Are Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier the next era-defining duo in Ducks history?

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne. Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier?

Not to let one three-game hot streak pull anybody too far ahead of themselves, but it’s quite possible this last week opened the window on the 20-year-old Swede and 21-year-old Swedish-born American as the next era-defining dynamic duo of the Anaheim Ducks.

Gauthier racked up five goals in three games to hit the 20-goal plateau in his rookie season, and Carlsson provided the primary assist on four of those goals, including the game-tying and overtime-winning goals against Calgary on Wednesday.

“Him and I became really close friends over the course of these last seven, eight months during the season here,” Gauthier said. “He's been a great person to go through the first NHL season in the grind, and it's been great bouncing ideas off of him and it's been super fun playing with him. He's one heck of a player.”

This was sort of the expectation when the Ducks acquired Gauthier from the Philadelphia Flyers last season.

As a rookie, Carlsson spent the majority of last season with Troy Terry on his wing. Terry has been a very productive player for Anaheim and with 20 goals this season, he’s one of just five players in franchise history to hit that mark in four consecutive seasons. However, Terry does his best work with the puck on his stick, manipulating defenders and making plays.

While Gauthier has showcased his own playmaking ability–of his 23 assists, 13 are primary assists–he is more pure triggerman than any player the Ducks currently have on their roster or in the system, as Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said when he traded for the then-Boston College star.

"When I look at our system and our organization, we didn't have a player like this in our prospect pool," Verbeek said. "There's not a player like this coming… Based on some of the players that we have up front, I think he’s going to complement them really well and they’re going to complement him really well.”

Reading between the lines, one could guess the main player Verbeek was thinking about was Carlsson. Based on pedigree, pairing the 2023 second overall pick Carlsson with the 2022 fifth overall pick Gauthier should have been instant fireworks.

The combo was used to open the season, but with just one five-on-five goal created in seven games, they were split up for the next 61 games. Carlsson and Gauthier were put back together 12 games ago, and in that time at even strength, Carlsson has four goals and six assists Carlsson has netted seven goals with two assists.

“I feel like everybody's more comfortable,” Carlsson said. “Obviously, (those were) Cutter’s first few games in the league, so those are tough. Once we skate, we’re a dangerous line. So, it's fun.”

Their matching speed is what has made this combo lethal in their reunion, and it was something Gauthier in particular had to work into. Ducks coach Greg Cronin said that Gauthier has become more confident in driving wide and burning defensemen, as he did on Monday against Edmonton.

“The skill has always been there,” Frank Vatrano said. “I think when you play in the NHL longer, and as you get more games under your belt, you know what you can do to be successful every night, and I think Cutter’s finally figured out how good of a skater he is, and Leo obviously knows how dynamic he is and how much they can change the game. I think it just comes with them maturing and knowing what works.”

The tantalizing possibilities of Carlsson and Guathier’s speed working in tandem were broadcast in screaming, vivid color on the overtime winner against Calgary.

In the three-on-three overtime with so much open ice, the instant Carlsson grabbed the puck along the boards in his own defensive zone, all of Honda Center saw the vision of the future in front of them. With Carlsson blazing up the right side, he made a hard cut to the middle to find the streaking Gauthier who unleashed a game-clinching rocket to send the building into a frenzy.

“Anytime we can use our speed against defenders, we're looking to do it,” Gauthier said. “He's really good at transporting the puck and skating through the neutral zone. and I just try to keep up with him sometimes to try to get a shot on net. The more times we can use it,  the better for us.”

Every dynamic duo needs a third complement to do some of the dirty work. Kariya and Selanne had Steve Rucchin, and Getzlaf and Perry had Dustin Penner, Matt Beleskey, Pat Maroon and the like.

For Carlsson and Gauthier, that has been veteran Alex Killorn, and while the 35-year-old has got out and running himself, including trading shorthanded markers in back-to-back games on combinations with Carlsson, he recognizes his role alongside the two speedsters and how much easier it makes his job.

“He's creating a lot more, but his speed is still there,” Killorn said specifically about Gauthier, “and it's always nice to play with a guy that you could just kind of chip pucks out in the neutral zone, and he'll be able to go first and get them.”

It is just a three-game hot streak. It is only 12 games of sample size.

However, when the book is written on this next era of Ducks history, these small moments of brilliance may be the place to start.