With just three days until the doomsday clock strikes midnight, the Anaheim Ducks and GM Pat Verbeek are running out of time. The explosive offer sheet from the Philadelphia Flyers to Leo Carlsson has reverberated throughout the hockey sphere and has interrupted the normal cadence of the NHL offseason. Wherever the chips may ultimately fall though, Verbeek has already made a couple of transactions that have further hamstrung the Ducks' current cap situation. If Verbeek ever had a plan, the recent events of the past couple days have only complicated the situation.
One near disaster avoided
Pavel Mintyukov, the young left-handed defenseman for the Ducks, signed a five-year contract extension with an AAV of 7.2 million, just two days after the Carlsson offer sheet. Posting 22 points (8 goals, 14 assists) in 73 regular season games and averaging 18:26 of ice time, Mintyukov was one of the few in-house options to help shore up the blue line, after the offseason exodus of veterans.
Per Elliotte Friedman on the latest 32 Thoughts podcast though, the Mintyukov extension was not without its complications. Friedman relayed that the Ducks were looking for an Olen Zellweger type of extension for Mintyukov (3 years, 3.1 million AAV), but the looming threat of another offer sheet changed the calculus. With a major inflection point for the franchise already in limbo, one can assume that Verbeek could not tend to another fire and finally had to pay a skater what his market value would dictate.
Loose change scrounged up
The Ducks announced today, that Tyson Hinds also received a two-year contract extension, worth $900,000 per season. Though his offensive production was not flattering, just one point in 15 games (regular and postseason combined), Hinds was a rangy stay-at-home defenseman that provided solid bottom pair minutes, despite his inexperience. And with the Ducks in need of cheap and capable blue line options, Hinds was a near-lock as a replacement.
The coffers are getting empty
Between the Carlsson offer sheet, and the Mintyukov and Hinds extensions, the Ducks currently have just a shade over 9 million in cap space, per PuckPedia. However, there is one more elephant in the room and that would be the lack of a Cutter Gauthier extension. Gauthier scored 41 goals for the Ducks last season, which was good for 12th in the entire NHL, sandwiched between Alex Debrincat (41 goals) and Filip Forsberg (40 goals).
If we were to look at market value for Gauthier, using both Debrincat and Forsberg as his two closest goal scoring comparables, Gauthier should be looking for an extension worth 7.8 to 8.5 million per season. With recent events and Verbeek's handling on RFAs however, Gauthier would probably be asking for more than what's currently available to the Ducks in cap space. Coupled with the fact that Gauthier is one of the only proven snipers on the team, a rising cap, and Carlsson slotted to be the highest paid player in the NHL, Gauthier has positioned himself to be more valuable than the Ducks can currently afford.
The Ducks have to make a move
If, and that's a big if, the Ducks decide to match the offer sheet for Carlsson, then money has to moved out to sign Gauthier. Frank Vatrano's contract would be a logical option, as he carries a 4.5 million cap hit for the next two seasons and only appeared in 50 games in 2025-26, while registering just 9 points (5 goals, 4 assists). Other options could include upcoming UFAs like Alex Killorn (6.2 million) and Chris Kreider (6.5 million). While not ideal, the Ducks cannot afford any more of the strong-arm tactics from management and have to course correct quickly to get their leading goal scorer back in the fold.
The final countdown
Three days. The Ducks will either let their best center walk away to Philadelphia, after spending years languishing in the dregs of the NHL or pay the price for gross mismanagement of ego. While Mintyukov and to a lesser extent, Hinds, benefitted from this mishap, Gauthier is still flailing in the wind. The clock is counting down on Verbeek's decision and the future of the franchise. Tick, tock.
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