When the Hartford Whalers relocated to Carolina and became the Hurricanes in 1997, the Philadelphia Flyers became very friendly with the new club. They weren’t in the same division until 2013 and never really had a hot rivalry or legendary game, bur from a trade perspective, they were very busy off the ice. 11 trades took place between the teams from 1999 to 2004, and featured some of the more memorable transactions the Flyers made during the early 2000’s.
3/6/99 – Adam Burt for Andrei Kovalenko
The first trade that took place between the clubs two years after the relocation to Carolina when the Flyers acquired longtime defenseman Adam Burt in exchange for forward Andrei Kovalenko.
Burt, who had been with the Whalers since his draft year in 1987, finished out the 1998-99 season with the Flyers and played the entire 1999-00 campaign with them as well.
Kovalenko had only suited up for 13 games in Philly after being acquired from the Edmonton Oilers just over two months earlier. Much like his counterpart in Philly, he’d only play one season with the Hurricanes before moving on.
5/25/99 – Francis Lessard for 1999 eighth round pick (Antti Jokela)
The Hurricanes drafted Francis Lessard 80th overall in 1997, but would trade his rights less than two years later to the Flyers in exchange for an eighth round pick. Lessard would play three seasons with the Philadelphia Phantoms, racking up an amazing 997 penalty minutes in 202 games. He was traded to the Atlanta Thrashers at the 2002 trade deadline.
The Hurricanes drafted goalie Antti Jokela 237th overall. He never made the jump to North America, spending a bulk of his career in his native Finland.
1/23/00 – Keith Primeau and 2000 fifth round pick (Kristofer Ottoson) (traded to NYI) for Rod Brind’Amour, Jean-Marc Pelletier and 2000 second round pick (Argis Saviels)
Keith Primeau was in the middle of a holdout during the 1999-00 season. The stalemate was broken when the Hurricanes traded Primeau to the Flyers in exchange for Rod Brind’Amour and goalie Jean-Marc Pelletier.
Primeau was named captain of the Flyers in 2002, when Eric Desjardins resigned from the role. Known for his offensive abilities through his first full season in Philly, posting 34 goals and 73 points in 71 games, he was eased into a defensive role later in his career, where he became one of the better two-way forwards in the league. He retired in the summer of 2006 after missing almost the entire season with concussion problems.
The Flyers would trade that fifth round pick a month later to the Islanders in exchange for Gino Odjick.
Brind’Amour was also named captain of his new team, leading them to a Stanley Cup in 2006. He’d play a full decade with the Hurricanes winning two Selke Trophies for his two-way skills. He retired in 2010 and transitioned to a front office role, eventually becoming head coach, a role he still holds today.
Jean-Marc Pelletier never played for the Hurricanes.
Carolina traded that 2000 second round pick to the Colorado Avalanche as part of a package for defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh. Saviels never played in the NHL.
3/14/00 – Kent Manderville for Sandy McCarthy
Kent Manderville was a depth center for the Hartford Whalers and made the transition to Carolina with the franchise in 1996. He was dealt to the Flyers in March of 2000 for enforcer Sandy McCarthy.
Maderville played 129 games in Philly over parts of three seasons before being traded to the Penguins in 2002 for notorious scumbag Billy Tibbetts.
McCarthy finished the 1999-00 season with the Hurricanes and was traded during the offseason for Rob DiMaio.
5/31/00 – Paul Ranheim for 2002 eighth round pick (Darren Reid)
This was the fifth trade between the two teams in the last calendar year.
Ranheim already had 11 years of hockey under his belt by the time the Flyers acquired him. He’d play two-and-a-half season in Philadelphia, but the production he once had didn’t follow him to Philly. He was dealt to the Coyotes in December of 2002.
The Hurricanes later traded that 2002 eighth round pick in a package deal when Carolina moved up in the fourth round to select Matej Trojovsky. He never played in the NHL.
6/24/01 – 2002 third round pick (Jesse Lane) for 2001 fourth round pick (Rob Zepp)
This was a simple swapping of draft picks at the 2001 entry draft. The Hurricanes would move up to select goaltender Rob Zepp. He never played for the Hurricanes, having trouble even earning AHL ice time when he was in the organization. He would head to Germany for over a decade before eventually playing his first NHL game with the Flyers in 2015.
The Flyers would later trade the 2002 third rounder back to Carolina.
2/13/02 – Greg Koehler for Jesse Boulerice
Koehler was an undrafted forward prospect who signed with the Hurricanes in 1999. He played a single NHL game in 2001, spending the rest of the time between the AHL and ECHL. The Flyers acquired him for enforcer Jesse Boulerice, who would serve the same role with in the NHL with the Hurricanes.
Koehler finished the 2001-02 season with the Phantoms and was not re-signed during the offseason.
Boulerice played two more seasons with the Hurricanes, serving as their primary enforcer. He re-signed with the Flyers during the summer of 2007.
6/22/02 – 2002 sixth round pick (Nikita Korovkin) and 2003 third round pick (Colin Fraser) for 2002 third round pick (Jesse Lane)
The 2002 third round pick the Flyers acquired at the 2001 NHL draft was traded back to the Hurricanes for a pair of picks.
The Flyers would draft forward Colin Fraser with the 2003 third round pick. He never played for the Flyers, having his rights traded to Chicago when he was still in juniors as part of the deal that landed the Flyers Alexei Zhamnov.
The Flyers traded the 2002 sixth round pick as part of a package to the Columbus Blue Jackets where they moved up to select goalie David Tremblay, who would ultimately never play for the team.
The Hurricanes drafted defenseman Jesse Lane with their reacquired pick. He never played professional hockey, calling it a career after his QMJHL run came to an end in 2003.
2/7/03 – Sami Kapanen and Ryan Bast for Pavel Brendl and Bruno St. Jacques
Pavel Brendl was supposed to be the highlight of the Eric Lindros trade with the Rangers a few years prior, but he never amounted to much and was dealt alongside defenseman Bruno St. Jacques in exchange for Sami Kapanen and Ryan Bast.
Kapanen became a solid depth forward and fan favorite for the Flyers until his retirement from the NHL in 2008.
Bast played two games with the Flyers, with the rest of his year-and-a-half tenure with the organization coming in the AHL.
Brendl played 26 games with the Hurricanes over the following season, also being demoted to the AHL for most of the 2003-04 season. He was traded to the Coyotes in December of 2005. Bruno St. Jacques bounced between the AHL and NHL during his tenure in Carolina. He was traded to the Ducks in December of 2006.
6/22/03 – 2004 sixth round pick (Frederik Cabana) for Marty Murray
Marty Murray launched his NHL career with the Flyers after wallowing in the Calgary Flames’ system since his draft year 1993. He played two seasons as a Flyer before the trade, and spent the entirety of the 2003-04 season with the Hurricanes posting 12 points in 66 games. He’d re-sign with the Flyers after the lockout, though spent his tenure with the Phantoms.
The Flyers drafted forward Frederik Cabana in 2004, who played parts of three seasons for the Phantoms, leaving North America in 2009.
1/20/04 – Danny Markov for Justin Williams
In one of the more famously bad trades in Flyers’ history, the Flyers dealt forward Justin Williams to the Hurricanes for defenseman Danny Markov.
Markov actually played well for the Flyers after being acquired, but thanks to the lockout and the installation of the salary cap, the Flyers had to part ways with him, trading him to the Nashville Predators for a third round pick.
Williams, who was oft-injured during his time in Philadelphia, found his footing with the Hurricanes and helped them secure a Stanley Cup in 2006. He had the best offensive seasons of his career with the Hurricanes as well, with a 76-point season in 2005-06 and a 33-goal campaign in 2006-07. He was later traded to the Kings after only playing 69 games from 2007 to 2009 thanks to more injuries.
6/26/10 – 2010 seventh round pick (Ricard Blidstrand) for Jon Matsumoto
Matsumoto was a AHL forward for the Flyers who had plenty of success with the Phantoms, but never got a shot with the big club. He was traded to the Hurricanes, and once again spent the bulk of his time in the AHL, but did suit up for 13 NHL games in 2011 where he’d score his first NHL goal.
The Flyers drafted defenseman Richard Blidstrand in 2010, but he never made the jump to North America from his native Sweden.
1/13/13 – Brian Boucher and Mark Alt for Luke Pither
The most recent deal between the Flyers and Hurricanes took place in 2013 when the Flyers brought back a familiar face in exchange for someone nobody had ever heard of.
Brian Boucher played for the Flyers during the 2010-11 season, but with Ilya Bryzgalov and Sergei Bobrovsky above him on the depth chart, he was the odd man out and wasn’t offered a contract in the summer of 2011, instead signing with the Hurricanes. He played 10 games in Carolina during the 2011-12 season as Cam Ward’s backup and an injury ended his season early.
Immediately after the 2012-13 lockout ended, he was traded back to the Flyers, his fourth stint with the organization, spending most of the time with the Adirondack Phantoms. He played in 10 NHL games when Michael Leighton missed time with injury. Those games ended up being the last of his NHL career, as he retired shortly after the 2012-13 season.
Mark Alt was a depth defenseman who ended up playing with the Phantoms from 2013 to 2018 with just nine Flyers games mixed in. He was claimed on waivers by the Colorado Avalanche in February of 2018.
Luke Pither was a forward who split the 2012-13 season between the AHL and ECHL after the trade. He left for Europe the following season and has played hockey all over the globe since.
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By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
brotherlypuck.com 