Flyers forced to trade top prospect Cutter Gauthier to Ducks

Flyers forced to trade top prospect Cutter Gauthier to Ducks

Monday night’s Flyers trade of top prospect Cutter Gauthier to the Ducks was an absolute stunner.

In return for Jamie Drysdale and a second-round pick in the 2025 draft, they sent Anaheim the fifth overall pick in the 2022 draft.

During the first intermission of tonight’s Flyers vs. Penguins game, Danny Briere spoke to the media.

Gauthier refused to sign a contract with the Flyers, according to the team’s general manager. Before last summer, they were informed of his decision after he represented the United States in the 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. It seems that they were never given an explanation for Gauthier’s change of heart about Philadelphia.

“It was a long time coming,” stated Briere. “It’s been ongoing for some time. We made numerous attempts to contact him and to give him space. They refused to speak with each other. We will eventually need to make a choice. We reasoned that, given the events of the last few days, now was probably the best time to obtain the best value.”

Gauthier was met by Briere and President of Hockey Operations Keith Jones last week at the 2024 World Juniors Tournament in Sweden.

Team USA won the gold under Gauthier’s leadership. In his sophomore year at Boston College, he has excelled.

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There were some questions raised when Gauthier skipped the Flyers development camp in the summer after competing at the Worlds.

“The reason why we didn’t want to say anything was not to hide anything from our great fans,” Briere stated. “It was an attempt to shield the child. We thought maybe, just maybe, he would have second thoughts.

After telling us he was built to be a flyer and that he wanted to be one, he had already changed his mind. A few months later, he told us he didn’t want to be a flyer and didn’t want to play for the flyers.

“At first, we told ourselves that we had to defend him. Because it would be difficult for him to put on the uniform if he were to change his mind once more and decide that he doesn’t want to play.

However, it was time to make it happen when we discovered that they would not speak with us, that it had been months, and that he had no desire to play for the Flyers or live in Philadelphia.”