The Anaheim Ducks have been building one of the strongest young cores in the NHL, and in 2025-26, all of that time on putting together this group has started to pay off. After making it to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2017-18, the team dominated their Pacific Division rival Edmonton Oilers, ending their impressive run in a fantastic six-game performance.
While the Ducks have some solid veterans around this group, their success in 2025-26 has been driven by the likes of Jackson Lacombe, Cutter Gauthier, Leo Carlsson and others that represent what could be the start of a successful long-term stretch in Anaheim.
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While all of them have potential, Gauthier looks like a genuine superstar, putting up 41 goals and 69 points across 76 games in his second full NHL season at the age of just 22. Then, this season, another rookie emerged in Beckett Sennecke, who is now officially a finalist for the Calder Trophy, given to the NHL's best rookie.
After that announcement, Gauthier was asked about what was different between his rookie campaign with the Ducks in 2024-25 and Sennecke's this past year, and in a surprise moment, he took a not-so-subtle shot at former head coach Greg Cronin.
"Different coaches", said Gauthier. Biggest one probably".
That came after Gauthier had just 20 goals across 82 games in his rookie campaign, with his playing time and his role constantly being chopped and changed by Cronin, who was not a very popular person in Anaheim. While Gauthier never names Cronin specifically in his comments, given that he was fired after just two seasons with the Ducks and a 62-87-15 record, it's easy to put that together.
Under multi-time Stanley Cup winner Joel Quenneville, all of the young Ducks are having career years, and with the team into the second round of the post-season, clearly something is working, as all of them appear to be living up to their potential. Given how unpopular Cronin was among the playing group, Gauthier isn't likely the only one to feel this way, but in the midst of a Stanley Cup Playoffs run, it's certainly a surprise to see him take this shot publicly now.
