The Cutter Gauthier saga is well done and dusted at this stage, but some new developments are probably making it hard for the Philadelphia Flyers, and especially their fans, to not feel some type of regret towards the situation.
Gauthier, 21, recorded his first career hat trick for the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday, thrusting him into a five-way tie for the NHL lead in goals (10) that includes himself, Cole Caufield, and superstar forwards Leon Draisaitl, Jack Hughes, and Nathan MacKinnon.
The Flyers, too, have a negative connection to Caufield, who was bypassed for defenseman Cam York in 2019.
Overall, though, Gauthier is now on a seven-game point streak that dates back to Oct. 21, and he's already up to 10 goals, six assists, and 16 points in just 12 games with the Ducks.
And, to top it all off, Gauthier, per the Ducks' PR staff, is the first NHL player aged 21 or younger to score 10 goals in his first 12 games of a season since Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews did so in the 2018-19 season.
Between the league leaders in goals and that last stat, Gauthier is in pretty good company.
As for the Flyers, they did get a solid return with the addition of Jamie Drysdale and a second-round pick that recently became Jack Murtagh, but that doesn't quite compare to what their former top draft pick is doing over in Anaheim.
Note from Ducks PR:
— Patrick Present (@PatrickCPresent) November 5, 2025
Cutter Gauthier is the first NHL player 21 or younger to score 10 goals in his first 12 games of a season since Connor McDavid in 2018-19 and Auston Matthews in 2018-19#FlyTogether
Drysdale, 23, is starting to look like he's finally coming into his own this season after years of struggles marred by injury. He's now the team's best driver of play on defense, and his five points in 13 games is solid, too.
At the same time, is it enough offense to continue vaulting a player of his 5-foot-11 size into a featured role on a competitive NHL defense?
It's not common, but it isn't like it hasn't happened before, either. Players like Gus Forsling, Alex Carrier, Jared Spurgeon, Andy Greene, Sean Walker, Dante Fabbro, Nick Jensen, Nate Schmidt, and Rasmus Sandin are all not the biggest guys and don't/did not produce crazy offensive numbers, but emerged as reliable top-four defenders at some point in their careers.
Some later than others, yes, but it happened.
Are any of those worth a potential 40-goal-scorer like Gauthier on an ELC? With the exception of Forsling, no, even though Spurgeon and Greene eventually became captains for Minnesota and New Jersey, respectively.
Flyers' Trevor Zegras Gets Big Praise From Canadiens StarTrevor Zegras' great start to the season has gotten the attention of Canadiens star Cole Caufield. Eventually, too, Drysdale is going to have to push his offense and creativity a little further to reach the heights some of those players reached, which means consistent 30- and 40-point seasons.
The former No. 6 overall pick is on pace for 31 currently - one fewer than his previous career high of 32 - and he earns some grace in that the Flyers are the 10th-worst team in the NHL in scoring this season - worse than the Chicago Blackhawks.
At some point, the production may come, or it may not, but the final verdict on the Flyers' controversial trade will depend on it.
They did well enough managing a situation that was never going to work out for them, but it's fair to question why the Flyers drafted someone who would come to spurn them, and question what motivated Gauthier to spurn them to begin with.
Thanks, Maple Leafs! Flyers' Nikita Grebenkin Scores 1st NHL Goal to Help Beat CanadiensFlyers rookie Nikita Grebenkin continues to make a case for more ice time with his assist against the Maple Leafs and first NHL goal against the Canadiens.It's likely those answers won't come until after Gauthier's playing days are over or until after this Flyers regime runs its course, but this discourse will always come to the forefront for as long as Gauthier plays well and succeeds in the NHL.
The same is true of Zeev Buium and Jett Luchanko, and Cole Caufield and Cam York.
The Flyers have no way of running from their recent past, especially as long as the team is not making meaningful pushes for Stanley Cups.
Objectively, though, Gauthier's sudden breakout after a solid rookie campaign represents a missed opportunity on the Flyers' end, but it's too late now. The results are the results.
