GDT: #42 | Ducks at Flyers | Saturday, January 11, 2025 | 7:00 PM | NBCSP, 97.5 FM

[Pet Charles]

Cutter did himself no favors, he could have explained his side of the story.

Pardon my snipping of your entire comment, but this is ALL he needs to do. He has made it worse by claiming there’s something deeper to the whole story, implying that detailing events would cause the Flyers great embarrassment, or worse.

Example, from the NYT/Athletic article the other day: “I just wish [the fans] knew the truth, I would say that. But other than that, I’m not here to please everyone. I’m here to do what’s best for me and do what’s right for my development, and that’s what I’m working towards.” The second and third are comments that athletes make, they Crash Davis would advise to make, where they say something but nothing at all. He’s not here to please anyone, he’s working hard to get better - all totally non-controversial comments. But the first one perpetuates the problem. If the Flyers were mean or lied or whatever - just say it already.

 

[MJL66]

Pardon my snipping of your entire comment, but this is ALL he needs to do. He has made it worse by claiming there’s something deeper to the whole story, implying that detailing events would cause the Flyers great embarrassment, or worse.

Example, from the NYT/Athletic article the other day: “I just wish [the fans] knew the truth, I would say that. But other than that, I’m not here to please everyone. I’m here to do what’s best for me and do what’s right for my development, and that’s what I’m working towards.” The second and third are comments that athletes make, they Crash Davis would advise to make, where they say something but nothing at all. He’s not here to please anyone, he’s working hard to get better - all totally non-controversial comments. But the first one perpetuates the problem. If the Flyers were mean or lied or whatever - just say it already.

I agree, all he should say when asked is that it is in the past, he's a Duck and he just wants to play in the NHL. He said that in the end but he should've skipped the earlier part. He's a 20 year old kid. Let's remember that.

 

[freakydallas13]

How anyone can come in here day after day and lecture us on how "actually the Drysdale trade wasn't a total disaster" like we have no ability to see things ourselves is both astonishingly arrogant and incredibly dedicated to polishing the turd that is this trade.

Give it a rest.

 

[Danko]

I agree, all he should say when asked is that it is in the past, he's a Duck and he just wants to play in the NHL. He said that in the end but he should've skipped the earlier part. He's a 20 year old kid. Let's remember that.

This jives with the perspective that he has no one decent surrounding him to advise him on what the hell he is doing whether it is talking to the media, or deciding to demand a trade.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

Gauthier is putting up decent offensive & defensive impacts so far albeit in a middle of the lineup role. His finishing is god awful though like one of the worst in the league this year bad.

I think he’ll improve finishing wise as it’s hard not to when you’re that low. But this was always the concern & voiced even when he was property of the Flyers by some. He shoots a lot of low percentage shots outside on the perimeter & it’s hard to live life there in the NHL.

I think he can still be a good top six player in time but this also the guy this scouting staff which is still in place tried to sell as some high upside type of player when these flaws were always there.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

The Flyers have been often vague as well with this situation. I’m of course speculating but I don’t think either party wants things completely aired out as perhaps nobody would look good.

 

[MJL66]

Gauthier is putting up decent offensive & defensive impacts so far albeit in a middle of the lineup role. His finishing is god awful though like one of the worst in the league this year bad.

I think he’ll improve finishing wise as it’s hard not to when you’re that low. But this was always the concern & voiced even when he was property of the Flyers by some. He shoots a lot of low percentage shots outside on the perimeter & it’s hard to live life there in the NHL.

I think he can still be a good top six player in time but this also the guy this scouting staff which is still in place tried to sell as some high upside type of player when these flaws were always there.

Nuance is important here. Gauthier is a goal scorer first and foremost. He is a shooter. He's playing on a team that as a whole, has difficulty creating quality scoring chances and shooting opportunities. He's going to shoot the puck. That's what he does. Have to factor that in, Majority of the shooting opportunities he gets, are low quality. He is not good enough on his own to create those for himself. It's a function of player growth and of his team. He's a rookie who has played 42 games and his xGF% is 4th best on the team. Considerably higher than Leo Carlsson.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

Nuance is important here. Gauthier is a goal scorer first and foremost. He is a shooter. He's playing on a team that as a whole, has difficulty creating quality scoring chances and shooting opportunities. He's going to shoot the puck. That's what he does. Have to factor that in, Majority of the shooting opportunities he gets, are low quality. He is not good enough on his own to create those for himself. It's a function of player growth and of his team. He's a rookie who has played 42 games and his xGF% is 4th best on the team. Considerably higher than Leo Carlsson.

His shot charts were often heavier to the perimeter at BC though.

 

[MJL66]

His shot charts were often heavier to the perimeter at BC though.

I'm sure he was. He is a volume shooter. I see it not a weakness in his talent level that can't be corrected but a development issue. That he needs to get better at and improve and learn. Playing on a team that generates better scoring chances would help. Both will likely come in time.

 

[Pet Charles]

I agree, all he should say when asked is that it is in the past, he's a Duck and he just wants to play in the NHL. He said that in the end but he should've skipped the earlier part. He's a 20 year old kid. Let's remember that.

That’s not exactly what I meant. Eventually, it will pass, but I think he’s let it linger for so long that he would be well-served to address it. By “it,” I mean very generally at least explain his version of what happened and then own up to his part in ghosting the Flyers.* Something like “The front office and I had a different view of what was best for me. That’s really it. I just cut off contact with them after that, which in hindsight I wish I’d handled better, but it’s in the past.”

As for the age, he’s 20, not 5. He seems to be old enough to imply something more nefarious, so I assume he could answer with something less nefarious. I don’t think it’s crazy to expect him to provide an age-appropriate explanation. To date, he hasn’t cited that as a reason. You feel it’s a reason, but he hasn’t.

*I assume the reason was that he wanted to be signed and played at the end of 2022-23 to tick off a year of the ELC but the newly hired GM didn’t want all that money as a cap overage penalty so wanted to wait until July 1. Gauthier misunderstood their cap problems and Briere misunderstood Gauthier’s desire to burn through a year of his ELC.

 

[MJL66]

That’s not exactly what I meant. Eventually, it will pass, but I think he’s let it linger for so long that he would be well-served to address it. By “it,” I mean very generally at least explain his version of what happened and then own up to his part in ghosting the Flyers.* Something like “The front office and I had a different view of what was best for me. That’s really it. I just cut off contact with them after that, which in hindsight I wish I’d handled better, but it’s in the past.”

As for the age, he’s 20, not 5. He seems to be old enough to imply something more nefarious, so I assume he could answer with something less nefarious. I don’t think it’s crazy to expect him to provide an age-appropriate explanation. To date, he hasn’t cited that as a reason. You feel it’s a reason, but he hasn’t.

*I assume the reason was that he wanted to be signed and played at the end of 2022-23 to tick off a year of the ELC but the newly hired GM didn’t want all that money as a cap overage penalty so wanted to wait until July 1. Gauthier misunderstood their cap problems and Briere misunderstood Gauthier’s desire to burn through a year of his ELC.

Do you think that if he did that, the situation would be over with the Flyers nation? Bygones would be bygones? There is no value for him to come and give a full explanation. There is only value in moving on. His willingness to imply that there was something more nefarious shows the immaturity. Even if it is true. Even if he is 20.
We can easily decipher that the Flyers cap issues was a bunch of crap.

 

[Curufinwe]

That’s not exactly what I meant. Eventually, it will pass, but I think he’s let it linger for so long that he would be well-served to address it. By “it,” I mean very generally at least explain his version of what happened and then own up to his part in ghosting the Flyers.* Something like “The front office and I had a different view of what was best for me. That’s really it. I just cut off contact with them after that, which in hindsight I wish I’d handled better, but it’s in the past.”

As for the age, he’s 20, not 5. He seems to be old enough to imply something more nefarious, so I assume he could answer with something less nefarious. I don’t think it’s crazy to expect him to provide an age-appropriate explanation. To date, he hasn’t cited that as a reason. You feel it’s a reason, but he hasn’t.

*I assume the reason was that he wanted to be signed and played at the end of 2022-23 to tick off a year of the ELC but the newly hired GM didn’t want all that money as a cap overage penalty so wanted to wait until July 1. Gauthier misunderstood their cap problems and Briere misunderstood Gauthier’s desire to burn through a year of his ELC.

He never ghosted them. He told them in May 2023 that he wasn’t going to sign an ELC. That’s not ghosting. After that Briere lied thru his teeth while desperately trying to strong arm Gauthier into changing his mind. When you tell someone it’s over, you are not obligated to keep repeating that fact over and over just because they are desperate losers.

 

[deadhead]

We can down the list of NHL history and see how players drafted high have planned out. You want to use hindsight evaluations against current day evaluations. How does that change what Gauthier was and what his potential was at the time he was drafted? You've gone from being extremely misguided to being downright clueless, Why didn't those factors on who he would beat out come into play in who they drafted? It shouldn't because you should always draft BPA. Admit it and I know you don't want to but there was no way they were going to trade Gauthier for Drysdale if he had signed. You know this.

But he wasn't traded the day he was drafted, he was traded a year and a half later, after even the Anaheim scouts knew he wasn't a center. Both teams knew his limitations, both teams also knew that Drysdale was talented but had struggled with injuries (and poor coaching).

I don't think the Flyers thought they got equal value (there's a high 2nd included as well), but I do thing they were intrigued with what Drysdale brought to the table if they could "fix" him. He has great speed and like Sanheim can drive play out of the D-zone with his skates. It remains to be seen if he can develop his playmaking skills - his development was set back by a couple seasons in Anaheim, first by being rushed as a rookie, then his injury his third season.

This is what Wheeler said at the time of the trade:

"Drysdale can certainly help in the short, medium and long term though. With his mobility and head for the game, he’s going to be an impact guy if he can stay healthy. Make good on that second-rounder and there’s an outcome in which Flyers fans feel good about this all things considered, even if Gauthier becomes an important piece with the Ducks."

 

[MJL66]

He never ghosted them. He told them in May 2023 that he wasn’t going to sign an ELC. That’s not ghosting. After that Briere lied thru his teeth while desperately trying to strong arm Gauthier into changing his mind. When you tell someone it’s over, you are not obligated to keep repeating that fact over and over just because they are desperate losers.

It's been well reported that after Gauthier told them he didn't want to sign with them in 2023, he and his agent refused to talk further with the Flyers. The Flyers held his rights. It was well within their rights to continue to try and negotiate, To see if they could change his mind.

But he wasn't traded the day he was drafted, he was traded a year and a half later, after even the Anaheim scouts knew he wasn't a center. Both teams knew his limitations, both teams also knew that Drysdale was talented but had struggled with injuries (and poor coaching).

There is a difference between knowing he's not a center and not seeing him as a center. The Flyers wanted him playing center.

 

[Pet Charles]

Do you think that if he did that, the situation would be over with the Flyers nation? Bygones would be bygones? There is no value for him to come and give a full explanation. There is only value in moving on. His willingness to imply that there was something more nefarious shows the immaturity. Even if it is true. Even if he is 20.
We can easily decipher that the Flyers cap issues was a bunch of crap.

Fans are fanatical. Flyers’ fans are not unique. If you’re trying to argue that there’s no value in being reasonably forthright and truthful so he can put his head on a pillow at night with no regrets then I guess we disagree.

They had a $1.2M overage in 2023-24. How was it a bunch of crap?

He never ghosted them. He told them in May 2023 that he wasn’t going to sign an ELC. That’s not ghosting. After that Briere lied thru his teeth while desperately trying to strong arm Gauthier into changing his mind. When you tell someone it’s over, you are not obligated to keep repeating that fact over and over just because they are desperate losers.

It wasn’t a romantic relationship. They held his rights.

 

[MJL66]

Fans are fanatical. Flyers’ fans are not unique. If you’re trying to argue that there’s no value in being reasonably forthright and truthful so he can put his head on a pillow at night with no regrets then I guess we disagree.

They had a $1.2M overage in 2023-24. How was it a bunch of crap?

How do you know that he has regrets now when he puts his pillow on at night? It seems as though some Flyers fans want him to divulge further for their own gain, rather than his.

As far as the coverage is concerned. We know the CBA and what performance bonuses and the benchmarks need to achieve those. The timing of the signing made those unlikely to be achieved. That left a signing bonus. His contract with Anaheim has his with a 95K signing bonus, which would've been payed out. The Flyers could've covered some of that simply by waiving and demoting a stiff like Deslauriers. It was just an excuse that Briere offered.

 

[DancingPanther]

No. You will never be able to massage this or the Edmonton trade into a positive. Hindsight is irrelevant to the process if we're serious about our evaluations.

I do not understand how you can expect anyone to take framing Gauthier as a disappointment on the day of the trade seriously. He hadn’t hit the point where he could fail yet. You had a full ELC landing strip to go. That was the whole point.

Also the fact that the reason(s) he didn't want to be herevlies solely on an organization's own arrogance and decision making is completely left out

Frankly, I'm super proud of the boys for finally reaching 10 regulation wins on January 11th. Hang the banner

 

[Hollywood Cannon]

It's been well reported that after Gauthier told them he didn't want to sign with them in 2023, he and his agent refused to talk further with the Flyers. The Flyers held his rights. It was well within their rights to continue to try and negotiate, To see if they could change his mind.


There is a difference between knowing he's not a center and not seeing him as a center. The Flyers wanted him playing center.

The Flyers have said that was the case but then they continued to open up their mouths and contradict that statement.

 

[HeadLiceHatty]

Ovechkin 20 straight years of 20 goals or more, neat and all but does he check, hit and tackle people?

 

[FLYguy3911]

Think it's been mentioned already, but I AM amused that the same sect of the fanbase who hyped Cutter up as the best sniper ever made are now indignantly sneering that he actually sucked all along.

The usual suspects that always take the other side are really working OT on this one. The old GM both made an amazing draft selection and the current GM pulled off a brilliant trade. We are so lucky.

View attachment 960004

Nice pivot table! Now you just need to add a calculated field so you can add the Win% column to it.

Mintyukov at #10 is the only player taken after him outperforming him so far, and he's not exactly been a world beater.

Even if we ignore what everyone in that draft accomplished as prospects and only evaluate their NHL points in partial seasons, there is a guy that was literally a few picks away from being a third rounder that is up for the Calder this year. And before you go for your spin zone, just know some people rated this player as a better prospect than Cutter and a lottery worthy pick on draft day.

Oh and there were heavy rumors the Flyers were going to take Cutter even if Shane Wright slipped to 5 so there's that too.

You can say it til you're blue in the face that was a bad draft. It was not. It was a draft without a clear and obvious first overall pick, but there were a slew of quality prospects in the 2nd and 3rd tiers. It was the perfect draft to trade back and take multiple swings in the mid-to-late first round.

You'd be hard pressed to make the case he's better (he is bigger) than Drysdale based on his performance so far.

So by your logic, Jamie Drysdale has a better outlook than all but what 2-4 players in the 2022 draft?

It was never about what people on this board thought of Cutter though. This time last year there were Hockey Guys that tabbed this guy as the best NHL prospect not playing in the NHL. A fresh ELC waiting to be signed. Outside of Michkov (maybe!), he was the most valuable asset they had. And they turned it into an oft injured, undersized defenseman (by your definition), who was already on his second contract, and was never good for an extended stretch of play in the NHL. edit: almost forgot the future 2nd!

 

[Magua]

But he wasn't traded the day he was drafted, he was traded a year and a half later, after even the Anaheim scouts knew he wasn't a center.

“I think ideally, if we can turn him into an NHL center – a top NHL center – we want to do that. We know he can play the wing. We know he has the size, he can skate and shoot. But yeah, I think that we’ll give him every chance to be a center if he can.”

That’s Flahr 3 months before they traded him.

Instead of ever admitting you’re wrong or the team’s wrong, you come up with these convoluted, revisionist stories. McGroarty being a more valuable prospect than Gauthier was my personal favorite.

 

[deadhead]

“I think ideally, if we can turn him into an NHL center – a top NHL center – we want to do that. We know he can play the wing. We know he has the size, he can skate and shoot. But yeah, I think that we’ll give him every chance to be a center if he can.”

That’s Flahr 3 months before they traded him.

Instead of ever admitting you’re wrong or the team’s wrong, you come up with these convoluted, revisionist stories. McGroarty being a more valuable prospect than Gauthier was my personal favorite.

Huh what? That's Flahr saying he's a wing but they'll give him a chance at center before his second college season. The Anaheim scouts saw him as a wing in December of that year.

Could he play center? Sure, heck Torts has said Farabee could play center.
Would he be a good center? Don't see it. Maybe a solid 3C.

As far as Drysdale, people want it both ways, he's oft injured, but he hasn't developed in 4 years.
Well, if you're rushed to the NHL at 18, play 81 games at 19, then miss an entire season at 20, are traded at 21 and only play 65 games over the next year and a half - gee, wonder if that would slow your development? Looking at Anaheim, they're horribly coached, best thing that happened to Drysdale was to get traded to the Flyers and have Shaw as his D coach.

 

[MJL66]

Huh what? That's Flahr saying he's a wing but they'll give him a chance at center before his second college season. The Anaheim scouts saw him as a wing in December of that year.

Could he play center? Sure, heck Torts has said Farabee could play center.
Would he be a good center? Don't see it. Maybe a solid 3C.

As far as Drysdale, people want it both ways, he's oft injured, but he hasn't developed in 4 years.
Well, if you're rushed to the NHL at 18, play 81 games at 19, then miss an entire season at 20, are traded at 21 and only play 65 games over the next year and a half - gee, wonder if that would slow your development? Looking at Anaheim, they're horribly coached, best thing that happened to Drysdale was to get traded to the Flyers and have Shaw as his D coach.

That's Flahr saying they want him to be a center. They want him to play center.

 

[ponder719]

It's been well reported that after Gauthier told them he didn't want to sign with them in 2023, he and his agent refused to talk further with the Flyers. The Flyers held his rights. It was well within their rights to continue to try and negotiate, To see if they could change his mind.

And he was well within his rights to hold firm to his prior statement that he was not going to sign, nor discuss the matter further. He's a human being, not an automaton, he has agency in this situation, too, no matter how rectally wounded by his decisions our fanbase might be.

We don't have to like the decision he made, but tough shit, he's a Duck, Drysdale's a Flyer, we have an extra lottery ticket, for the love of the very scant few things that are holy in this world, can we all please move the f*** on with our lives?

(Just to clarify, not directing all of this at you, I am just so goddamned tired of this idiotic rehashing of something that DOES. NOT. f***ING. MATTER. ANYMORE.)

 

[deadhead]

That's Flahr saying they want him to be a center. They want him to play center.

They wanted him to play center, one reason they wanted him to go back to college.
I want to win the lottery.
By the time he was traded, no one saw him as a center.

Gauthier wasn't a top 6 NHL center, no one believes that.