NHL Rumors: Insider reveals why Colorado Avalanche's pursuit of Cutter Gauthier fell short

The Philadelphia Flyers made a significant trade on Monday, sending former first-round pick Cutter Gauthier to the Anaheim Ducks. In return, they acquired defenseman Jamie Drysdale and a 2025 second-round pick. The trade marked a departure from their initial hopes for Gauthier, whom they had selected with the No. 5 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.

According to insider Elliotte Friedman, the Colorado Avalanche were one of several teams that showed interest in acquiring Cutter Gauthier. The Avalanche, known for their solid roster and strategic player acquisitions, engaged in talks with the Flyers regarding the talented prospect.

However, the pursuit of Cutter Gauthier by the Avalanche eventually fell short, as revealed by Friedman. He said that the Flyers inquired about defenseman Bowen Byram in the trade discussions. Byram, a key player for the Avalanche, seemed to be a target for the Flyers, but Colorado was not willing to part ways with him in a one-for-one deal.

Friedman said on the 32 Thoughts Podcast about Colorado's stance in the negotiations:

"I think Philly did ask about Bowen Byram, and I just think Colorado wasn't going there. … I suspect Colorado’s answer was: 'we are not doing this 1-for-1; it’s got to be more than Gauthier for Byram.'"

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What Flyers GM Danny Briere said about Cutter Gauthier trade

Flyers general manager Danny Briere remains puzzled about Cutter Gauthier's sudden desire to leave the Philadelphia organization. On The Jeff Marek Show, Briere said:

“We don’t know, so we have no idea. To be honest, I can understand that to a certain degree.

"The part that we could not understand was why we could not get a chance to present our vision to him and his family. That was the odd thing in the whole saga.”

The lack of stability in the Flyers organization last season was considered but not confirmed as a factor. Briere recounted:

“It was a Zoom call. His agent requested a Zoom call,” “We thought that he was going to tell us that he wanted to turn pro, that he was changing his mind because he had told us that he wanted to go back to college for another year to develop."

Briere continued:

"But he had a really good World Championship, and even ourselves, we thought, ‘OK, he might be more ready than anybody thought.’ And so we were ready to move in that direction.

"You know, had a contract ready, and when the Zoom started, we were told he was changing his mind, but not to turn pro, rather that he just didn’t want to play for the Flyers and requested to be traded.”

On his Flyers debut, newly acquired Jamie Drysdale logged nearly 20 minutes of ice time, contributing to the power play and notching up an assist against the Montreal Canadiens.