It was a wild 24-48 hours for the 21-year-old, as he debuted last night against Montreal. Jamie Drysdale as many know was aquired by Anaheim in exchange for former Flyers 5th overall pick, Cutter Gauthier. Gauthier, who recently won gold with USA in the World Juniors, came out and said he didn’t want to play for Philadelphia and the Flyers front office handled it extremely well, trading him as soon as they possibly could for the former Ducks 6th overall pick in 2020.
The trade happened in the middle of a Flyers-Pens game on Monday night in South Philadelphia. Amidst the action, Keith Jones and Daniel Briere spoke with the media regarding the decision and what led up to it.
Philly vs Minnesota
“He didn’t wanna be a Flyer… If you don’t wanna be a Flyer, you’re not going to be a Flyer.”
Keith Jones on Cutter Gauthier
“He looked at us in 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.”
Daniel Briere on Cutter Gauthier
Early in the talk about the trade and how it came about, some theories considered former Flyer, Kevin Hayes as the influence on Cutter’s decision to not play for Philadelphia. As Cutter said before in an article in March 2023, “A great spirit. I’m super fortunate to have him in my contacts. Somebody I can call whenever…”
The idea of Hayes playing any role in the situation has seemed to die off. Head coach John Tortorella spoke to the media following the Flyers 3-2 shootout win against the Canadiens and showed his frustration on the fact that someone caused Kevin Hayes an issue like this.
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“Are you kidding me? You think Kevin Hayes is gonna do something like that? It’s bull****. It pisses me off that you guys throw that **** around and affect someone’s life. Kevin Hayes and I had a problem we couldn’t come to an agreement on how to play that’s a good man, and what you said is gonna stay with him…”
Head Coach, John Tortorella on Hayes/Gauthier Drama
If you don’t know, Hayes received many threats towards him and his family along with people being happy and spiteful of his brother’s passing undeservingly. Even if Hayes did influence Cutter (I’m not saying he did) there’s no universe where Kevin deserved the things that were said or projected his way on the situation.
Let’s redirect the attention back onto the newest Flyer, Jamie Drysdale. A wild time for Jamie he was headed south with Anaheim, and now he’s heading north with Philadelphia, not much time for Jamie to catch his breath amidst all the attention as he got into to Philadelphia around 5:45 a.m. on Tuesday.
“… A pretty wild last 24/48 hours, I’m just glad I got to get right into it not think too much just go out and play.
Jamie Drysdale – Following the 3-2 Shootout Win
Jamie’s parents were in attendance as accommodated by the Philadelphia front office. Gary and Tina cheered on their son, Jamie, and the orange & black on Wednesday night. The Toronto native was very grateful that his parents were able to attend on such short notice.
“It’s awesome to have them out here. It shows what a good organization this is, right when I got out here they asked me if I wanted my parents out for my first game. Obviously, I said yes so my parents were thrilled to be out here…”
Jamie Drysdale – Speaking on his family being able to attend his first Flyers game
Jamie’s debut was pretty special, he showed what he brings to the table with his playmaking ability and not afraid to attack offensively. The newest blue-liner picked up an assist on the game-tying goal in the 2nd period on Wednesday. He was greeted by a pretty big roar of cheers in Wells Fargo on the announcement of his first point as a Flyer.
I think it’s safe to say the Flyers fans are all in on Drysdale and his love for the city of Philadelphia. Jamie seems to love the passionate fans and is excited to play in front of them along with his new teammates.
Philadelphia is on the road for the next three straight. Minnesota on Friday, January 12th Winnipeg on Saturday, January 13th, and the road trip wraps up on Monday, January 15th in St. Louis. Philadelphia then comes home for four straight at Wells Fargo Center.
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