The Daily: NHL Trade Season Opens; Oilers Come In Hot to Detroit

Nothing like a high profile deal to get the NHL trade market buzzing. The Philadelphia Flyers and Anaheim Ducks have unofficially launched the 2024 NHL trade season with a swap that caught many by surprise.

The Flyers traded prize prospect Cutter Gauthier to the Ducks for young defenseman Jamie Drysdale and a second-round draft pick. GM Daniel Briere said afterward that he made the deal because Gauthier wouldn’t communicate with the team.

Marc Dumont of Montreal Hockey Now wrote that the Flyers tried to trade Gauthier to the Montreal Canadiens at 2023 NHL draft for the same reason.  The Flyers wanted Montreal’s No. 5 pick in the first round.

Jonathan Bailey’s story at PHN goes into detail about the Gauthier swap. The Ducks drafted Drysdale sixth overall in 2020. He will be 22 in April. Gauthier is 19 and was drafted fifth overall in 2022. He plays at Boston College, and recently helped USA win the gold medal at the WJC.

Why didn’t Gauthier want to be a Flyers player?

“I don’t know,” Briere said. “We never got an answer.”

The Hockey Now network looked at some NHL rumors this week. Sheng Peng addressed the Elliotte Friedman rumor that teams are interested in San Jose Sharks goalie Kaapo Kahkonen.

In case you were wondering, there’s been no NHL chatter about Red Wings trade rumors. But there never is, even when GM Steve Yzerman is being aggressive in the marketplace. He keeps a lid on his strategy.

Red Wings In Case You Missed It

• Blue chip Detroit prospect Axel Sandin Pellikka is sidelined week-to-week with an upper body injury that has put him in a cast. Bob Duff has the story.
• The Red Wings will primarily face playoff teams for the remainder of this month. Those results should give us a better idea of where the team fits in the playoff race.
• Alex Lyon has earned a new nickname from Detroit captain Dylan Larkin.
• Michael Rasmussen netted the GWG in the win against the Anaheim Ducks. He shows nine goals now. Could he net 20?

Red Wings Next Game

The Red Wings’ next game is Thursday’s home game against the streaking Edmonton Oilers. The Red Wings will need to continue to improve their defensive coverage to take down an Oilers team that has won seven games in a row. The Oilers have not scored fewer than three goals in any of those victories. They have outscored opponents 33-13 during the streak. Connor McDavid has 13 points during the streak.

Hockey Now Network

Boston: BHN’s Jimmy Murphy offers that Charlie Coyle’s mentorship has played a significant role in Trent Frederic taking a major step in his development. Frederic has been a force this season. Boston Bruins.

Chicago: Nate Brown’s take is that the Chicago fan base’s renewed enthusiasm for the Chicago Blackhawks is going to be rewarded down the road even if it isn’t evident now.

Florida: George Richards writes that the Florida Panthers have won seven in a row because their top six forwards have been dynamite of late.

New Jersey: The Devils have been hurt badly by a string of injuries. Their latest: Jonas Siegenthaler suffered a broken foot blocking a shot by former Detroit Red Wings player Filip Hronek. The Devils haven’t provided any timeline for his return, but a doctor not involved in the case said the minimum recovery time for an injury of that nature is four weeks.

Pittsburgh: The Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins are now two points apart in the standings. Defenseman Kris Letang lost some blood on a high stick Monday. The Flyers-Penguins rivalry is alive and well. That’s PHN writer Dave Molinari’s take. Good read.