While many were watching the first period of the Philadelphia Flyers game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday, news started to filter out that the Flyers had traded top prospect Cutter Gauthier to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for defenseman Jamie Drysdale and a 2025 2nd round pick.
Gauthier had just helped the Americans claim World Junior gold on Friday after they thumped Sweden, 6-2. Gauthier was named as the top forward as well as making the All-Tournament team in large part for his 10 assists and 12 points – which had him atop of the tournament leaderboards.
However, there were always rumblings that Gauthier wasn’t too keen on the Flyers and a lot of that came from him not reporting for Development Camp during the offseason. There was never really much rhyme or reason given from either side as to why he failed to report but the idea was that he had played a lot of hockey during that calendar year for Boston College, at the World Juniors, and in the World Championships and wanted some time to rest.
PHLY’s Charlie O’Connor tweeted out that he had heard rumours during the 2023 draft that the Flyers were quietly shopping Gauthier. They had offered him to Montréal for their 5th overall pick so they could potentially draft defenseman David Reinbacher at 5 and still be able to nab Matvei Michkov at 7.
Then Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that Gauthier didn’t make it easy on the Flyers brass when they wanted to meet during the World Juniors this year and that he was not going to sign with the club when his collegiate season came to an end.
It’s all coming together now but that doesn’t mean that the Flyers, their fanbase, and the rest of the hockey world isn’t shocked. Gauthier is one of the more prestigious prospects in the game and the idea of him teaming up with Matvei Michkov in the near future was extremely tantalizing.
When Brière was asked about giving details on how the trade came to be:
“It’s been a long time coming, it’s been going on for awhile, we tried to give him space, we tried to get in touch with him many times, they would not communicate as far as the Gauthier side. At some point we had to make a decision and we thought with what happened just a few days ago, this was our time to probably get the highest value.
“Not very often you get the chance to find a Jamie Drysdale that you can add to your lineup. When that came about, his name was made available, we got really excited. The chance to add a player of his calibre to a premium position, as a right-shot defenseman for a left-winger just made a lot of sense and felt it was the right time to do it.”
If not reporting to development camp had to do with him not wanting to be a Flyer:
“It does and the reason why we didn’t want to say anything was not to hide anything from our great fans, it was to try and protect the kid. We were hoping that at some point he would change his mind, he had already changed his mind.
“He looked at us at the draft and told us he was built to be a Flyer, 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. In our minds at first we said we had 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. It goes back, they told us when he came back rom the World Championship last May.”
When other teams had found out that Cutter Gauthier would no longer want to be a Flyer:
“Some of the teams had found out in the summer time, probably around the draft is probably when we were having different discussions. We did have a lot of discussions but clearly Jamie was a hot priority.”
What Brière had heard about Jamie Drysdale from the Anaheim Ducks GM:
“Bob was raving about his character, about his leadership, what we keep hearing is he is a fantastic person to start with and that’s important to us too. The way you see our players play, you see the way our team plays, they care about each other and we needed good quality people coming in and he certainly fits the bill.”
However, if he did not want to be apart of the Flyers organization, they had no choice but to move him and luckily we have Daniel Brière in charge as he was able to recoup a solid asset in Jamie Drysdale and a 2025 2nd round pick. Brière had kept this a secret for as long as possible and while there were rumblings and rumours that he may have been upset or unwilling to play, it never surfaced as a truth or a fact – which only aided the negotiations.
As for who we should focus on now, Drysdale was drafted with the 6th overall pick back in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft by the Anaheim Ducks. The right-hand shooting defenseman played for the Erie Otters and scored 47 points in 49 games during his draft year and immediately made the big club out of training camp. He played in 14 games for the San Diego Gulls of the AHL where he tallied 10 points and he added an additional 8 points in 24 games for the Ducks.
In 2021-22, Drysdale was afforded a longer leash with the Ducks and he appeared in every game but 1, scoring 4 goals and 32 points for a downtrodden Anaheim team. Unfortunately, injuries have piled up in the last year and a half as the 21-year-old has only suited up in 18 games since.
Drysdale suffered a torn labrum in 2022-23 where he only saw 8 games of action and this season he missed a stretch of 29 games with a lower-body injury. He recently returned to the lineup on the 18th of December and has 1 goal and 5 points in 10 games on the season as a whole.
The emergence of Pavel Mintyukov as well as the long-stretched contract negotiations that took place this summer allowed the Ducks to move on from one of their more illustrious prospects. Drysdale and Trevor Zegras were both pending RFAs who didn’t sign their respective contract extensions until the beginning of October. Drysdale agreed to a 3-year deal worth $6.9 million for a relatively low cap hit of $2.3 million.
The Ducks would also like to see more from prospects in Tristan Luneau and Urho Vaakanainen who have been rotational defensemen this season.
I think the most intriguing part of Drysdale’s game and perhaps the biggest boon of this trade is that he capable of quarterbacking the top unit of the power play. Oddly enough, he does not have a power play goal in his career but he does have 13 assists, including 12 in 2021-22.
While the point totals don’t stand out or scream that he’s a top unit quarterback, the Ducks finished 2021-22 in the top-half of the league with a power play that was successful 21.92% of the time. Then with Drysdale on the mend, they finished 31st – just one spot ahead of the Flyers – the following season and are currently ranked 20th in the league this year.
With the Flyers floundering at the bottom of the league for the third straight season and on pace for potentially setting an infamous record, Drysdale should be able to spark the shoddy man advantage that desperately needs a quarterback.
After what seemed like a desolate landscape, the Flyers now have a handful of defensive options when you factor in Drysdale, Cam York, Travis Sanheim, Egor Zamula, Emil Andrae, Ronnie Attard, Helge Grans, and Oliver Bonk for the present and future. Then you also currently have Rasmus Ristolainen, Nick Seeler, Marc Staal, and Sean Walker. With the current 6 defensemen playing for the Flyers right now, who sits out when Drysdale is ready to make his Flyers debut?
As for John Tortorella and the coaching staff, they are extremely excited about the acquisition and you could tell from his face alone that he can’t wait for his arrival and subsequent debut. It’s not often you see Tortorella smiling after a crushing defeat.
When Tortorella was first asked about the trade:
“Just talked to Jamie, we watched a lot of tape on him, we’re really excited about the opportunity. 21-year-old, right-handed shot, we’re gonna put him on the power play right away – one of them – he’s just starting. Kid’s head is spinning right now, it’s his first time at this but we’re really excited about the opportunity. I think it’s a really good deal for us.”
When asked to comment on Cutter’s unwillingness to play for the Flyers:
“I don’t know Cutter from a hole in the wall, I’m not too interested in talking about him. I’m more interested in Jamie, he’s the guy that’s coming here.”
When Tortorella shifted the conversation away from Gauthier and back to Drysdale:
“It’s such a good age for us, that’s what’s exciting, a 21-year-old, a righty, skill, lateral movement, it’s such a good deal for us. It’s a reminder, the process that we’re at right now, it’s perfect timing, I just got off the phone with him, we ask so much out of 21-year-olds, his head is just spinning – first time being traded – he’s packed for a two-week trip and now he’s coming here but he’ll be for practice, so we’ll see him tomorrow.”
What this trade does for the current rendition of the Flyers, who acquired a top-pair defenseman without moving a roster player:
“What’s going to eventually give this group a jolt is he’s a high character kid too. Just in a round-about way of the information that has gotten back to me, that there’s gonna be some people upset there in Anaheim – some of his teammates – and just how he handles himself.”
There might be trying times – as is the case with offensive defenseman – but the 21-year-old is oozing with talent, poise, and potential. In the 10 games that he suited up for this season, he was averaging a career-best 21:35 ATOI.
Let’s also not forget that Brière recouped a 2nd round pick for the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, which gives them 4 for the next 2 seasons – 2 of their own, one from Columbus in 2024, and now Anaheim’s in 2025. It might not be the biggest return for what was looking like a bonafide sharpshooter in Gauthier however with a player unwilling to sign out of college, there was very little leverage on the Flyers end.
In other words, Brière and the rest of the Flyers brass did very well with their asset management. Jamie Drysdale is what the Flyers need right now, he fits the timeline, and signed for 2 more seasons at a low cap hit of $2.3 million is fantastic business.
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