The Anaheim Ducks made a massive move to stock up for the future on Monday night. Anaheim acquired forward Cutter Gauthier from the Philadelphia Flyers in a shocking move. Gauthier, who was named the best forward at the 2024 IIHF World Juniors, is thought of as a truly legitimate blue-chip prospect.

In return, the Ducks traded defenseman Jamie Drysdale to the Flyers. Philadelphia received a 2025 second-round pick in the trade, as well. It's certainly a deal few saw coming. And it's one that has sparked a number of reactions, especially in the Flyers organization. On Monday, though, Anaheim general manager Pat Verbeek addressed his team's side of this trade.

Why Ducks traded with Flyers for Cutter Gauthier

Verbeek mentioned that this trade comes within the context of what he saw from the organization's depth. Anaheim has a ton of young talent. And a lot of that talent could make huge impacts in the NHL years down the line. In Verbeek's eyes, though, they had to jump on this opportunity.

“When I look at our system, our organization and the depth of our system, we do not have a player like this in our organization,” the Ducks general manager said, via NHL.com. “When I discussed with our amateur scouts, there's not a player like this coming, so two years down the road in his development, he should be able to come in and play in the NHL.”

The Ducks know they gave up a promising player. Drysdale struggled with injuries, but when he's healthy, he's shown he can be an offensive contributor in the league. That said, Anaheim did not do this for the sake of making a move.

“There's certain times when you want to shake things up, this wasn't the case. This was a need case, in my view,” Verbeek said Monday night, via NHL.com.

Ducks fans certainly have to be hyped about the caliber of talent in the organization now. The Cutter Gauthier trade could definitely spark a bit of a rivalry between Anaheim and the Philadelphia Flyers moving forward, as well.