Since Monday night, the Philadelphia Flyers have become the talk of the NHL-world. It all started with a trade made by the Flyers organization during the 1st period of the Flyers vs the Pittsburgh Penguins. Management had decided to trade one of their top prospects, Cutter Gauthier, to the Anaheim Ducks for defenseman Jamie Drysdale and a 2nd Round Pick in the 2025 Draft. Flyers fans were stunned and rendered temporarily speechless before the anger kicked in and outcry poured all over social media.
Gauthier had just won a gold medal with Team USA in the World Junior Championship in Sweden, tied for the most points in the tournament, and was named a Media AllStar. Couple all of that with the amazing season he is again having with the Boston College Eagles of the NCAA and you have a household name Flyers fans know. Gauthier was picked fifth overall in the 2022 Draft and has shown why he was drafted so high ever since.
Why would General Manager Danny Briere and President of Hockey Operations Keith Jones trade away such an invaluable looking piece when the “New Era of Orange” had just begun? Speculations were rampant before Briere, Jonesy (as he is affectionately referred), and Flyers’ Governor Dan Hilferty could issue their statements. What it all boiled down to was Gauthier changing his mind about playing for the Flyers. Flyers management kept Gauthier’s change of heart under wraps as they attempted to move him and have been shopping around to do so since about May of 2023 when communication broke down between Gauthier and the Flyers.
Each of the three pieces of management had their own statements issued throughout the game, but the message was clear across the board. Cutter Gauthier no longer wished to be a Flyer and the Flyers were more than happy to oblige his change of heart because they received a highly coveted piece for any NHL organization immediately. They received the 2020 sixth overall pick that was a right-handed shooting defenseman, Jamie Drysdale. There are two times as many left-handed shooters in pro hockey according to hockey consultant Jack Han. Being right-handed, only 21 years old with three seasons in the NHL already under his belt makes Drysdale truly special. Flyers fans did not know immediately the caliber of player they had just gotten. Drysdale is on near mythic levels mostly because defensemen do not typically come into the NHL at 18 and play big minutes (Drysdale averaging over 19 minutes) from the very start of their NHL career.
Instead, Flyers fans were more concerned about why Gauthier did not want to sign. The speculation and anger were fanned by numerous individuals with the most malicious rumor coming from Anthony SanFilippo, the co-host of the Flyers podcast “Snow the Goalie.” SanFilippo had claimed that Gauthier’s decision not to come to the Flyers was due to the influence of former Flyer, Kevin Hayes. Hayes was known to have a relationship with Gauthier since both played for the BC Eagles and both were committed to the Flyers at the time. Unfortunately, like with most things people are dedicated to, it was taken too far and quickly became “truth” for some Flyers fans resulting in Hayes receiving numerous threats as well as some very disrespectful and horrible comments. A player and person such as Kevin Hayes did not deserve hate directed at him regardless if it was true or not. Thankfully, the rumor was disproven when Gauthier released a statement days later, but more importantly for Hayes and Flyers fans, Flyers head coach John Tortorella had a few words of support for Hayes that should help erase the belief in such a rumor.
Torts tends to get a bad reputation from people that have never worked for him or played for him, but taking the offensive and addressing such a horrible rumor and how it impacted Hayes, a player Torts did not see eye to eye with, directly with SanFilippo showed Torts’ character. Flyers fans, for the most part, love Tortorella and see him as a perfect coach for the hockey club.
The Future
Once clips of Drysdale’s highlights playing for the Ducks started to become more widely circulated on social media, Flyers fans instantly brushed off the anguish (not the bitterness) from the loss of Gauthier and got excited for Drysdale. They saw what he could do and after Drysdale happily and excitedly expressed the trade in interviews, Philadelphia rallied.
Drysdale’s first game with the Flyers came on Wednesday night against the Montreal Canadiens. Flyers management (including Tortorella) knew people wanted to see Drysdale play that game right away. Drysdale was announced on the starting lineup for the Flyers and the near sellout crowd in the Wells Fargo Center screamed with excitement.
The screams repeated a few moments later when Drysdale touched the puck for the first time in the orange & black uniform.
Flyers fans eagerly watched the game hoping for the team to not only win against the Canadiens, but to see one of the Canadiens be foolish enough to get called for a penalty. Drysdale is known for his ability to quarterback a powerplay because of his strong passing ability and the wall he becomes at the blueline in the offensive zone. Everyone that was aware of Drysdale’s talents were eagerly waiting for the Flyers’ horrendous powerplay (known as the PECO Power Kill) that constantly hovers at the bottom of the league. Near the middle of the 2nd period, the Flyers finally got their chance. Drysdale went out on the first unit of the powerplay and got to work.
Drysdale passed to Morgan Frost for an amazing goal that tied the game and for the perfect way to gain one’s first point with the Flyers. This was no longer the PECO Power Kill for fans, this was the powerplay they dreamed of since acquiring Drysdale. This was further evident when the crowd once again cheered their hearts out for Drysdale when his first point was announced.
Philadelphians showed why the right attitude from their athletes goes a long way by showing up en masse for Drysdale’s debut as a Flyer and showing so much support for the young talent throughout the game. Fortunately for the out-of-town Flyers fans, they were able to show their support for Drysdale just a few days later when the Flyers traveled to Minnesota to play the Wild on Friday.
Game Two of the playfully dubbed “Drysdale Era” allowed Drysdale to demonstrate his hockey IQ and passing ability once again. The Flyers were on their heels again trying to catch up to the Wild that lead the Flyers 3-1 early in the 3rd. Flyer’s forward Tyson Foerster ended his goalless draught with a beautiful shot that beat Wild’s goalie Marc-Andre Fleury making the game 3-2. A few moments later, Drysdale manages to keep the puck in the offensive zone while he is being heavily pressured by the Wild along the blueline. He passed the puck across the zone to Travis Konecny, which pulled most of the Wild defensive formation towards Konecny due to his reputation as the Flyers’ top goal scorer. Konecny then passed to a wide-open Owen Tippet across the ice and Tippet clapped the puck in for the game tying goal.
Two games in and Drysdale is already a point per game player.
The Flyers forced overtime and were able to capitalize on a penalty drawn by Cam Atkinson to go to the powerplay once again. Drysdale was out on the powerplay with some impressive offensive moves, but the most impressive move he made the entire night was his backchecking. Drysdale turned over the puck at the blueline allowing one of the Wild’s players to rush towards the Flyers’ netminder, Carter Hart. Normally, a breakaway like this would be incredibly dangerous and likely lead to a goal, but Drysdale put to rest any hope the Wild had of capitalizing on the breakaway. Drysdale was already out on the ice for over a minute and that would leave any player gassed. A rare talent like Drysdale managed to pursue the Wild player down the ice and poke check the puck away before a shot on the Flyers’ goal was attempted. The Wild player upended himself and crashed into the boards after he lost control of the puck.
The puck was recollected by the Flyers and taken back down the ice for one last offensive attempt before the powerplay expired. Egor Zamula shot at the Wild net allowing Joel Farabee to collect his second goal of the night by redirecting Zamula’s shot past Fleury.
The future of this team is what Flyers fans should be focused on. In just two games Drysdale has two points and made some fantastic offensive and defensive plays that have helped lead the Flyers to victory. The loss of Gauthier should be expunged from the mind and the love for Drysdale should grow in its absence. Drysdale is further along in his development than any defensive draft pick could be at this point. He has already proved his effectiveness in every anticipated aspect of his game. With the defensive strides the Flyers have made as a whole and individually with their defensive core (Sanheim, York, Seeler, Walker, Zamula, Ristolainen), the sky is the limit for how much more Drysdale could develop. He is the future of the team’s defense.
The Morning Skate 