The loss of Cutter Gauthier is going to hurt Flyers going forward

The Philadelphia Flyers are a team building their future the right way. They have a lot of good young players that they should be very excited about going forward.

A few of them have the potential to be top-tier players in the NHL. That should leave a lot of optimism amongst the team and fanbase as the talent is starting to stack up.

The only problem is that they no longer have Cutter Gauthier. He had no interest in signing there after they made him the fifth overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. This was kept a secret until the day he was traded to keep the value on him high.

Gauthier was an incredible prospect at Boston College. Over the last handful of years, he was one of the best NCAA players and World Junior prospects in the game.

Cutter Gauthier leaving the Philadelphia Flyers is going to hurt

Team USA won a Gold Medal and he was arguably their best player. At Boston College, he dominated in all areas of the ice and they came so close to a 2024 National Championship but were defeated in the final by Denver.

The trade was to the Anaheim Ducks not long after returning from the World Junior Championships. Jamie Drysdale and a 2025 second-round pick came back in the trade.

Drysdale is a great offensive defenseman but he has been hurt a lot recently. The Flyers need to get him going which mostly means just keeping him healthy on the ice.

Unless Drysdale turns into a Norris guy, however, the Flyers are going to sorely miss Gauthier whether they admit it or not.

At the end of the season, he made his NHL debut with the Ducks after signing his entry-level deal following the National Championship. He is officially a pro hockey player now.

It is going to be difficult but they now must find a way to replace him in the system. They need a high-end forward to pair with Matvei Michkov when he is ready.

Until that happens and they have the replacement in place, they are going to feel this loss of a great young player. Gauthier will be a villain in Philly for a long time for what he did but the truth is that this team will wish things went differently.