John Tortorella doesn't care about Anaheim Ducks forward Cutter Gauthier's feelings heading into the latter's first game against the Philadelphia Flyers since a trade request that stirred up plenty of drama.
Gauthier, who the Flyers drafted fifth overall in 2022, was dealt to the Ducks for Jamie Drysdale last season in a shock move. He was among Philadelphia's top prospects at the time but said he wanted to start his career with a different team for a variety of reasons.
Gauthier said the Ducks' clash with the Flyers on Saturday is one he's looked forward to for a while.
"Obviously, with all that happened, it's definitely been a game circled on my calendar and I'm super excited to play," he said. "It's been a lot of anticipation leading up to the game, so I'm ready to go out there and play my game.
"I feel like all of it's just media, and all of it's noise. The more and more you listen to that, the more you get inside your own head and let it affect your play."
Tortorella's response was, as is his style, blunt.
"I don't give a shit what he says," Tortorella said, per The Athletic's Kevin Kurz. "I'm not interested in answering any questions about Cutter Gauthier. I don't wish anything bad on the kid, I'm not going to answer any questions on it."
Flyers veteran Scott Laughton said the significance of the matchup is more important to the fans than the players.
"It might register more in Philly when he starts hearing the fans and stuff," Laughton said. "I don't know. He's a young kid. He did what he thought he had to do. I don't really understand it, but that's just the way it went. We got a great player in return in Jamie, and a guy who wants to be here, in a franchise that takes care of their guys, takes care of their players and they really care for you. It's kind of ... whatever."
Gauthier appeared in one contest with the Ducks last season and has registered 14 points in 33 games so far in 2024-25.
