations, but made it clear this deal is going to carry a massive price tag when it finally gets done.

Gauthier is coming off a breakout season that changed everything for his camp's leverage.

He put up 41 goals and 69 points in 76 games, then kept producing in the playoffs with 12 more points across a dozen postseason games.

For a player still working under an entry level contract worth just under a million dollars, that kind of production forces a team's hand.

Leo Carlsson's five year, $90 million offer sheet reset the market for young Ducks forwards almost overnight, and Gauthier's camp knows it.

Reports earlier this summer already had insiders floating numbers in the $15 to $17 million range annually, putting him right between Connor Bedard and Carlsson among the league's best young forwards.

That leaves general manager Pat Verbeek with a tough job ahead of training camp.

Anaheim doesn't have much room to work with, and getting a deal this large done will likely require moving other pieces to clear cap space.

With camp approaching fast, the Ducks are running out of time to get this wrapped up quietly.

If Friedman's read on the situation holds, Anaheim fans should brace for a number that reshapes the entire cap picture for years to come.

Beckett Sennecke is also extension eligible in about a year, meaning Verbeek can't just solve for Gauthier and move on to other business.

Also read on House Of Hockey :
Wild face major Quinn Hughes concern after Elliotte Friedman reveals contract stance