The Gauthier-Drysdale trade again: Did the Flyers and Ducks get what they expected?

In one corner, Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Jamie Drysdale downplayed the importance of playing at his former home turf for the first time since he was traded from the Anaheim Ducks for young forward Cutter Gauthier in January 2025, along with a second-round pick 2025. 9. 2024.

“You play so many games here in a home atmosphere. It’s definitely different (being a visitor),” Drysdale said Friday afternoon after practice at Honda Center. “It’s been a year, so I’m used to the other side.”

In the other corner is Gauthier, who has an opposing perspective on Saturday’s meeting with the team that made him the No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 draft, only to see him decline to sign with them, and essentially forces the Flyers to deal him out.

“With everything that’s happened, it’s obviously a game that’s high on my calendar and I’m really looking forward to playing it,” Gauthier said. “The anticipation for the game was great. I’m ready to go out there and play my game.”

Gauthier suggested there was additional motivation for him considering some of the comments made by Flyers leadership following the deal.

“Since the day I got traded and saw everything that was said… since then I just wanted to shorten the time to play it sooner than I could,” he said.

Flyers coach John Tortorella didn’t have time for the narrative.

“I don’t give in to what he says,” Tortorella said Friday. “I’m not interested in answering questions about Cutter Gauthier. I don’t wish anything bad for the child. I won’t answer any questions about it.”

The trade was rare in that two teams swapped talented but unproven young prospects. Drysdale and Gauthier will forever be linked and therefore will be compared to each other at least as long as they both remain with their respective new organizations.

Gauthier’s first game in Philadelphia on Jan. 11 will likely be the most memorable of the two meetings this season, with Philly fans sure to voice their displeasure. In the meantime, let’s take a look back at the deal, almost a year later, and how it appears to be shaping up for the two players involved.

What the Ducks imagined from Gauthier

The Ducks took advantage of a rare opportunity to add a top-five draft pick and a quality young talent without signing him. Gauthier brought with him the profile of a player that didn’t exist in the organization at the time – a powerful striker with great running ability, who had a shooting mindset and could beat goalies from distance.

While Gauthier was playing at the Boston College Center, Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek viewed the 20-year-old as a winger from the start and envisioned him playing alongside Leo Carlsson. That was the case in Gauthier’s NHL debut, which came in the season finale in Anaheim, just days after losing to Denver in the NCAA title game. It was only one game, but Gauthier and Carlsson combined on a goal from Jackson LaCombe, making for a successful debut for Gauthier in his 15 1/2 minutes of ice time.

That reinforced for the Ducks that a Gauthier-Carlsson partnership would solidify and fuel Anaheim’s leadership team for years to come, with Carlsson as a playmaker and Gauthier as a finisher – two strong skaters with size who would make heads turn for opponents. And with Gauthier’s ability to hit the one-time shot, the Ducks could imagine including him on a power play with Frank Vatrano, Trevor Zegras and Mason McTavish as trigger men.

In 2020, Anaheim drafted Drysdale after Ottawa acquired defenseman Jake Sanderson. Drysdale is a wonderful skater who can move and transport the puck. He showed promising results in his first two seasons. Questions about durability arose after shoulder surgery in 2022 and a subsequent lower-body injury that was ultimately a sports hernia. Verbeek also didn’t draft Drysdale, and a strong defensive pipeline made Drysdale expendable.

What the Flyers envisioned from Drysdale

When the Flyers realized that signing Gauthier wouldn’t be an option, they set their sights on a defenseman who had the potential to be at least in their top four. There was already a high-profile winger on the way, Matvei Michkov – who the Flyers didn’t realize was coming just a few months later – so improving the blue line was a priority. A potential power play quarterback for the future was also a pressing need.

The Flyers received insight into Drysdale’s personality and off-ice demeanor from former Ducks general manager Bob Murray, a senior adviser with Philadelphia. That gave them confidence that he would fit into their tight locker room, which already housed his good friend and fellow defenseman Cam York.

Still, Flyers GM Daniel Briere understood that Drysdale, who was just 21 at the time, would need the coaching staff’s guidance and more on-ice experience, considering how much time he had missed with Anaheim before the deal . If Drysdale could finally stay healthy and work with highly respected coach Brad Shaw, the potential would be and is there for him to grow with a young Flyers core and develop into a true difference-maker.

What has happened to Gauthier so far?

With just four goals and ten assists in 33 games, Gauthier isn’t lighting up the NHL. That can come across as a bit disappointing when judged against the high expectations that accompanied him heading into his rookie season. Gauthier may not have been the leading candidate to win the Calder Trophy, but it’s fair to say he was mentioned on a few shortlists. At the moment it more closely resembles an artist’s first sketches – but not yet a fully realized painting.

Gauthier’s skillset is what piqued Anaheim’s interest in the first place, and the good thing is that he’s been in the lineup every night and is learning what it takes to be successful at the highest level. Ducks coach Greg Cronin has alternately moved him up the lineup and moved him back to the fourth line for short periods of time so he could take advantage of his size and play a tougher, more detailed game.

Gauthier’s low goal total might be the most surprising thing, considering he led the NCAA with 38 goals last season. For a time he led the Ducks in shots on goal and still leads them with 165 shot attempts. He will definitely have better luck as his shooting percentage of 5.8 should improve as the season progresses. But he’s also missed many attempts high or at the rim and realizes how good NHL goaltenders are. Despite all this, Gauthier finished sixth in the rookie standings on Friday.

“After everything that happened, I want to do my best and play my best game,” Gauthier said. “Maximize my full potential. Obviously the more I do that, the more it’s a sign of what (the Flyers) missed. But exactly what I’m capable of. Not so much for them, but just for myself, to achieve my own goals.”

What has happened to Drysdale so far?

Staying healthy remains a problem. Drysdale was dealing with a sports hernia at the time of the move, and after a serious blow in a game against Pittsburgh on February 25, he missed all of March and then had offseason surgery to repair the problem. This season, Drysdale missed about a month with an upper-body injury and returned to the lineup on December 8.

He’s still a work in progress, as evidenced by his modest production of one goal and four assists in 23 games, coupled with too many mishaps in the defensive zone (he’s minus-31 in 47 career games with the Flyers). Tortorella mentioned after a game on Dec. 21 that “Jamie is just starting to build his game” and “has to keep getting better as we go along here, along with the other guys who went through this a few years ago.” him.” The coach emphasized that Drysdale needs to get involved in the offense, take advantage of opportunities and not play it safe. He succeeded at times, but certainly not consistently enough.

Internal competition has intensified. Emil Andrae, a young player about the same size and age as Drysdale and with similar traits, impressed during an extended stint with the Flyers while Drysdale recovered, and it’s difficult to imagine the Flyers all Drysdale on a regular basis , York and Andrae hold base as this would leave them particularly small on the backend. In other words, Drysdale may need to stay healthy and make some big strides over the next calendar year if he is to continue to be considered a key part of the future. This could still go in a few different directions for a player who seemingly wasn’t developed properly in Anaheim but is still only 22 years old.

(Photo by Cutter Gauthier: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)