By Corey Pronman, Scott Wheeler, Kevin Kurz and Eric Stephens
It's been a busy week for Cutter Gauthier.
Three days after the star forward and the Americans took home gold at the 2024 World Junior Championships, Gauthier was traded from the Philadelphia Flyers to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for defenseman Jamie Drysdale and a second-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft Teams swapped announced Monday.
Gauthier, the Flyers' No. 5 pick in 2022, has not yet made his NHL debut. He was named the best junior forward in the world after leading the U.S. with 12 points (two goals, 10 assists) and has spent the last two seasons running track for Boston College.
However, Drysdale is in his fourth professional season, having just agreed to a three-year extension with the Ducks in October. The 21-year-old was selected No. 6 in the 2020 NHL Draft and moved to the pros this season. He scored 32 points in the 2021-22 season, ranking second in rookie defense rating behind Moritz Seider of the Detroit Red Wings, but a torn labrum in his left shoulder limited his 2022-23 season to just eight games.
What the deal means
The main context of this deal is that Gauthier indicated months ago that he didn't want to sign with the Flyers. The World Juniors were the turning point where it became clear that a trade might have to happen after they couldn't make it. – Corey Pronman, senior NHL prospect writer
Who wins the trade?
Gauthier is a real top prospect who could become a top striker. He is a 6-3 center who can skate, is very skilled and has a high-end shot. But Drysdale isn't that inferior as a player, he was just seriously injured. At the peak of his game, his elite skill set combined with his strong puck-moving skills made him look like a likely top-pair defenseman in the NHL despite not being that big.
The Ducks currently have the best player of the two, but given the circumstances, Drysdale is still a very good long-term player for the Flyers, who lacked a top young defenseman of his caliber. — Pronman
Why the Ducks made the move
This is a detective move by the Ducks, who operate from a unique position of strength given their abundance of top young defensemen. Much has been written about how three of their D prospects – Pavel Mintyukov, Tristan Luneau and Olen Zellweger – won the CHL's Three Defenseman of the Year awards last season. Mintyukov has since developed into one of the NHL's best rookie defensemen. Luneau (before being hospitalized with an infection leading up to the World Junior Championship) had more than held his own early in his pro career in the AHL and NHL. And Zellweger was one of the best young Ds in the AHL starting this season. In Drysdale, they're moving an asset they probably thought was expendable – and one whose early career was marred by injuries after a promising rookie season in 2021-22. He is still a very mobile and talented young defender, but is not viewed to the same extent as Gauthier. — Scott Wheeler, senior NHL writer
Giving up a smooth-running 21-year-old defenseman with upside who can play big minutes and a second-round pick for a 19-year-old forward in his second college season who has yet to play an NHL game is a very special move and There will be talk of who won this trade for years. But Anaheim general manager Pat Verbeek shows he's not shy when it comes to making deals.
Verbeek knew Gauthier wouldn't sign with Philadelphia and had his sights set on the Boston College standout. The idea here is that Gauthier, a strong forward who can score and play a physical style of hockey, could not only give Anaheim versatility on offense by being able to play both center and wing, but also the Type of forward it needs could potentially run shotgun over the next decade with rookie center Leo Carlsson, a 19-year-old considered a potential superstar.
It's a possibility for the Flyers to trade their top prospect outside of Matvei Michkov, but GM Daniel Briere may not have had such a choice and opted for the best deal he could make. Drysdale could play on Philadelphia's blue line for the next 10 years or more, but Verbeek was acting from a position of strength. The Ducks are stacked in terms of defensive prospects in their system. Luneau wasn't able to play in the World Junior Championship due to a knee infection, but he's taller than Drysdale (which Verbeek likes) and there's a feeling he has more upside as a potential right-shooting offensive force from the backline. — Eric Stephens, Ducks beat writer
GO DEEPER
NHL trade notes: Ducks acquire cutter Gauthier, Jamie Drysdale moves to Flyers
When could Gauthier join his new team in the pros?
It's an unenviable position for the Flyers, who would have been without much leverage and are ultimately forced to move on from one of the sport's top forwards. Gauthier is a premium player who is rarely available – a potential true top-six center (who can also play on the wing!) with size, excellent skill, athletic ability, an NHL shot and legitimate ability. He has a long history with the national program, is a two-time standout at the World Junior Championships, scored seven goals at the Men's World Championships last spring and is considered one of the best players in college hockey this season. After his second season with BC this year, he should turn pro and step right into the Ducks lineup, which already features Mason McTavish, Leo Carlsson, Trevor Zegras and Troy Terry. –Wheeler
Flyers fans' enthusiasm for Gauthier only grew as the World Junior Championship progressed, as Team USA's prospects were bright. The thought was that after completing his sophomore season at Boston College, Gauthier would sign with the club and join the Flyers to advance to the playoffs in a few more months. Instead, he is now headed to Anaheim after telling the Flyers that he is not interested in signing with the club, according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. And the Flyers' prospect pool has taken a significant hit. — Kevin Kurz, Flyers beat writer
What the Flyers are getting in Drysdale
Drysdale is an NHL-ready defenseman and can step in immediately on the Flyers' blue line, perhaps even in a power play role (the Flyers entered Monday's game against Pittsburgh with the league's worst power play).
As a right-handed hitter and with potential unrestricted free agent Sean Walker in trade, Drysdale could be a valuable piece for the present and the future. – Short
Required reading
(Photo: Andy Lewis / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)