If the name of the game for the Philadelphia Flyers heading into the 2023 offseason is rebuilding, theoretically, that means there’s a metaphorical “for sale” sign on the roster. Unfortunately, there may not be much interest in the wares the Flyers are trying to sell. Though that doesn’t mean there is no value sprinkled throughout the roster, it just means the new front office may have to get a little creative to move the players that teams do show interest in.
Number 5: Kevin Hayes
Doing his best Harvey Dent impression from The Dark Knight, it’s been a season of two very different sides of Kevin Hayes. There’s the point-per-game all-star who produced the best statical season of his career, and there’s the glacial-speed, uncaring, sassing the coach veteran who wants to be anywhere else other than here. He hasn’t scored a goal in 22 games dating back to February 11 and has just six assists in that time. His point totals should help his trade value rise, but the fact he has three years left on his current contract at a whopping $7.1 million cap hit limits the teams that are going to take a chance on him. Given the very shallow center market, it’s not impossible Hayes gets moved, but can the Flyers deal him without retaining half of his contract to do so?
Number 4: Joel Farabee
The Flyers are approaching a crossroads with Joel Farabee. He’s currently enveloped in his second season marred by injuries and underwhelming play. A serious offseason neck surgery and a very early return is a valid excuse for this struggles this season, but for someone the Flyers were hoping would be a legitimate top guy, he just hasn’t reached that level. Though at the end of the day he’s still a 23-year-old former first round pick that has played top six minutes for a bulk of his NHL career. The $5×5 he’s got left on his contract isn’t the best given his diminished on-ice value at the moment, but there would be plenty of rebuilding teams who would take a chance on Farabee if the Flyers were to pull the rip cord early.
Number 3: Scott Laughton
Laughton is in an interesting place when it comes to his spot on the roster. He’s more or less the de facto captain of the team and currently the second longest tenured member of the roster. Even at 28 years old and in year 10 of his professional career, he’s having a personal best season with 18 goals and 41 points. It seems unlikely he gets traded anytime soon, but if his name were to hit the trade rumor mill, he’d be one of the premier middle-six versatile forwards on the market and could bring some serious value back for the club, especially at a trade deadline.
Number 2: Tony DeAngelo
DeAngelo has more or less come as advertised this season. A right-shot powerplay producer that struggles in his own end. He just doesn’t work on a team with as weak a defensive structure as the Flyers, but as he proved last season in Carolina when the team’s defense is up to par, he could serve a purpose without being a total disaster. With just one year left on his deal at a $5 million cap hit and a pretty underwhelming 2023 RHD free agent pool to pick from, there will be at least a team or two interested in his services. Can the Flyers recoup the second, third and fourth round picks they parted with to get him, probably not entirely, but it may just be easier to cut their losses and give a prospect his role instead.
Number 1: Ivan Provorov
Provorov is about to wrap up his seventh season in the NHL, and even though there are six games left as of this writing, he’s more than likely going to finish the season with a career low in goals and points as well as his lowest average TOI since his rookie campaign. There’s been noticeable tension between the Flyers and Provorov for well over a year now and they may end up parting ways sooner rather than later. He’s got two years left at a $6.7 cap hit, which is a totally fine number for a higher end defenseman these days. His play gets nit-picked to death and he’s not exactly popular player amongst the fanbase these days, but he serves a big enough on-ice role that if the Flyers were to consider moving him, they need to get a fairly substantial return to make it worth their while. If they were to deal him for what essentially boils down to nothing, it’s a far bigger negative than keeping the brooding Russian for another season.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
photo credit: Getty Images
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