Is Cutter Gauthier poised to be the next Flyers great?

VOORHEES. NJ - It’s been nearly 50 years since the days of Bobby Clarke and the Broad Street Bullies and since then the Flyers have struggled to maintain success, occasionally finding themselves on the brink of their third Stanley Cup but always falling just short. However, the one thing all of these great Flyers teams lacked was a true superstar, sure there were some great players such as John LeClair, Claude Giroux, and Eric Lindros. Yet the Flyers were never able to get their hands on another top shelf player following the glory days of the 70’s.

Homegrown superstars have time and time again proved to be the key to winning a Stanley Cup, look at teams like Colorado with Mikko Rantanen and Nate Mckinnon or the Lightning with Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman. If you're going to win a Stanley Cup in today’s NHL there are two things you need, a top 10 goalie; one of which the Flyers have in Carter Hart, and a superstar blue chip Forward, something that until recently it seemed the Orange and Black were still searching for. However, with the fifth pick in the NHL draft the Flyers may have snagged their best prospect since Claude Giroux; Cutter Gauthier. Gauthier, 18, has been one of the most prolific scorers across the NCAA and World Juniors. Just 13 games into his freshman season at Boston College, the young striker has recorded 16 points (10 Goals, 6 Assists), While also spending extended time at the WJHC where he most recently scored twice while picking up an additional assist in the USA’s 11-1 win over Germany.

Though it is still a question mark as to when Gauthier will take to the pros, many experts believe that he could make the jump as soon as next season, though there still is a chance that he could continue to play in College into his Sophomore season. Nevertheless, a long wait shouldn’t be an issue for a Flyers club that has finished among the bottom of the league in two consecutive seasons and looked poised to be bottom-feeders once again this year. With a growing young core and a brick wall in net the Flyers have potential to be a playoff team sooner rather than later, providing management can make the right moves.

A player like Gauthier will prove to be a perfect fit for the Flyers who have been desperate for a high leverage point getter since the departure of Claude Giroux, As guys like Travis Konecny, Joel Farabee, and Ivan Provorov continue to underwhelm in that department. Veterans like Kevin Hayes will soon disperse, considering the club maintains their rebuilding course. Leaving some big holes on the first and second line that will need to be filled. An all around point getter like Gauthier will be a god send, with the vision to make some incredible passes and one of the best shots among the U20 prospects, Gauthier has an opportunity to form into a first line beast for the Orange and Black.

Though Gauthiers debut may still be a year or two out, with the current status of the Flyers it’s never a bad idea to start looking into the future. One thing this franchise has been blessed with is a high level farm system, if management can be patient and not continue to rush potential top-liners to the NHL then the Fly-Guys have the potential to be one of the best young teams in Hockey. In the meantime, if you’d like to get a sneak peak at the Flyers future I’d recommend checking out the USA in the World Juniors or even some Boston College Hockey, to get a glimpse at Gauthier. The Chances are the Flyers top prospect will be making some plays.