Flyers top prospect who refused to sign with team, explains why he skipped camp

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Sam Hutch
July 30, 2023 (3:25 PM)

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When the Philadelphia Flyers drafted Cutter Gauthier 5th overall in the 2022 National Hockey League Entry Draft, they knew they were getting a good player, but one that would take time to turn pro.

Gauthier is still just 19 years old, but it looks like the Flyers brass and their fans will have to wait a little longer to see him turn pro. As it was reported today that Gauthier would be skipping Flyers camp, and staying at Boston College according to NHL.com's Kimelman, at least Gauthier offered up an explanation; take a look.

Gauthier on skipping Flyers dev camp: �Was a little bit too much hockey after Worlds. Just too much for me. I wanted time with the family. So I figured it was best to stay home. After talking to Danny (Briere, GM), obviously it wasn't his favorite thing, but it was best for me.'

It has to be a little concerning that a player that is about to turn pro is saying something about playing too much hockey, but at 19, at least he recognizes when he's burning himself out.

Either way, if I was Danny Briere, it would leave me with a ton of questions regarding his commitment to not only the Philadelphia Flyers Organization, but the game of hockey as a whole.

The good news is, if anything after saying that he continued on to say that he was expecting to play with the Flyers at the end of the college season next year.

Gauthier did say the goal remains to play for Flyers after his college season: "That's definitely the plan. After this year, hopefully we get done pretty late there in April with the group we have, but overall that's the goal

In any case, there's reason to be concerned if you're Flyers management or fans waiting to see their top prospect.

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Would you be concerned about gautheir if you were Flyers management?
Yes	49	31.4 %
No	53	34 %
He's a kid, let him rest	34	21.8 %
It's his job to show up for development camp	20	12.8 %
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