The deal to send Cutter Gauthier to the Anaheim Ducks turned the hockey world upside down on Monday night. Not surprisingly, news emerged linking the Habs to the situation.
According to Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports, Flyers general manager Daniel Brière tried to send Cutter Gauthier to Montreal in return for the fifth overall pick in the 2023 draft.
I heard a rumor they quietly shopped Gauthier back at the draft, & it was one of the things I was chasing today.
Can now confirm yes, Gauthier was shopped. They tried to swap him for the No. 5 pick, presumably to take David Reinbacher & ensure Michkov got to 7 too. MTL passed. https://t.co/BGTOVDhFTo
– Charlie O’Connor (@charlieo_conn) January 9, 2024
In fact, the Flyers had long known that Cutter Gauthier wouldn’t sign a contract with them, so they decided to try and trade him during the 2023 draft.
The plan was to acquire the fifth pick from the Canadiens to select David Reinbacher and still keep the seventh pick and select Matvei Michkov. Kent Hughes reportedly turned down the offer, and the Flyers got only Matvei Michkov in that draft.
Now the question really arises: would the Habs have been better off acquiring Cutter Gauthier rather than selecting David Reinbacher? According to Kent Hughes, the answer right now seems to be no.
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David Reinbacher has a great attitude and was very happy to join the Habs at the draft. By comparison, Cutter Gauthier already had a list of teams he didn’t want to play for, and he hadn’t even played an NHL game yet. It’s just crazy.
18 teams yes. 14 teams no.
And you think Kent Hughes was like oh yeah let me at him. https://t.co/ctBmIo9Nxq
– Brian Wilde (@BWildeMTL) January 9, 2024
Fortunately for the Flyers, they managed to get their hands on another quality young defenseman in Jamie Drysdale, but more importantly, they managed to get rid of a player who would probably never have wanted to play for them and who would have left without earning them anything.
Cutter Gauthier has the potential to become an excellent offensive forward in the NHL, but with the Habs’ vision of having a team made up of players with leadership and good character to create a pleasant atmosphere in the dressing room, it’s clear that Kent Hughes made the right decision.
Still, only time will tell whether Kent Hughes made the right decision or not. Maybe Reinbacher will be a flop and Gauthier will become one of the NHL’s best forwards. It could just as well be the other way around, but we still don’t know at this point.
In gusto
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