In today’s NHL news and rumors rundown, the Philadelphia Flyers traded Cutter Gauthier to the Anaheim Ducks for defenseman Jamie Drysdale and a second-round selection in 2025. Immediately after the deal, the Flyers let it be known they weren’t happy with Gauthier and how he handled his exit out of the organization. Meanwhile, the Edmonton Oilers will continue to shop Jack Campbell, but it one insider says it would be surprising if the goaltender was traded this season. Finally, on the heels of the William Nylander deal, John Tavares says he wants to stay, but what does the future hold for Mitch Marner?
Flyers Forced Into Gauthier Trade When Player Refused to Respond to Team
Sources say Cutter Gauthier informed the Flyers organization he did not want to play in Philadelphia. This was confirmed by many within the organization later in the evening on Monday, including GM Daniel Briere. Briere said that Gauthier had informed them at the draft he wanted to be a Flyer, and then mysteriously told them a couple of months later he didn’t. They don’t know why and when they tried to get to the bottom of it, he refused to respond to the organization. According to Elliotte Friedman, “Apparently, Philadelphia had a lot of trouble trying to meet with Gauthier at World Juniors. Belief was he preferred not to play there, so Flyers made this deal.”
Reports are that Briere was working on this deal for some time and he, along with Flyers’ President of Hockey Operations, Keith Jones, thanked opposing GMs for not letting it get out that the Flyers were searching for a trade partner. Pierre LeBrun noted that throughout the process, “Gauthier didn’t want to sign with the Flyers and I’m told wouldn’t meet with the Flyers front office to let them explain their plan. Flyers made best of it given those circumstances.”
Related: Flyers Acquire Jamie Drysdale From Ducks in Blockbuster Trade
The Flyers have universally said that players who don’t want to play in Philadelphia won’t be kept on the team. They seem upset about the way this went down while Briere said they didn’t go public because they wanted to protect the player in case he changed his mind, there is some bitterness there.
Oilers Unlikely to Trade Jack Campbell This Season
Edmonton Oilers General Manager Ken Holland is aware he faces a pivotal decision regarding Jack Campbell’s future with the team. Satisfied with the play of Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard, Holland acknowledges the need to make decisions on Campbell’s role and will work the phones in an effort to find a trade partner.
LeBrun suggests, in a recent Athletic article, that the Oilers may seek a veteran goalie as a 1B option to Skinner or a traditional backup. The chances of moving Campbell this season are slim, the NHL insider notes. LeBrun explains:
And this is me, not Holland, but I don’t see any likely scenario in which Edmonton moves Campbell’s contract before the March 8 trade deadline. It would probably cost two first-round picks to get a team to eat a deal that has three more years at a $5 million cap hit. That situation is going to have to wait until the summer, whether that’s a buyout or not. I just don’t see the Oilers dealing with that this season.”
source – ‘LeBrun: The decisions behind the Oilers’ turnaround — and what comes next? Catching up with GM Ken Holland’ – Pierre LeBrun – The Athletic – 01/08/2024
John Tavares Wants to Remain in Toronto After Current Contract Done
Following the news of William Nylander’s extension with the Maple Leafs, John Tavares talked about the deal and his own future. Tavares is a year and a half away from free agency himself and the expectation is that the Leafs will need him to take a very team-friendly deal if he’s going to stick around. According to Luke Fox of Sportsnet, “The captain reiterates that he too wants to stay in Toronto.”
As for what the next deal will look like, that’s tough to know without comparing his production to the market at the time. It’s clear the Maple Leafs will have some difficult decisions to make in the off-season. There will be questions about where Mitch Marner fits into all of this. Is he part of the long-term solution in Toronto? Or, was Nylander chosen over Marner and the team is prepared to move on.
Sign up for our Daily NHL News & Rumors Substack newsletter
