Ducks' Cutter Gauthier is raising an expensive question in playoffs

Ducks' Cutter Gauthier is raising an expensive question in playoffs originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . The question for the Anaheim Ducks isn't whether they'll keep Cutter Gauthier around for a long time.

The question is simply how much it will cost. Every time the 22-year old takes the ice, he raises the price. He's that impressive, that good, that promising.

Daily Faceoff's Matt Larkin points out in a new article that Gauthier will soon be a restricted free agent. It'll just be a matter of procedure. The Ducks simply have to figure out how much money to dish out to Gauthier.

"Gauthier is a breakout star, full stop," Larkin writes. "He’s a 40-goal scorer at 22, and he’s at the top of the NHL in the Brady Tkachuk/Auston Matthews tier for chance creation, so there’s reason to believe Gauthier will soon be a 50-goal scorer, too. He’s earned a long-term commitment, and it’s just a matter now of whether Carlsson gets a higher AAV given he plays the premium position of center.