Flyers Select Cutter Gauthier With The 5th Overall Pick

The NHL Draft got off to a wild start and it was one of the most entertaining drafts in recent memory. First the Montreal Canadiens selected Juraj Slafkovsky which was a bit of a surprise. Then the Devils selected defenseman Simon Nemec, followed by the Coyotes taking center Logan Cooley. The highly touted Shane Wright ended up slipping to the 4th overall pick where he was selected by the Seattle Kraken right before the Flyers selection.

The Pick Is In:

I was on the edge of my seat hoping and praying that Wright would fall one more spot. But instead he gets to play for Dave Hakstol in Seattle, I really feel bad for the guy. With the Flyers on the clock after Wright was selected I was fully prepared for them to do something insanely dumb. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case and they made a decent pick.

Cutter Gauthier from the US National Development Program was the selection. A center turned winger who stands at 6’2 and coming in at 201lbs he brings much needed size to the Flyers. Gauthier is committed to play at Boston College for next season so don’t expect to see him in the opening night lineup.

Gauthier finished with 65 points in 54 games last season including 34 goals and 31 assist. We’ve seen him show flashes of how great he can be and he really is a top tier talent the Flyers haven’t had in a long time. Gauthier has the potential to be an impact player for the Flyers organization and a year at BC should only help his development.

Overall Thoughts

I for one was hoping the Flyers were going to take the defenseman David Jiricek but I am fine with them taking Gauthier here. First and foremost Cutter Gauthier is easily the best name out of the draft so we have that going for us. Secondly, as long as the Flyers don’t screw up his development he should be a great player. He’s a big dude with speed and has the goal scoring ability that the Flyers lack. He has already said he will be playing one year at Boston College and then turning pro so we could see him towards the end of the upcoming season.

Bottom line is I’m happy we didn’t trade out of the pick and while it would have been incredible to land Shane Wright, landing Cutter Gauthier isn’t too bad of a consolation prize. This is a decent start to the Flyers off-season and hopefully they build off of it going into tomorrows rounds and next week when free agency opens.

Follow me on Twitter to stay up to date on everything Flyers related @Keith_Walsh18

Here are some of Cutter Gauthier best highlights: