We have one of our first major trades of the 2023-24 season, but it was quite a surprise that not many saw coming. Before the puck dropped on games for Jan. 8, the Philadelphia Flyers and Anaheim Ducks made a shocking trade that sent top Flyers prospect Cutter Gauthier to the Ducks.
Going to Philadelphia was Jamie Drysdale, a former top-10 pick of the Ducks at the 2020 draft, and a second-round draft choice. Let’s grade and analyze each side of one of the more shocking trades in recent seasons.
Flyers Didn’t Have Much Choice
The initial reaction to the Flyers trading Gauthier was, why would the Flyers trade someone they just used a top-five pick on at the 2022 draft? Shortly after the trade broke, Frank Seravalli and other top NHL insiders reported that Gauthier did not want to play in Philadelphia:
Why Gauthier did not want to play in Philadelphia still remains a mystery, but given that he was playing in the NCAA, the Flyers had no choice but to trade him. He could’ve played the full four seasons at Boston College and then opted for free agency after his senior year if he had no intent on signing with the Flyers.
Knowing that gives us a better sense of why the Flyers made the trade. But still, there are some concerns with the return. There’s no denying that Drysdale hasn’t lived up to expectations yet. His game has been worth a total expected goals above replacement (xGAR) of minus-2.1 over his three NHL seasons. And his xGAR/GAR player cards don’t look too great:
However, injuries have been a problem for Drysdale. He’s only played in 99 NHL games over the last three seasons and has only appeared in 10 contests this season. He’s young, but injuries are already a concern. Drysdale missing significant time during his development years should raise a red flag for the Flyers. Even if his health takes a turn for the better, how has missing so much time in his age 19-21 seasons affected his development?
But, as mentioned, he is young. He’s only 21 and was a top-10 pick for a reason. The talent is there, but he has to stay healthy. It’s hard to grade the Flyers’ end of this because they’re betting on upside and that Drysdale can stay healthy and get it together under head coach John Tortorella’s tutelage.
Related: Flyers Acquire Jamie Drysdale From Ducks in Blockbuster Trade
Still, it felt like the Flyers could’ve done better for a prospect who’s been on the rise since getting drafted in Gauthier. If Drysdale doesn’t work out, they will feel it for years to come, even if Matvei Michkov is the real deal, which he sure seems to be.
Flyers Grade: C+
Ducks Took Advantage of Flyers’ Situation
The reason the Ducks could afford to move on from Drysdale is because they are stacked on defense in their farm system. Pavel Mintyukov has already shown well in the NHL, and they have Tristan Luneau, Jackson Lacombe and Owen Zellweger on the way up.
Defense prospects were a position of strength for them, and with Drysdale having struggled in the NHL, they seemed to figure it was the best time to cut bait and give him a change of scenery.
There’s no guarantee Gauthier will work out, but his counting totals with Boston College suggest there’s a legit prospect. He finished his freshman season with 16 goals and 37 points in 32 games and has 13 goals and 23 points in 17 contests this season.
The Ducks have good forward prospects in Leo Carlsson and Nathan Gaucher. Carlsson has performed well in the NHL already, and that’s without mentioning Trevor Zegras and Mason McTavish, the latter of whom is having an excellent second NHL season in 2023-24.
This isn’t to say that the Ducks didn’t have top forward prospects before acquiring Gauthier, but adding him to their farm gives them a potential high-end scoring winger who could be an excellent complement to Carlsson and McTavish in a couple of years.
There’s not much to dislike about the Ducks’ side of the trade. While it is also tough to grade the Ducks’ end of things because Gauthier is just a prospect, the upside is there. If Gauthier hits his potential, the Ducks could become a force in the Pacific Division in a couple of years.
Ducks Grade: A-
