If not the Anaheim Ducks, who else would the Philadelphia Flyers trade with? Apparently, the Minnesota Wild were in hot pursuit of former Flyers prospect Cutter Gauthier.
Gauthier, as we know, was traded to Anaheim by the Flyers in exchange for Jamie Drysdale and a 2025 second-round pick. He recently signed his entry-level contract and played a game for the Ducks.
But things could have gone a lot differently for Gauthier and the Flyers if the Wild had their way.
Michael Russo and Joe Smith of The Athletic ($) did their end-of-season Minnesota Wild mailbag, and one reader asked them the chances that Marco Rossi gets traded. As part of their response, Russo and Smith divulged that the Wild were after Gauthier in a prospective Flyers trade before he was shipped to Anaheim.
Gauthier was an example of what it would take for the Wild to move Rossi.
The Flyers, of course, ended up prying Drysdale away from the Ducks, but the 22-year-old defenseman suffered through yet another injury-marred season. Though it’s undoubtedly no slight against Drysdale, it would be fair to wonder how different the future would look for the Flyers had they traded for Rossi instead.
After scoring only one assist through his first 21 NHL games, Rossi stuck with the Wild full-time this season, scoring 21 goals, 19 assists, and 40 points while playing in all 82 regular season games.
Rossi is only 22 years old and was the ninth overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, drafted just two picks after Drysdale. Unless Rossi was simply off the table for this Flyers trade, it would appear that the organization instead opted for a young, right-shot defenseman versus the 5-foot-9 center, who was utterly unproven at the NHL level until this year.
And although it would be nice to see the Flyers trade for a young, high-flying center, it’s also important to trust their judgment. A move like that could still be in store for the Flyers in the coming months.
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