The Philadelphia Flyers roster continues to fester in a murky abyss as it begs for serious change and upgrades. While those calls have gone unanswered to this point, the front office can’t ignore it forever… right? Whether it’s the trade deadline or the start of what should be a busy summer, here are the next Flyers likely to get traded.
Number 5: Travis Konecny
Travis Konecny is in the middle of a career renaissance and currently sitting over a point-per-game early in the season, which would seem like a natural player to keep around, right? But what if they sold high on TK to clear some cap and gain a few assets? Rumors regarding the front office potentially trading Konecny have been swirling for the last few offseason, but there’s ultimately been no fire to that smoke so far. The inconsistencies in Konecny’s play are well documented and it may be best for the Flyers to cash out on a player at their peak rather than wait for the disappointing version of Teeks to return.
Number 4: Kevin Hayes
Addressing the center depth, or lack thereof, during the 2023 offseason should be priority number one for the Flyers. But to make any serious impact signings, they’re going to have to clear some cap space first, and Hayes is a good place to start. He’s got three years left at a $7.1 million cap hit and carries a 12-team no-trade list as well. Hayes is still playing well, but just can’t handle the burden of being a top line center these days, and that’s the role the Flyers have forced upon him thanks to injuries and refusal from the front office of adding other centers in previous years. If they clear his contract and pursue a legit top guy like Dylan Larkin in free agency, it’d be a huge, necessary upgrade for the roster.
Number 3: Morgan Frost
It’s yet another season of massive disappointment from Morgan Frost and that could indicate that his days in orange and black are numbered. While he doesn’t have much trade value in his own right, he may still hold some interest as a throw-in piece if the Flyers pursue a bigger target during the offseason. He still flashes enough basic competence that it’s well within reason he could eventually carve out a niche for himself, but considering all the holes the Flyers have to fill in the very near future, they can’t keep playing the wait and see game forever.
Number 2: Cam York
Whether it’s a good idea or not, 21-year-old Cam York, who is the team’s top defense prospect, is very much the odd man out to start the 2022-23 campaign. Since there doesn’t appear to be an NHL roster spot available anytime soon thanks to the extension of Travis Sanheim, one has to wonder if he’s got any future with the club at all? York could very well be one of their best trade assets if they’re actually looking to make a legit roster addition, so between the logjam on the main roster and the individual value he holds, it shouldn’t come as a surprise if York is shipped out of Philly before the 2023-24 campaign gets underway.
Number 1: James Van Riemsdyk
At this point, it doesn’t really matter whether or not the Flyers trade JVR. Chuck Fletcher couldn’t do it when it mattered most during the 2022 offseason, but gaining a mediocre asset for a worthless player is the bare minimum they could do now. JVR racked up five points in the first six games before a broken finger sidelined him, so in the chance he can regain that pace upon his return, there’s a possibility they could actually trade him for a draft pick. It probably won’t be in the first couple rounds, be a third rounder for wasting five years of out time is a fair trade off.
Honorable mentions
Ryan Ellis
It’s pretty much a guarantee Ryan Ellis’ career is over. But the Flyers are still stuck with the tab, picking up the remaining four seasons in his contract at a whopping $6.25 million cap hit. While they could just stash him away on LTIR for the next half decade, Chuck Fletcher should be looking to unload his contract to get him completely off the books. Whether he possesses the smarts and or guts to do that is up for debate, but it should undoubtedly be a path they explore next offseason, especially considering they, as of this writing, don’t have any clear updates on either Cam Atkinson or Sean Couturier, who may also end up on LTIR for the long-term as well.
Justin Braun
Braun being dealt at the deadline is probably a guarantee. Put him here to cover the bases. The question becomes whether or not they can get more than the third round pick they acquired for him last season.
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By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
photo credit: nhl.com
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