Photo Credit, Philadelphia Flyers PR
The Philadelphia Flyers shockingly traded their highly touted prospect Cutter Gauthier to the Anaheim Ducks for defenseman Jamie Drysdale this past Monday evening.
Surprisingly enough, the Flyers traded the 5th overall pick in the 2022 draft during a matchup with their rival Pittsburgh Penguins which is a rare occurrence.
In this situation Flyers General Manager, Danny Briere was forced to make a move. Gauthier was ultimately traded due to the fact that the prospect simply did not want to be a part of the organization.
According to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, one theory as to why Gauthier did not want to sign with the Flyers had to do with how they handled his attempt to turn pro at the end of last season.
Friedman stated the Flyers did not want to sign Gauthier at the end of last season largely because they would have faced a bonus overage carrying into the 2023-24 season for doing so.
Friedman also mentioned this was not meant to insult Gauthier in any capacity. However, what unfolded appears to have changed the relationship between the Flyers and Cutter Gauthier for the worse.
There’s been no official statement given by Cutter Gauthier and his camp touching on the thought process behind not wanting to sign with the Flyers as of yet.
Spittin Chiclets host Rear Admiral (better known as RA) tweeted out yesterday that according to a source Danny Briere being a rookie general manager and the Flyers current coaching style were both factors that played into Gauthier’s decision.
In such a scenario the Flyers had no choice but to trade Cutter Gauthier and attempt to recoup another asset with similar value that filled an important position for them. Considering the return was Jamie Drysdale, a highly skilled, puck moving defenseman with a ton of offensive skill, the Flyers did fill a need with this trade.
How Does Trading Gauthier for Drysdale Affect the Flyers Rebuild?
Despite the fact the Flyers may have opened a long term roster hole at center in terms of lacking another high end offensive talent to pair with Matvei Michkov after trading Gauthier. One aspect to consider is that it’s typically more difficult to draft or acquire a top pairing defenseman in the NHL versus top line offensive talent.
As a result, the Flyers trading Cutter Gauthier for Jamie Drysdale does not negatively impact their rebuild and roster reconstruction moving forward.
Essentially, the organization has swapped one hole in their depth chart for another with this trade.
Most project Cutter Gauthier to possibly become a number one center in the NHL or at the very least a top six center. While Jamie Drysdale has been projected to be a top pairing defenseman with potential number one upside. Trading Gauthier for Drysdale opens a major hole at the center position within the Flyers depth chart and fills another hole on right side defense.
Based on the scouting that was reportedly conducted on Drysdale by Briere, Jones, Tortorella and Shaw months in advance of this trade. It’s evident the Flyers targeted Drysdale to be a potential number one defenseman for them or at the very least a mainstay on their top pairing for years to come. With that, they’ve potentially filled a massive hole on their blue line for the next decade if they can develop Drysdale into that top pair option.
Before acquiring Drysdale it was no secret Philadelphia needed to add a legitimate top defenseman to their roster. This trade has effectively changed what the Flyers biggest need is. Instead of it being a high-end defenseman it has now become a top center.
Both positions are obviously crucial pivots to any long tenured successful franchise but the Flyers still primarily need to focus on just one of these positions as they continue to build their roster. The only scenario that would set the organization back further here is if Drysdale does not develop into a top pairing defenseman for the Flyers.
It should be noted that there is still no guarantee Cutter Gauthier will develop into a top center either. As is typically the case with all young players, potential is just that, a chance to be great.
Overall, with how difficult it is to acquire a top pairing defenseman in the NHL the Flyers turning Cutter Gauthier into Jamie Drysdale is a good move for the team long term. They have now possibly filled that position on their roster for the foreseeable future.
In the current NHL landscape acquiring a talented forward is usually an easier process than finding a similarly talented defenseman. Primarily, this is what makes this trade a transaction that is understandable from the Flyers perspective.
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