In an absolute shocker, the Philadelphia Flyers have traded forward prospect Cutter Gauthier to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for defenseman Jamie Drysdale and a 2025 second-round draft pick, per Flyers general manager Daniel Brière.
Gauthier was just recently named the top forward at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship and helped Team USA win the gold medal over Team Sweden.
The former 5th overall pick of the Flyers in 2022 is in the midst of a potential career season with Boston College. Gauthier has racked up 13 goals and 10 assists for 23 points in just 17 games for the Eagles, who are the top ranked team in NCAA hockey.
Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported shortly after the news broke that Gauthier expressed his disinterest in playing for the Flyers and that the Flyers had trouble meeting with Gauthier at the World Juniors.
“He looked at us at the draft and told us he was built to be a Flyer,” said Brière after the trade. “Wanted to be a Flyer, and maybe a few months later told us that he didn’t wanna be a Flyer, didn’t wanna play for the Flyers, so at first in our our mind we said ‘we have to protect him’, because if he changes his mind again and it’s out there that he doesn’t want to play, it’s gonna be tough for him to put the uniform on.
“When we realized that they refused to talk to us, now it’s been months and he didn’t wanna be a Flyer, didn’t want to be in Philadelphia, it was time to make it happen.”
The rumors of Gauthier not wanting to be with the Flyers can stem from all the way back in the summer when he didn’t attend development camp, and now it has come to fruition.
As for what is coming back to Philadelphia, Jamie Drysdale is a dynamic, young offensive defenseman that can help the Flyers immediately.
Drysdale, the 6th overall pick in 2020 by Anaheim, missed the first two months of this season with a lower-body injury but has racked up 5 points (1g, 4a) in 10 games this season with the Ducks.
The 21-year-old right-handed blueliner made his NHL debut during the COVID-shortened, 56-game 2020-21 season, and to date has posted 45 points (8g, 37a) in 123 career NHL contests.
The knock on Drysdale has been his health and consistency. The former will really be the key, because he can be a lethal threat at both ends of the ice and can help run the power play, and he has all the potential in the world to grow into a star defenseman when he is actually playing.
Brière isn’t afraid to make major trades, as evidenced by moving out Ivan Provorov and Kevin Hayes this summer, and when a prospect says he doesn’t want to play for your team, there’s not much you can do.
Only time will tell how this trade pans out for both sides.
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