Flyers Fans Prepare For Cutter Gauthier at Wells Fargo Center
When the Philadelphia Flyers selected Cutter Gauthier in the 2022 NHL Draft, the organization hoped his first NHL game at the Wells Fargo Center would mean a rousing ovation from the home crowd. That’s simply not going to happen on Saturday night.
“I’ve heard such great things about the Philadelphia Flyers. Talking with them, I felt I had a good connection with them.” –Cutter Gauthier at the 2022 NHL Draft
Instead, the former top prospect will experience the wrath of the South Philadelphia sports complex when he visits with the Anaheim Ducks just three days after the one year anniversary of his unceremonious departure from the Flyers.
Flyers Send Deliberate Messages After Trade
The newly-constructed Flyers front office inherited a problem. They shrewdly kept Gauthier’s trade demands away from the media, but they couldn’t convince him that his future was in Philadelphia.
“He wasn’t going to wear the Flyers uniform, didn’t want to play in Philadelphia, and asked to be traded. At first, we didn’t really believe that was serious. We just asked him to take a little bit of time off, and then we would meet with him and explain the direction that we were going in. He just refused. He would not engage, would not listen to us, would not take a phone call, would not meet with us at all.” -Danny Briere on 97.5 The Fanatic
Keith Jones hoped the new direction of the organization could change Gauthier’s mind. He sent John LeClair and Patrick Sharp, recent hires to the player development staff, to Boston College to see the disgruntled 19-year-old. Gauthier refused a meeting.
The snub escalated an already bitter situation. Briere traded Gauthier to the Anaheim Ducks two months later for Jamie Drysdale and a future second-round pick. The organization presented a united message about the trade.
Briere and Jones voiced the frustrations of the front office. Flyers governor Dan Hilferty showed his true colors as a Philadelphia lifer, almost immediately pointing to the venom Gauthier would feel in every NHL game he’ll ever play at the Wells Fargo Center.
Several Flyers alumni have opened up about Gauthier’s questionable approach toward a reputable NHL organization.
The collective sentiment played directly into a mindset that has characterized Philadelphia sports fans for decades.
If you don’t agree that Philadelphia is the greatest city in the history of the world, you can pack your bags and get out.
Suddenly, the Philadelphia fans turned their attention away from losing the organization’s second-ranked prospect. They readjusted their attention to the sense of civic pride that unfortunately hasn’t been particularly relevant through the past decade of underwhelming hockey.
Cutter Gauthier & Jamie Drysdale
The Flyers lost a top-five pick projected to develop into a top-line NHL forward.
Cutter Gauthier led the NCAA with 38 goals and helped Boston College to an appearance in the National Championship Game in 2023-24.
He’s played a minimal role with five goals and 13 assists at the midway point of the 2024-25 season for a Ducks team buried outside the race for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The rookie spoke about circling Anaheim’s December 28 matchup against the Flyers on his calendar.
“With all that happened, I want to be my best self and play my best game… Maximize my full potential. The more and more I do, that is obviously a sign of kind of what (the Flyers) missed out on. But just what I am capable of. Not so much them but just for myself to reach my own goals.” –Cutter Gauthier
The Flyers kept Gauthier off the scoresheet in 13:19 of ice time. Traveling Philadelphia fans at the Honda Center (formerly Arrowhead Pond) gave him a small taste of the heckling he’ll hear at the Wells Fargo Center.
Jamie Drysdale hasn’t found his footing with the Flyers since the trade.
Briere set the expectation the night of the trade for the former sixth-overall pick to develop into a top-pair defenseman and an important piece in the rebuild.
While Drysdale has flashed the skill that pushed Briere to make the bold claim, the young defenseman has scored three goals and added just nine assists in 53 games in parts of two injury-riddled seasons.
He’s struggled to develop in the selection process that helps blueliners make quick decisions about joining an offensive push.
Briere pointed out on 97.5 The Fanatic that Gauthier’s performance at the World Juniors in the weeks before the trade pushed the Ducks to include the 2025 second-round pick in the deal.
Cutter Gauthier Visiting Wells Fargo Center
The sports complex in South Philadelphia hits the peak of its intensity for Eagles home playoff games.
The anticipated debut of Cutter Gauthier at the Wells Fargo Center falls on January 11, one day before the Eagles begin a playoff run with Super Bowl hopes.
The energy of the overlapping fan bases will feed a rowdy crowd of Flyers fans who haven’t had the most intriguing matchups to cheer about in recent seasons.
Flyers fans, however, will enter the building Saturday evening with the chance to show the intensity of the most passionate fan base in sports.
A city that’s taken the actions of J.D. Drew, Scott Rolen, and Ben Simmons personally over decades will welcome a new member to an exclusive club of athletes automatically entitled to the fan base’s signature greeting.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!
