Insider Shares The Montreal/Philadelphia Blockbuster We Could Have Gotten On Draft Day

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Pat Quinn
January 9, 2024 (11:27)

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When the Philadelphia Flyers selected Cutter Gauthier fifth overall in the 2022 draft, he was expected to sign with the team as he was apparently happy to be drafted by the Flyers. He decided he did not want to play for Philadelphia anymore after something happened sometime between being drafted and the 2023 draft.

Monday night trade shocks the hockey world

The Anaheim Ducks and Philadelphia Flyers finalized a hefty deal on Monday night that seemed to happen out of nowhere.

TRADE ALERT: We have acquired defenseman Jamie Drysdale and a second-round selection in the 2025 NHL Draft from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for forward Cutter Gauthier.

According to sources, the trade had been in the works for a while after Gauthier informed them he did not want to play for them.

Sources say Cutter Gauthier informed #Flyers organization he did not want to play in Philadelphia.

Representatives from the Flyers organization have been publicly blasting Gauthier after the trade was completed.

"You don't want to be a Flyer, you're not going to be a Flyer."

Keith Jones speaks about the trade that sent Cutter Gauthier to Anaheim

Hartnell: "A kid doesn't wanna be there, hasn't played an NHL game yet, he's thinking he's something else to call where he can be playing..."

Morganti: "And just think of the people involved, Keith Jones and Danny Briere, and you won't speak with them? There's something seriously wrong with that equation."

It is clear the Flyers organization is angry.

The Montreal and Philadelphia trade that did not materialize

A source revealed a bit about a deal that nearly happened at the 2023 draft, but it got lost in the barrage of Flyers organizational and fan insults directed at Gauthier.

I heard a rumor they quietly shopped Gauthier back at the draft, & it was one of the things I was chasing today.

Can now confirm yes, Gauthier was shopped. They tried to swap him for the No. 5 pick, presumably to take David Reinbacher & ensure Michkov got to 7 too. MTL passed.

What a draft-day move that would have been, and it demonstrates just how highly Montreal regarded Reinbacher relative to every other player available.