he's good but he hasn't played any pro yet so he's totally unproven at the next level. solid ncaa/junior player though. They were both high picks, Drysdale being 6 overall two years earlier. But he's also signed to a legit bridge deal for the next two seasons. And Anaheim's blue line isn't good. So they must really like Gauthier to also throw in another 2nd, because that will be a pick in the 30s most likely.

I don't see how you think Anaheim cleaned up here Drysdale has top 4 potential and their blue line is bad

Philly wins this trade until Gauthier proves he's a legit NHL player. If Drysdale plays well on this bridge deal Philly gets a top 4 guy on the back end and a pick on top for someone who hasn't played a minute of pro hockey.

I agree. I've said the same thing. There's always nuance. Literally, I put it in my trade description on such ACGMs that he's faced more higher danger shots than any goalie in the league the last 5 years but appearances matter.

BUT to just make excuses and say but this and that.. it wont fly/glide/whatever ducks... til you put in the stats so selling Gibson, you'd be selling very low and it wouldnt be close to 1st round picks plus for a goalie that has been bludgeoned over the last half decade.

Because Cutter will be the perfect compliment to their forward group and betters fits the Carlsson timeline. Obviously there's a possibility Cutter doesn't piece it together at the NHL level, but let's be honest, he's going to be great. Drysdales injury scares and the Ducks abundance of quality defense prospects (Mintyukov, Zellweger, LaCombe, Helleson, Luneau, Dioncio) makes it clear why they felt like they could move on from Jamie. Like I said, I think Drysdale will be great in Philly, I absolutely love the fit between those two teams, but the Ducks did very well here.

You say did very well but they overpaid for an unproven player. You say "Let's be honest, he's going to be great", and ya know for all intents and purposes yeah, he probably will be good but there's a chance he isn't good. Or can't figure it out. Or becomes Zegras part 2 like what you think he's having a good third year? Like he's just a complete unknown at the next level. You seem to think he's guaranteed to be great but there is no guarantee of that. He is much more of an unknown than Drysdale is.

Drysdale, right this exact second, makes Philly a much better team than a guy who was being...cantankerous....about playing for them. They also got an extra pick, most likely in the 30s, where it's pretty clear you can still find legit NHL players. In fact, most of those Ducks prospects you mentioned were 2nd rd picks.

Minty is good but he's a player now he ain't getting sent down. He was #10 in his draft year. LaCombe might be better later but as of right now he plays a lot and is -20 something so he's more like a prospect getting NHL time. He was a guy picked in the 30s. The rest are not even close to being anything other than potentially NHL caliber D guys. But Luneau and Zellweger were also 2nd rd picks in the 30s.

Drysdale has top 4 potential and is already on a solid deal. I get where you're coming from, the future. This deal in the long run will of course come down to how each players career unfolds.

If Cutter turns out to be a stellar player for the Ducks so be it, but as it stands right now, the Ducks overpaid for an unproven prospect. If anybody cleaned up its Philly to get the extra draft pick most likely somewhere in the 30s.

The Ducks are an absolute mess right now simply filled with too many square pegs in round holes. This team doesnt even play competitive hockey and look like they belong in the AHL a lot of nights! Clearly, this team is broken, the injuries excuse doesnt fly, at a certain point players like Gibson/Zegras are injury prone players. The fact that this team has been stuck in mediocrity for so long that many of their fans cant even appreciate a legit star player like McTavish when I hear not one but certainly more than a few Ducks fans say Zegras is their best forward?!? In what world..? Cause it aint the NHL, he seems more and more like a trickshot specialist that is missing that all around game, he's easily game planned most nights and ineffective, he's not even a star in the regular reason, imagine thinking this kid can get it done in the playoffs with a few Michigans. That isn't realistic.

Signing mid 30s guys like Killorn to play that McTavish style hasnt worked out and this deal seems like a desperation trade to shake up the core that probably needs to be blown up. Strome, Vatrano, Silfverberg, Vatrano, hell maybe even Terry whom looked like a legit sniper but isnt consistent enough despite his high skill level. The NHL is all about consistency and this Ducks team has never been able to sustain any sort of success outside the first 10 games or so even when they are PDO'ng to a bunch of late comeback and OT wins.

I believe we have to go back almost five years to find a prospect this highly rated who was traded because he didn’t want to sign with the team that owned his rights. That was Adam Fox, who was drafted much later in his draft than Gauthier, but by the time of his trade, opinions of him had improved to around where Gauthier is now. Fox was traded for 2nd-round picks in 2019 and 2020, which turned out to be #37 and #41 overall, probably about where they were expected to land given where the Rangers were in the standings at that time.

If the Fox trade set the precedent, I think Philadelphia did very well in this trade. The 2nd-round pick they got isn’t until 2025, so it’s pretty much equivalent to the 2020 pick Carolina got for Fox, given that there’s a chance Anaheim will be better next season than they are this season, so the difference between the two trades is that Philadelphia gets Drysdale instead of an early 2024 2nd-round pick.

Drysdale was the 6th overall pick in 2020, only one position later than Gauthier in 2022. He’s not that highly regarded now, but that’s primarily because his development has been derailed by injuries rather than his play being below expectations. As far as I know there’s no reason to think he shouldn’t be able to fully recover from these injuries – he probably has a better chance than an older player – so as a 21-year-old defenseman who already has some NHL experience under his belt, he probably still has a very high potential upside. Add to that the fact that he’s on the first year of a three-year contract at a very affordable cap hit, while Philadelphia appears to be closer to being a playoff team than previously thought, and this is a gamble that could pay off very well for them. I believe their GM was correct in thinking this was a good time to sell high on Gauthier.

I feel the same about Gibson, but also Cam Fowler; probably even moreso. When you watch the games, he is an excellent decision-maker, skater, and great in all zones. He just spends over half his time making up for his teammates mistakes.

Lots to unpack there bud. I think they'll trade Henrique this TDL this year, he's the only piece I see being actually valuable to another team. Most of the ones you mentioned are under contract past this year, and Silfvy has completely nerfed his value as a rental with an abysmal season up until this point.

Maybe they move Frank next TDL when he's set to be UFA but he's also leading the team in goals this year so I wouldn't be surprised if they brought him back, if he likes it there enough to stay.

Terry they just signed so I don't see them doing that now.. Strome same thing he's a veteran presence, maybe a bit overpaid, but they need centers.

Concerning this trade, on paper the Ducks need D more than a forward who's a ways off from playing, but yea, Killorn was picked up to be the guiding light at the end of the tunnel... looks like it'll take a couple more seasons, at least, before they can hope to be legitimately competitive... Verbeek's got lots of work to do on that back end...

But hey maybe he'll trade Zegras for a young D on another team and it'll all make sense!

What is lost on ppl when they say Zegras has this immense value (the return will hurt so much that you will puke and that is the only return possible, i heard, from one delusional fan) is that he's a 6m dollar player the next 2.5 years. So far he isn't living up to the contract when he cant play or when he does he's a 60 point, one dimensional player.

That means you are paying in a trade for an overpaid, run of the mill, trickshot specialist..or..or he somehow turns around this large sample size and becomes a superstar then you are left with a player that can write his own ticket and you'll lose in free agency with only 2-3 more years of control.
That isnt worth close to a top10 pick that you can control for 7-8 years and start at an ELC AAV for 3 years as long as you dont bring them up too quickly (unlike Zegras) you are getting a bargain contract with a player that should theoretically be better than Zegras 60 point career high pace without the high AAV.

Zegras isnt worth close to what ppl think here because there are so many factors that are misunderstood in a cap world and their fans have forgotten what it takes to win with guys like Pronger and the Niedermayers. The excuse, I usually here, is that Zegras puts butts in the seats?! He has to play in the game to do, firstly. Advertizing a guy that cant stay healthy wont impress another fan base and actually make them resent the org and the player.