Prospect Info: Cutter Gauthier

[lwvs84]

Not for nothing, but wouldn’t acquiring Gauthier just push players like Tracey and Perreault down the depth chart?

I don’t buy Verbeeks MO on ‘over-seasoning’ prospects. Minty and LaCombe should’ve at least had some AHL time if we were going but his direction. Could be just me

They'd be injury call ups. If a C gets hurt, Z/Gauthier could move over to C and bring up one of them to fill in, see what they can do.

 

[Hockey Duckie]

Not for nothing, but wouldn’t acquiring Gauthier just push players like Tracey and Perreault down the depth chart?

I don’t buy Verbeeks MO on ‘over-seasoning’ prospects. Minty and LaCombe should’ve at least had some AHL time if we were going but his direction. Could be just me

Yes, Cutter (just gonna use Cutter b/c I don't want to confuse Gauthier with Gaucher by accident) will push Tracey and Perreault down the depth chart. Which is good since both are taking the circuitous route to the NHL. Plus side is that they're slowly developing their way there. Perreault still has one year left on his ELC. Tracey has been playing on the 3rd line with Gaucher and Caulfield, scoring a lot with them too. Gotta remember this season with all of our injuries that it's nice to have some kind of offensive depth.

Verbeek does say one thing and does the opposite. Remember when Verbeek said the next step is to make the Ducks into contender when he got hired b/c everything was already here? Then a month later, Verbeek reset the rebuild.

I think this season, Verbeek is trying to shorten the reset rebuild timeline by playing Carlsson as a part-time 1C, keeping Luneau to build up his frame while not playing him often, and pushing Minty to the NHL. The common factor between all three players are they've got uber-talent to make exceptions. As for LaCombe, he's over-seasoned as a 4-year college player, but people aren't distinguishing between him playing with Gudas in a 2nd/3rd pairing role and playing top pairing with Fowler b/c we lost Drysdale, Luneau wasn't ready, and Vaak wasn't ready at the start of the season. LaCombe is often playing more minutes than Minty as Minty is in the sheltered role.

There are still many other prospects that are being seasoned in San Diego. Here's a list of first time pros signed or rights owned by the Ducks off the top of my head: D Zell, D Hinds, G Clang, C Gaucher, RW Pastujov, RW Caulfield, RW Wiebe, LW Nesterenko, and C/RW King.

Which brings us back to Cutter. Zegras played a season in the NCAA. Fantilli played a season in the NCAA. Cutter will have played two seasons in the NCAA after this season is completed. He's got seasoning against older competition than juniors. Also, I think Verbeek got smitten with Cutter's play at World's (mostly men) while also watching Fantilli and Carlsson.

• WC 2023 productions
  • Carlsson (Swe), age 18: 8 games, 3g + 2a = 5 pts; +5 rating
  • Cutter (USA), age 19: 10 games, 7g + 2a = 9 pts; +9 rating
  • Fantilli (Can), age 18: 10 games, 1g + 2a = 3 pts; +3 rating

Anaheim's gonna come out of the 2024-25 season gate like a catapulted pinball because Carlsson, Minty, LaCombe, and Luneau debuted this year at the NHL level and then factor Cutter into the lineup.

 

[ducks8]

+1. Initially upset about losing Drys but genuinely excited about Cutter. Seems like a good compliment to Z.

EDIT: Roughly when are we expecting him to sign? March?

April after his college season ends. BC is currently ranked number 1 I believe so we may only see him for a game or 2

 

[Ducks]

69

Should have been Z's number. The fact that it's not tells me that the league/team won't allow it.

 

[JAHV]

Should have been Z's number. The fact that it's not tells me that the league/team won't allow it.

Did Zegras say publicly that's the number he wants?

 

[Firequacker]

Should have been Z's number. The fact that it's not tells me that the league/team won't allow it.

They'll allow it

 

[FiveHoleTickler]

They'll allow it

So long as the jersey is tucked, as to not make it too obvious.

 

[robbieboy3686]

McGinn's grown on me. He's got speed, can deliver heavy checks, and is defensive-minded. I'd rather deliver more heavy hits than fighting b/c you don't spend five minutes in the sin bin when you check hard legally.

Our fighter remains Carrick. And if Groulx returns, then Carrick gets the green light to fight if need be.

Close to 0 chance Grouxl is in our longterm plans.

 

[Ducks]

Did Zegras say publicly that's the number he wants?

Nope. But come on, is there a better number for the way he plays and his personality? The man with the most Michigan goals in the league deserves a number befitting of his playing style.

 

[JAHV]

Nope. But come on, is there a better number for the way he plays and his personality? The man with the most Michigan goals in the league deserves a number befitting of his playing style.

I don't understand why that number would befit his play style. I would not describe his play style as immature or lewd.

 

[ScarTroy]

Assist already

 

[Static]

Wrong thread

 

[HanSolo]

Gauthier adds to a flurry of goals by BC. Think that's four goals in about 2 and a half minutes.

 

[HanSolo]

Yeesh. A game to forget for Providence. 6-0 now.

Haven't watched enough to talk much about Cutter. Watching on my phone but the biggest story here is Providence's starter collapsed in this second. At least three goals he should have had.

 

[HanSolo]

I found out way after the fact Cutter started the play on BC's first goal and got a secondary assist out of it.

So far my thoughts are I'm not totally seeing the lack of IQ argument. He's made a couple less than stellar passes but so have all the big names on this BC team (Gabe Perreault and Ryan Leonard in particular). I feel like in general he has good awareness and has made a few good plays. He's no Pavel Bure but he's got good speed on the rush. He did get laid out in open ice toward the end of the second period but popped back up. One thing I am noticing is he's got big size but he could use some work using it to shield the puck. Either that or it's an off night for him.

With the smallest of sample sizes I can see this guy as someone who builds his game to be a trigger man for one of our talented playmakers. Not seeing a guy that can take over a game on his own. Not yet anyway. Maybe that's what all the bellyaching about his WJC performance was about.

Edit: lol he'll fit right in with the Ducks. Cutter threw a passing barely anything crosscheck, the Providence player went down like he was shot and a penalty for Gauthier.

I know this has nothing to do with Cutter but outside of being really fast, I'm pretty unimpressed with Gabe Perreault.

 

[anezthes]

So far my thoughts are I'm not totally seeing the lack of IQ argument.

I saw that comment from a PHI fan, which had me worried. Button (pre-draft) had his hockey awareness at 4.5/5. The video @613Hockey posted some time ago mentioned that his shot selection wasn't always the greatest. That's pretty much all I could find.

 

[DaGeneral]

I think I'd try:
Z-Mac-Vatrano
Cutter-Carlsson-Terry
Killorn-Lundy-Strome
McGinn/Jones-Carrick/Gaucher/Groulx-Leason

Tracey the first LW called up, Perreault the first RW called up

Ideally Lundy is 4C, if Carrick isn’t around. I really like Carrick but between him and Lundy, that isn’t a playoff 3/4C combo.

 

[The Midnight Burrito]

I saw that comment from a PHI fan, which had me worried. Button (pre-draft) had his hockey awareness at 4.5/5. The video @613Hockey posted some time ago mentioned that his shot selection wasn't always the greatest. That's pretty much all I could find.

I read a couple of pre-draft analyses that called his shot selection poor. He's a shooter.

 

[anezthes]

I read a couple of pre-draft analyses that called his shot selection poor. He's a shooter.

Right. Sorely needed on this team. Now if someone other than Gudas could crash the net...

 

[lwvs84]

Ideally Lundy is 4C, if Carrick isn’t around. I really like Carrick but between him and Lundy, that isn’t a playoff 3/4C combo.

Next year may not be a playoff year, I'd like to see what Lundy can do with better line mates. If he doesn't work out, there's options. Z can move to 3C if we can get another wing (especially if Tracey/Perreault show they can be an NHL player) and we have 3 scoring lines, maybe Gaucher is ready, we may draft another good forward, etc. Next year should be better, but not sure if playoffs better.

 

[HanSolo]

I saw that comment from a PHI fan, which had me worried. Button (pre-draft) had his hockey awareness at 4.5/5. The video @613Hockey posted some time ago mentioned that his shot selection wasn't always the greatest. That's pretty much all I could find.

Shot selection I wouldn't be overly concerned. That can be improved while adapting to the pro game and especially if he has Carlsson and or Zegras feeding him pucks, his positioning will be more important. I'll admit that I didn't see Cutter trying to shoot a lot but by the time I actually sat down and gave the game my full attention, BC was already blowing Providence out so I'd imagine there was some internal mercy rule psychology going on.

One other thing I didn't note is he looked a lot more NHL ready than a lot of guys on the ice. You could say the same about a handful of the BC star prospects but I'm not concerned about him eventually transitioning to the NHL.

 

[ducknuts]

The more I watch Cutter Gauthier, the more I hate this trade. All tools, no toolbox.

We are going to regret this trade for many years.

 

[anezthes]

Shot selection I wouldn't be overly concerned. That can be improved while adapting to the pro game and especially if he has Carlsson and or Zegras feeding him pucks, his positioning will be more important. I'll admit that I didn't see Cutter trying to shoot a lot but by the time I actually sat down and gave the game my full attention, BC was already blowing Providence out so I'd imagine there was some internal mercy rule psychology going on.

FWIW that video about his shot selection was pre-draft.

 

[Hey234]

The more I watch Cutter Gauthier, the more I hate this trade. All tools, no toolbox.

We are going to regret this trade for many years.

Such a weird take. The guy scores literally everywhere he has played. Everyone around him raves about Cutter. Here's some quotes from his coach at BC today from the Athletic:

For his part, Buckley has “nothing but great things to say about him and what he has done for our program over the last two years.”

“He has been a great teammate, a great guy to coach, he’s competitive in practice, he pushes himself, he wants to get better, he wants the team to do well,” Buckley said. “Last year, we weren’t where we probably wanted to be, and then we had a nice class come in with some good talent and he helped them out and helped get them up to speed.”

He knows the Ducks are getting a good player, too.

“The first thing that comes to mind with Cutter is an elite release and shot,” Buckley said. “He can score from all over the ice and it gets off of his stick quickly. I think it surprises goalies, how quickly the puck can get to them. That semifinal goal on the power play at the world juniors was a great example of how he can just rip a puck and change a game. ”

Buckley said Gauthier has also worked hard to round out his game and prepare for the NHL over the last two seasons.

“He’s just a more mature player now and I think that just comes with being a little bit older and physically maturing, and then also playing in high-compete games, which he has always done the last two years for us,” Buckley said. “He has done a really good job. He works hard and he’s a fun guy to coach because he wants to get better every single day.”

There weren’t specifics, but he remembers there being “a bit of a negative connotation from a standpoint of ‘he might be hard to deal with.'”

And so, naturally, he was a little interested in how Gauthier was going to be in their two years together with the team.

In the end, though, “the truth couldn’t have been further from that,” according to Fohr.

“Honestly, all of this stuff that was being said, none of it was true. None of it. He was awesome, and he was a great teammate. He worked his tail off, he was engaging, he had a great relationships with everybody, staff included. He was great. He did everything we asked him to do and he even wanted more.”

Gauthier won’t play his first NHL game until he finishes his sophomore season with the Eagles, which could be a memorable one given that they are ranked No. 1 in the nation. It could come with the Ducks in April, as he confirmed that he intends to sign an entry-level contract with them. And there will be great anticipation for the forward, who can play center or on the wing and is, Button fervently believes, a “multi-dimensional threat” in the mold of Colorado Avalanche star Mikko Rantanen as an equally dangerous shooter and set-up man.

“We look at Cutter and think what a great shot and what a great goal scorer he is,” Button said. “He’s also a hell of a playmaker. And I think that’s what keeps opponents off balance when you’re playing against Cutter. He can beat you with a play, he can beat you with a shot. And he’s big. He can skate. He’s got confidence in his game.” Button calls Gauthier “an elite, elite shooter” with pinpoint accuracy.

 

[cheesymc]

The more I watch Cutter Gauthier, the more I hate this trade. All tools, no toolbox.

We are going to regret this trade for many years.

It’s Verbeek’s biggest move and riskiest. Other GMs would have traded their depth via prospects like Zellweger or Luneau, not established 21 year olds. It didn’t help that he added that pick. Well this is what we will measure him by… I just hope Drysdale isn’t the next Theodore and Monty that we watch from afar as they become allstars playing in the Cup Finals.