Flyers trade No. 2 prospect Cutter Gauthier to Anaheim in shocking move

Cutter Gauthier did not want to be a Flyer. And now he is not.

The Flyers on Monday traded Gauthier, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 NHL draft, to the Anaheim Ducks for defenseman Jamie Drysdale and a second-round pick in 2025.

“It was a long time coming. It’s been going on for a while,” Flyers general manager Danny Brière said Monday during the first intermission of their 4-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

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“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. So at some point, we had to make a decision and we thought with what happened just a few days ago [at the World Junior Championship], this was our time to probably get the highest value.”

Although the move may have come as a surprise, considering that Gauthier was thought to be the future of the Flyers offense, the writing was on the wall.

Brière confirmed that Gauthier said on draft day that he was “built to be a Flyer, wanted to be a Flyer” but then changed his mind a few months later and told the team after the 2023 World Championship that he would not be signing with the team.

Coach John Tortorella summed it up pretty succinctly: “Then we don’t want you.”

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The rumblings that Gauthier was possibly on his way out began over the summer when he did not attend development camp.

“As a player in this locker room, that was something that stayed with us,” Travis Sanheim said. “For as long as I know, you show up to development camp whether you skate or not. So I think, if he doesn’t want to be here we’re happy to move on and get the pieces that we did.”

Following the summer, Gauthier would not talk to local media or engage with the Flyers brass in Sweden at the recent 2024 World Junior Championship. The United States won gold at the tournament with Gauthier leading the championship with 12 points (two goals, 10 assists) and being named the event’s best forward.

“I don’t know. We never got an answer,” Brière said when asked why the young American did not want to join the Orange and Black. “We were [surprised] when it happened. Now at this point, it is what it is. We started looking at, how can we turn this and make the most of it.”

The move to ship Gauthier to Anaheim was not a quick decision. Brière said several teams were involved in trade talks — dating to the summer — but having a player of Drysdale’s caliber got things done.

“We’re really excited about the opportunity. A 21-year-old right-handed shot. We’re going to put him on the power play right away, one of them. He’s just starting,” Tortorella said. “Kid’s head is spinning right now; it’s his first time at this. We’re really excited about the opportunity.”

Drysdale, who was selected at No. 6 in 2020 by the Ducks, is a smooth-skating blueliner who does have some offensive upside but has been hampered by injuries. He had 32 points (four goals, 28 assists), including 12 power-play points, in 81 games in 2021-22. However, he played only eight games last season after sustaining a torn labrum in his left shoulder and has skated in just 10 games this year, because of an undisclosed injury.

The defenseman held out of training camp with the Ducks before signing a three-year, $6.9 million contract ($2.3 million AAV) on Oct. 5. He played two games in October and notched two assists before sustaining the injury. Drysdale returned to the lineup just before the holiday break and has played in eight games, adding one goal and two assists.

Brière said the Flyers recently went over his medical reports and said the team is comfortable that his injury issues are in the past. He sees Drysdale being part of the Flyers’ top pair at some point but is not sure where he’ll fit just yet.

“What we keep hearing is, fantastic person to start with, and, you know, that’s important to us, too,” Brière said. “The way you see our players play, you see our team play, they care about each other. We needed good quality people coming in, and he certainly fits the bill.”