PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia Flyers coach John Tortorella lashed out at a beat reporter during his postgame news conference Wednesday night, questioning a report surrounding the trade of top prospect Cutter Gauthier on Monday.
Gauthier told Flyers general manager Danny Briere that he didn’t want to play in Philadelphia or for the Flyers. Unable to sign Gauthier, Philadelphia traded the Boston College star to Anaheim on Monday for defenseman Jamie Drysdale.
On Monday, a reporter with a podcast affiliated with the team said, citing an organizational source, that former Flyers forward Kevin Hayes’ “fingerprints are all over this.” Hayes, a former Boston College player, now plays for St. Louis after he was traded last summer.
Tortorella took issue with the report after Philadelphia’s 3-2 victory over Montreal on Wednesday night.
“Is the guy here that [called] Kevin Hayes a problem?” Tortorella asked.
“Yes,” he answered.
“Are you kidding me? You think Kevin Hayes is going to do something like that? … ,” Tortorella said. “It just pisses me off that you guys throw that around and affect someone’s life. Kevin Hayes and I had a problem and we couldn’t come to an agreement how to play.
“That’s a good man. That’s a good man. And what you said is going to stay with him. That’s what you guys don’t understand. You’re going to sit there and say you have the right sources. …”
Tortorella then called it a “silly podcast.”
The coach praised Drysdale, who had an assist and played well in his first game with the Flyers.
“I was impressed how he handled himself,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.