97.5 The Fanatic Flyers Roundup: Cutter Gauthier AND Everything Else
It’s not often that the Philadelphia Flyers can steal the attention of the local sports scene the week leading up to an Eagles playoff game. The stunning Cutter Gauthier trade did just that, however. 97.5 The Fanatic provided up-to-the-minute coverage and exclusive interviews with Danny Briere and Keith Jones.
- Saturday 1/6/24: Flyers 3, Calgary Flames 2
- Monday 1/8/24: Pittsburgh Penguins 4, Flyers 1
- Wednesday 1/10/24: Flyers 3, Montreal Canadiens 2 (SO)
Cutter Gauthier Trade
News of the big splash spread throughout the Wells Fargo Center shortly after the puck dropped on Monday. Gauthier had no interest in joining the Flyers, and Briere moved the former 5th-overall pick for Jamie Drysdale and a future 2nd-rounder.
- Flyers Trade Cutter Gauthier in Stunning Blockbuster Deal
- Keith Jones Refutes Kevin Hayes, Cutter Gauthier Rumors
- Cutter Gauthier, And 11 More Betrayals Philadelphia Fans Will Never Forgive
- Evaluating Jamie Drysdale as the Return for Cutter Gauthier
- Flyers United In Their Dismissiveness Towards Cutter Gauthier
- Sean Avery Proves He Is Still The Worst While Defending Gauthier
Keith Jones made one of the most important proclamations of the entire saga during his interview with The John Kincade Show on Tuesday when he expressly denied the report that Kevin Hayes influenced Gauthier’s decision.
Keith Jones discussing whether or not the Flyers believe Kevin Hayes influenced Cutter Gauthier’s decision to ask of out Philadelphia.
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Flyers Add Jamie Drysdale
The organization hopes to develop Drysdale into a foundational piece of the rebuild. The smooth-skating defenseman logged 19:46 of ice time in his Philadelphia debut against the Habs. He set up Morgan Frost for a power-play goal in the second period and later drove three separate scoring chances during the 3-on-3 overtime period.
The addition of Drysdale adds a high-caliber player to the lineup in a season when the Flyers didn’t expect significant contributions from Gauthier. They now have eight defensemen on the active NHL roster. John Tortorella will have to perform some short-term lineup gymnastics to manage his blue line.
Sean Walker, Nick Seeler, and Rasmus Ristolainen have drawn interest on the trade market. Conversations could heat up quickly.
Additional Reports on Gauthier
Elliotte Friedman of SportsNet reported some details of the dispute between Gauthier and the Philadelphia front office. The issue apparently predated the front office restructure when Jones and Briere took control.
According to Friedman, Gauthier wanted to turn pro after his freshman season at Boston College ended in March 2023. Cap restrictions caused some complications for the Flyers when they explored signing their star prospect to an entry-level contract. The new decision-makers within the organization who gained more stable control in May 2023 assumed the issues wouldn’t damage the long-term relationship with the player. They were wrong.
The report aligns with the information Jones shared on The John Kincade Show. The former TNT analyst said that he learned there was a problem while he was still working in television. He specifically referred to it as an “inherited” issue.
Looking Ahead
The Flyers sit in a deadlock with the New York Islanders for third place in a tight Metropolitan Division race. They’ll begin a three-game Western Conference road swing after earning five of eight possible points on a four-game stretch at the Wells Fargo Center.
The highlight of the trip will be a Saturday night matchup north of the border with plenty of Canadian eyes watching the Winnipeg Jets, who currently own the best record in the NHL.
- Friday 1/12: @ Minnesota Wild, 8pm on 93.3 WMMR
- Saturday 1/13: @ Winnipeg Jets, 7pm on 97.5 The Fanatic
- Monday 1/15: @ St. Louis Blues, 8pm on 97.5 The Fanatic
- Thursday 1/18: vs. Dallas Stars, 7pm on 97.5 The Fanatic