Confirmed with Link: [ANA/PHI] Cutter Gauthier for Jamie Drysdale and 2025 2nd round pick

[Rasp]

What makes the trade good is that its a lot easier to find another Drysdale than it is to find a Gauthier. Gauthier was the only player of his type in his draft, last year there was only Fantilli, this year there is no one.

 

[robbieboy3686]

What makes the trade good is that its a lot easier to find another Drysdale than it is to find a Gauthier. Gauthier was the only player of his type in his draft, last year there was only Fantilli, this year there is no one.

So much this

 

[Masch78]

What makes the trade good is that its a lot easier to find another Drysdale than it is to find a Gauthier. Gauthier was the only player of his type in his draft, last year there was only Fantilli, this year there is no one.

And you mean by what?

 

[forever1922]

I don't think anyone's really disappointed in Gaucher. It's just that so many prospects are turning out well from this draft that it makes you wonder if you could have had another high lineup player instead. The Ducks are in a unique situation where their prospect pool really is fat where it doesn't matter all that much one way or the other. For now, he's a unique player that could be a difference maker come playoff time in a shudown center role. And you don't get your top6 C to do that.

 

[The Midnight Burrito]

I don't think anyone's really disappointed in Gaucher. It's just that so many prospects are turning out well from this draft that it makes you wonder if you could have had another high lineup player instead. The Ducks are in a unique situation where their prospect pool really is fat where it doesn't matter all that much one way or the other. For now, he's a unique player that could be a difference maker come playoff time in a shudown center role. And you don't get your top6 C to do that.

Oh I strongly beg to differ.

 

[CrazyDuck4u]

And you mean by what?

I know exactly what he means.. Gauthier is a player this franchise really needs..

 

[The Midnight Burrito]

With Gauthier here, JD is just somebody that we used to know...

 

[pbgoalie]

Gauthier told Philly he wouldn’t sign.

They opened to conversTions

Seemed an opportunity presented itself and PV jumped in.
Seems it could just be a simple case of good opportunity. gauthier is potentially a lot more than any forward that “could” have been chosen other than Gaucher?

I’m not that knowledgeable in all this and feel like Gaucher is going to be a solid piece for us , and always felt we’d be moving a very good defenseman to get scoring

 

[DuckDuckGetz]

With Gauthier here, JD is just somebody that we used to know...

Gautye

 

[MMC]

In a vacuum, drafting Gaucher isn't bad. He was one of the safest picks in the draft, but that comes with the price of not having a much higher ceiling.

With trading away RD Drysdale and a 2025 second round pick because we're lacking goal scorers in our system, the Gaucher pick is now bad because it's no longer a vacuum pick.

You can do this type of spin with literally every pick ever if you’re motivated enough to push a narrative

 

[CrazyDuck4u]

Not sure he's quite that talented with the puck. I like the Max Pacioretty comparison

Crazy shit

 

[Anaheim4ever]

We don't want another Theodore/Montour trade but there is also the Vatanen/Manson ones where they trade a injury prone RD. Looking at Vatanen's games played before he was traded and he was never without injuries( always missed at least 11 games a year) with the Ducks but he never missed a complete whole season like Drysdale but he also seemed to be more injured when he started playing more like a warrior and given his 5'10 frame he was likely to get injured more.

Vatanen paced for 40+ points several times in his career but always fell short because he got hurt and eventually lost his effectiveness.

 

[forever1922]

Oh I strongly beg to differ.

Yeah guess you're right.

I should've phrased it differently. People shouldn't be disappointed in the way Gaucher has panned out, the scoring potential was always iffy. There is still an NHL future there and the character qualities that he was drafted for. One can criticize the pick but let's not hold it against the guy.

 

[Kalv]

Personally I'm fine with the Gaucher pick because I agree we need good role players. I think reasonable minds can disagree on whether Zellweger made JD expendable - I think he's years away from being able a top pairing role, if ever - or that we were in a position to really worry about a glut of a certain kind of defenseman. JD was a 2/3 tweener with a #1 ceiling, whereas the others are all question marks. Although didn't PV say somewhere that Luneau made the decision easier? Or was that someone's interpretation?

So to me that actually sort of cuts against the trade being a good one overall. The worse possible view of the trade is that we traded a relatively sure thing knowing that he'll be replaced by question marks, for a guy who's similar to one we could have drafted a minute ago, and threw in a 2nd rounder because that was the market, and because of the age/experience difference, the trade moves our right-now window out a couple years.

Not saying that's my view, because I like Gaucher and I'm waiting to see what Gauthier brings, even though I was pretty fond of JD. I'm just not willing to discount that worst-case view yet.

I have quite similar feelings. Happy about who we got but at the same time, not sure about Pat's asset management (including draft)

 

[DuckDuckGetz]

Regarding him floating, as much as I would love everyone on the team to have incredible work ethic, it doesn't really shock me that a guy who is playing his last NCAA games isn't giving it 100% every shift.

Not that many people are giving their all after they've put their two weeks notice in.

 

[AngelDuck]

What makes the trade good is that its a lot easier to find another Drysdale than it is to find a Gauthier. Gauthier was the only player of his type in his draft, last year there was only Fantilli, this year there is no one.

Not sure this is true at all. Drysdale is a dynamic skater that is hard to find IMO. There definitely wasn't a defenseman in last years draft that can skate like he can, and I don't think there's one this season either

 

[FiveTacos]

Regarding him floating, as much as I would love everyone on the team to have incredible work ethic, it doesn't really shock me that a guy who is playing his last NCAA games isn't giving it 100% every shift.

I don't put much stock in the floating thing. Lots of young prospects "float" in the sense that they're not churning 100% all game long. Especially bigger guys. It takes a ton of energy to get a big body moving around.

What matters much more is does he know where he needs to get be, and can he get there at the right time? A dynamo who's always going 100mph only works if he's also got great vision and awareness.
Who was it years ago that signed some old guy, and his scouts said he can't skate anymore, but the GM said he knows where to stand?

Not sure this is true at all. Drysdale is a dynamic skater that is hard to find IMO. There definitely wasn't a defenseman in last years draft that can skate like he can, and I don't think there's one this season either

His skating ability is rare, but just strictly as a caliber of prospect, he's not some sort of once in a lifetime guy or he'd have gone in the top 3, undersized or not.

 

[AngelDuck]

His skating ability is rare, but just strictly as a caliber of prospect, he's not some sort of once in a lifetime guy or he'd have gone in the top 3, undersized or not.

I mean, sure, he's not Cale Makar.

But is Gauthier some once in a lifetime guy that I'm missing something? The post I was responding to was stating that he has such a unique skillset and Drysdale doesn't...is that true?

This will be an acceptable trade for the ducks if he becomes a consistent 30+ goal scorer. Maybe like a Gabe Landeskog type career? I would take that (minus the injuries)

Expecting Gauthier to be a true superstar will lead to disappointment likely

 

[DuckDuckGetz]

I mean, sure, he's not Cale Makar.

But is Gauthier some once in a lifetime guy that I'm missing something? The post I was responding to was stating that he has such a unique skillset and Drysdale doesn't...is that true?

This will be an acceptable trade for the ducks if he becomes a consistent 30+ goal scorer. Maybe like a Gabe Landeskog type career? I would take that (minus the injuries)

Expecting Gauthier to be a true superstar will lead to disappointment likely

Agreed, but the same should be said about Drysdale.

I think they're pretty similar-caliber players.

 

[FiveTacos]

Agreed, but the same should be said about Drysdale.

I think they're pretty similar-caliber players.

Yup, they're both worthy high picks, and project as core contributors, but neither should be the best F or D on the team.

Let's be real, young guys better than these two never get traded without a superstar coming back, and even that's rare. Guys like Gauthier, even though he's not necessarily projected as a future superstar, just aren't available.

If not for his refusal to play for Philly, the chances of a trade like this were nil.

 

[tomd]

Players who are positionally sound typically aren't as frenetic or active as those who aren't. Gauthier seems to understand the game pretty well and knows where to be most of the time. Plus, he gets too many accolades for being sound defensively...that is not typical of most players who legitimately "float".

 

[DuckTech]

It reminds me when we were drafting Getzlaf he was considered a floater too

 

[Leonardo87]

Drysdale a -3 today, it’s all Fowler’s fault.

 

[Hockey Duckie]

You can do this type of spin with literally every pick ever if you’re motivated enough to push a narrative

You can shill all you want, but that asset mgmt wasn't great, especially for a GM resetting the rebuild.

Last time I checked, Verbeek was the GM in the 2022 draft. He did reset the rebuild in the 2021-22 TDL. It wasn't as if needing top-6 scoring wasn't a topic in the 2022 draft. Now, in the middle of the 2023-24 season, he realizes he needs top-6 scoring in his system.

 

[Ducks DVM]

It reminds me when we were drafting Getzlaf he was considered a floater too

Just think, in 20 years we can say we are too Cutter to look something up, and all the new fans will be both mystified and also wondering if we need interventions. Or that they’ve joined a cult.