Evaluating 2 Flyers-Ducks Trades Under Danny Briere

Two of Danny Briere’s most impactful trades in three years as an NHL general manager have come with the same partner.

Cutter Gauthier infamously forced his way out of the Philadelphia Flyers organization in January 2024. Briere sent the former fifth-overall pick to the Anaheim Ducks. He followed up with Anaheim GM Pat Verbeek to acquire Trevor Zegras in June 2025.

Zegras’ hot start with the Flyers and Philadelphia’s natural venom for the J.D. Drew of hockey creates an intriguing way to evaluate Briere during the rebuild.

How do the two trades between the Flyers and Ducks compare in aggregate?

A change of scenery was necessary for Zegras after two shaky seasons with injuries and underperformance in Anaheim. The highlight-reel “Dishigan” goal lost its sizzle while questions about his all-around game spread throughout the NHL.

Briere negotiated wisely with a long-term eye on Zegras and ultimately acquired him for an underwhelming return package.

Zegras has hit the ground running with the Flyers. His 15 goals and 24 assists both lead the team at the 40-game mark of the 2025-26 season. His elusive creativity with the puck and quick hands have helped him become the most consistent offensive player on a team that had lacked dynamic scoring ability in recent seasons.

Rick Tocchet spoke about his preseason challenge for Zegras following the trade.

Zegras has been the driving force behind Philadelphia’s changing luck in an area of historical weakness. His slick moves have helped him to the highest shootout percentage in NHL history among shooters with at least 20 opportunities.

Although Philadelphia’s power play has slipped after a strong start in their first season under Yogi Svejkovsky, the 24-year-old is a building block for their future in improving what's been another historical weakness.

Zegras hasn’t solved the roster’s biggest hole by playing his natural position at center. However, his success on the wing has solidified Briere’s interest in a long-term extension for the impending restricted free agent.

Expect Trevor Zegras to become a foundational piece for the Flyers as their organizational rebuild takes place.

Briere called Jamie Drysdale a top-pair defenseman while the wounds were still raw from the Cutter Gauthier saga. The former top prospect has developed parts of his overall game in two years since the trade, but he hasn’t yet met the high bar at age 23 in his sixth NHL season.

Drysdale's defensive sense has improved since his early NHL seasons when he depended too heavily on his ability as a puckmover. He and Travis Sanheim lead Flyers defensemen with 18 points apiece at the 40-game mark in 2025-26.

Drysdale is an excellent skater with incredible raw ability to move laterally at the offensive point. The unique skill hasn’t yet translated to power-play success as a distributor like the Flyers hoped when they acquired him from the Ducks. He leads Flyers defensemen in power-play ice time, but he’s notched only two points with the man advantage.

The Flyers acquired Drysdale as the centerpiece of the Cutter Gauthier trade with their feet to the fire in a disastrous situation inherited from the previous front office. They trusted advisor and former Anaheim GM Bob Murray is his evaluation of his former draft pick, and they knew the acquisition would be a project for long-term development.

Drysdale hasn’t provided equally dynamic top-end scoring for the Flyers that the Ducks have gotten from Gauthier in the early years of his career. However, they're working with a young defenseman who improved under Brad Shaw has continued his development under Todd Reirden. The book is still open.

Danny Briere played his hand shrewdly in trade negotiations. He dealt Gauthier immediately after his hot streak at the 2022-23 World Juniors, which pushed the Ducks to include a 2025 second-round pick as a sweetener.

The Flyers used the 40th-overall pick last summer on Jack Murtagh. His prospect profile as a winger from the US National Team Development Program with size and shooting ability sounds eerily similar to Gauthier’s. The 18-year-old is playing his NCAA freshman season at Boston University.

Second-year sniper Cutter Gauthier sat tied with Sidney Crosby at the top of the NHL’s goal-scoring leaderboard one month into the season. He reached the midway point of 2025-26 with 19 goals and 19 assists for an upstart Ducks team in Western Conference playoff position.

A solid 20-goal season in 2024-25 and the breakout first half have substantiated his pre-draft comparisons to Mark Scheifele of the Winnipeg Jets.

Will the immature attitude he showed through the situation with the Flyers rear its ugly head in his NHL development path?

Todd Fedoruk openly spoke on the 97.5 The Fanatic game broadcast about Gauthier’s lack of humility when the rookie played in South Philly for the first time in January 2025. Gauthier will face the same criticism from former NHL players throughout his career, and his personal growth will determine how it does or doesn’t affect him.

Gauthier’s hot start will naturally draw the attention of the most passionate (and somehow most defensive and sensitive) market in professional sports. However, it also won’t impact the Flyers in their long-term rebuilding goals.

Briere dealt a contributing piece from the NHL roster in the Zegras deal. Ryan Poehling scored 23 goals and added 36 assists in a bottom-six role in two seasons with the Flyers, but he was an expendable trade chip in a larger deal for a dynamic top-six scorer.

The Flyers reasonably evaluated Poehling as a replaceable player. However, they also immediately struggled to replace him early in the 2025-26 season.

Tocchet hopes that lineup tweaks will add better offensive contributions to a fourth line missing a player with Poehling’s speed and playing style.

The Ducks drafted Eric Nilson with the second-round pick from the Flyers included in the Trevor Zegras deal. Nilson has spent the 2025-26 season at Michigan State alongside Porter Martone and a loaded roster of NHL prospects. Verbeek also acquired a fourth-rounder in the upcoming 2026 NHL Draft.