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The Philadelphia Flyers are in an interesting position, heading into NHL Trade Deadline week. The team appears to be a bit of a quandary for what they might do come Friday at 3pm ET.
For the moment, they remain technically in range of a playoff berth, as they stand six points off of the Eastern Conference’s final Wild Card berth.
A 3-1 victory over the Boston Bruins at the XFinity Mobile Arena on Saturday give the Flyers some reason for hope. The win helped Philadelphia conclude a relatively successful first week back from the Olympic break. On Thursday, they rallied from a two goal deficit to beat the New York Rangers 3-2 in overtime. Both victories were important after losing 3-1 to the Washington Capitals the night before.
However, the likelihood of making the postseason isn’t especially high after a rough January prior to the Olympic break. As a result, general manager Daniel Briere has to be weighing the prospect of selling off roster assets rather versus adding for a playoff push.
With this in mind, let’s take a look at the possible candidates who might be part of that kind of plan.
Rasmus Ristolainen
For the second consecutive season, defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen finds himself as one of the primary focal points of Flyers trade rumors. And there is a pretty decent chance this upcoming week might be his final days in orange and black. That’s because, with a year remaining on his contract, his value might never be higher. The market for 6’5 right shot defensemen is in high demand.
Ristolainen’s performance for Team Finland in the Milan Olympics has put him firmly on contending teams’ radars. With as many six clubs reportedly with offers, the key for the Flyers will be determining what will be the best course of action for the return. If it’s draft picks, the thinking here is that Briere can’t accept less than a second rounder in 2026 or 2027. If they try for prospects, the focus should be for a center or a defenseman.
However, the concerns regarding Ristolainen’s injury history shouldn’t be waved off, which is why there might be limitations on their asking price.
Nonetheless, there’s a pretty decent probability on the big Finn being traded to a contender by Friday.
Owen Tippett
It’s interesting that Owen Tippett has come up in trade rumors this week, specifically tied to the Boston Bruins. Tippett has started to round into the form that the Flyers hoped for when they acquired him several seasons ago. While he still suffers from consistency, his speed on the rush is tantalizing and he is knocking on the door of another 20 goal season. As one of the Flyers top scorers, I don’t think they’re inclined to move him at the deadline unless they are shocked by the trade offer.
In addition, his contract with Philadelphia (with six seasons remaining at $6.2 million AAV) might also be tempting for other teams. If Briere decides to part with Tippett, this could be part of a larger hockey trade, but it might come during the offseason. With a plethora of wingers on the roster in Matvei Michkov and the injured Tyson Foerster, along with recent drafted Porter Martone, Briere shouldn’t settle for less than a top six projectable center prospect in exchange.
Bobby Brink
Bobby Brink has rounded himself into a relentless middle six support forward. He is willing to get to the “dirty” areas of the ice, which is why he has seen time on the power-play.
However, he is also facing a potential roster crunch with the recent emergence of rookie Denver Barkey, along with Alex Bump and Martone waiting in the wings. As a restricted free agent this summer, it’s not outside the realm of possibility that Briere could include him in a larger trade package by then. Whether Briere acts on moving him this week remains to be seen.
Sam Ersson
While there is an inclination that the Flyers should look to cut bait with Ersson sooner rather than later, the fact is that Briere would need to have a plan in place to adequately replace him. Aleksei Kolosov doesn’t seem to be the guy to do that. It seemes more likely that the Flyers let Ersson play out the rest of the season. It’s possible that they could re-sign him on a one year, low cost “prove it” contract this summer, but it seems more likely that they go explore options elsewhere.
Don’t expect there to be bidders for him this week.
Noah Juulsen
With Emil Andrae drawing back in on the Flyers third defense pairing this week, it’s possible that Briere could look to move Juulsen might fetch a late round draft pick from a contending team looking to add inexpensive depth.
Phantoms defenseman Hunter McDonald was recalled last week and could easily fit into Juulsen’s role. With an inexpensive expiring contract, he fits in that classic depth defenseman trade that teams tend to look for as the clock winds down.
Carl Grundstrom
Briere acquired Grundstrom late in the preseason as part of a trade to shed Ryan Ellis’ contract. The Swedish has played his role as a fourth line veteran to a hilt. Eight goals and ten points in 29 games with the Flyers.
He’s played all three forward positions (currently playing fourth line center). Like Juulsen, he could fetch a fifth or sixth round pick.
