unsurprisingly the comments have been pretty vile.
philly doing philly things
https://www.stltoday.com/sports/profess ... ebeaa.htmlBlues forward Kevin Hayes denied having any involvement with Cutter Gauthier’s decision not to sign with Philadelphia, one day after a report by Crossing Broad that stated “Kevin Hayes’ fingerprints are all over this,” a clip that began circulating on social media Monday night.
The Flyers traded the 19-year-old Gauthier to the Ducks on Monday night in exchange for Jamie Drysdale and a second-round pick. Philadelphia drafted Gauthier with the No. 5 pick in the 2022 draft but was informed he would not sign with the organization.
Hayes was a member of the Flyers for four seasons before he was traded to the Blues over the summer.
Hayes said he texted Philadelphia general manager Danny Briere and said he never said anything bad about Flyers coach John Tortorella. Here is Hayes’ full response when asked by The St. Louis Post-Dispatch whether he wanted to say anything about the situation in Philadelphia.
“It’s completely false. One-hundred percent false. I don’t know where he got that information from. I took that kid golfing once. The coach at BC asked me to take him golfing just to chat with him. He played nine holes and he went home. I sent him a text after he won World Juniors saying, ‘Congrats.’ I told him if he ever had any issues or problems, when I was with Philly, I felt like I was doing Philly a good service by helping out their fifth overall pick. Never once said a negative thing about Torts. Never once said a negative thing about the organization. I reached out to Danny B last night, told him exactly what I’m telling you.
“Yeah, I think it’s complete bulls---, honestly. I think those two guys acted like complete pieces of s---, to be honest, making s--- up. Now, I’m going to bed and waking up with death threats and people want my family dead and people that are happy that my brother’s dead. I think it’s completely insane that this guy can say something like that.
“I honestly heard it and started laughing. Who the f--- am I to have influence on if a kid plays for an NHL team or not? I don’t have that influence. I think whatever info that guy got, he should fact check it. You can ask Cutter about it, you can ask that idiot reporter if he wants to ask me questions about it. I’ll answer any questions he has.
“I enjoyed all four years in Philly. It’s a class-act organization. I had an absolute blast there. I wish the results were better at the end, but they weren’t. All of a sudden, I get traded, which I’m not mad at them about at all. It’s their opinion. We’re in a professional business where they make decisions on who they want on their team. I wasn’t one of them.
“I totally respect everything they’ve built there. I still have really close friends there. I think it’s insane how an 18-year-old kid not going to a team is somehow my fault.”
Hayes said Briere responded via text that he “had no doubt in my mind” that Hayes was not involved with Gauthier’s decision, and that he “told the guys here that I believe that.”
Gauthier currently goes to Boston College, which is where Hayes went to college for four years. Hayes, originally drafted by Chicago in 2010, signed with the Rangers as a free agent in 2014.
In print, Anthony San Filippo of Crossing Broad wrote, “Multiple sources have told me that Hayes was very influential with Gauthier and three of them indicated that Hayes either had direct impact on Gauthier’s decision to not want to play for the Flyers or that it was very possible that he did.”