Flyers trade former top-five pick Cutter Gauthier to Ducks for Jamie Drysdale in blockbuster move

The Flyers selected Gauthier with the No. 5 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft

By Chris Bengel Jan 9, 2024 at 9:58 am ET• 3 min read

The Philadelphia Flyers traded former first-round pick Cutter Gauthier to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for defenseman Jamie Drysdale and a 2025 second-round pick on Monday.

The Flyers selected Gauthier with the No. 5 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft and were hoping he'd be a big part of the team's future following his collegiate career at Boston College. However, Gauthier, who just had 12 points in seven games for the United States in last week's IIHF World Junior Championship, decided he didn't want to play in Philadelphia, so Flyers brass decided to trade away the highly-touted prospect.

Following Monday's shocking deal, Flyers general manager Danny Briere informed reporters the move "was a long time coming." Briere revealed that Gauthier had expressed his excitement to land with the franchise and that he was "built to be a Flyer and wanted to be a Flyer" before flip-flopping on that commitment.

"Maybe a few months later, he told us he didn't want to be a Flyer and didn't want to play for the Flyers," Briere said. "So, in our mind at first, we have to protect him. If he changes his mind again, and it's out there that he doesn't want to play, it's going to be tough for him to put the uniform on."