The Calgary Flames have their finger hovering about the “sell” button as a roster with multiple pending free agents in 2024 have gotten off to a very lackluster start in 2023-24. The first name to emerge asking out of Calgary is 28-year-old, left-handed defenseman Nikita Zadorov. The defense-first physical D-man clocks in at 6’6 and 235lbs.
Noted non-insiderrrrr Mike Commodore told Zadorov to #PackYourShit and take it to Philly, which has opened the theory door as to what exactly it is the Flyers would be doing sniffing around Nitika Zadorov’s tree.
The rebuilding, not rebuilding, but kinda sorta rebuilding Flyers getting a pending unrestricted free agent defenseman in their sights doesn’t seem to make a ton of sense… or does it? Let’s weigh some pros and cons of a potential Zadorov to Philly trade.
Pros
Trade deadline chip
The big theory as to why the Flyers would do this trade is simple, they send pieces that are on the outs in Philly and individually may not have significant trade value Calgary, then the Flyers flip Zadorov to a contender for a useable asset at the trade deadline. If the Flyers send a package of, say, Morgan Frost, Wade Allison and Ronnie Attard (all NHL-caliber players who desperately need a change of scenery) to Calgary for Zadorov, then ship Zadorov to Toronto for a first round pick, it’s a net positive move for the Flyers. Is it an unlikely scenario? Yes. Could it make sense if the Flames would be interested in rehab projects at the NHL level? Also yes.
Appeals to the boomers…
A 6’6, 235lb physical defenseman is as close to a “Broad Street Bully” as you can get these days. For as much as Keith Jones and Danny Briere have worked to bring back the past, acquiring a guy whom they could market as a bully feels like a believable on-brand move, even if it doesn’t stay within the lines of the rebuild they’re trying to sell.
…And Torts
At the end of the day, any and all roster moves seem to go through John Tortorella, and if he feels this team needs to get bigger, older and meaner on the blue line, he could be the voice to tip the scale when it comes to the decision.
Cons
Not another LHD
If there’s one position the Flyers don’t need any more bodies at it’s left-handed defenseman. Sanheim, York, Seeler, Zamula, Mete and Staal are all lefties, not to mention Emil Andrae and Adam Ginning at the AHL level. Zadorov does have some experience playing on the right side to be fair, but building a roster entirely out of left-handed defenseman is a bold choice.
He needs a contract
Not only would the Flyers have to give up assets to acquire Zadorov, he is also a pending restricted free agent in need of a new deal in 2024. Does the organization risk giving up anything for a potential rental? Probably not a smart risk considering they’re not going to make the playoffs to even attempt to justify it.
Can the Flyers match other team’s offers?
The Flyers may have more assets to move than your typical team, but for a squad like the Maple Leafs, who are desperate to win a Stanley Cup this year and could throw a big offer on the table for Zadorov, can the Flyers… or rather should the Flyers match their offer?
Conclusion
Zadorov may fit the mold as a classic Flyer, but with the team more than likely to miss the playoffs, trading for an upcoming UFA just doesn’t make a ton of sense. If the trade comes with a contract extension in tow, maybe there’s an argument to be made, because Seeler, Staal and Walker are all pending unrestricted free agents as well, and the blue line could use as many upgrades as it can get.
If the fan theory of trading Zadorov for whatever misfit toys they would take could actually come to fruition, then it could be an interesting route to take. Sticking with the Frost, Allison and Attard analogy, the Flyers clear out a few bodies who don’t have real futures within the organization in a very congested pipeline for one player that they can then either re-sign or flip for a better future asset at the deadline. That’s a win-win.
Though it seems unlikely Calgary would go for something like that, because why would they let another team play middleman for their trade chip, especially if there’s a first round pick at the end of the rainbow? It’s possible they’d want multiple NHL-ready pieces now to combat a roster that is about to experience a wave of free agent losses, and two of the three are signed for next season and Allison is still an RFA.
The Flyers haven’t added outside legitimate talent in a very long time, and going all-in on Zadorov at this point in time just doesn’t seem like a smart move. Though there are unlikely paths where it could make sense, too. If a contract extension is in place in a real trade, or, as noted, a cocktail of lesser rehab projects would satisfy their needs, then maybe it’s a reasonable path the Flyers can consider. But it just doesn’t feel like the timeline will work out with Zadorov, a phrase we’ve all become too familiar with when it comes to making excuses for the lack of outside talent the Flyers could pursue.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
photo credit: yardbarker.com
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