For the “rebuilding” Philadelphia Flyers, the next big event on the calendar is the trade deadline which falls on Friday, March 8. While that is still a few months away, it’s never too early to predict what avenue Danny Briere will take during his first deadline at the helm. Whether it’s dealing some upcoming unrestricted free agents for draft picks or making some franchise-altering changes, which players are likely to stay and go at the trade deadline?
Cam Atkinson
The 34-year-old Cam Atkinson is off to a hot start after missing the entirety of the 2022-23 campaign with a neck injury and subsequent surgery. He has posted eight goals and 12 points in the first 15 games. The problem is, Atkinson has one year remaining on his deal with a $5.8 million cap hit. So, even though it’s not impossible he gets moved at the deadline, if the Flyers were to deal Atkinson, it will probably happen during the offseason instead when teams would be more willing to work around that sizable cap number.
Decision- Stays until the offseason
Travis Konecny
If the Flyers are actually rebuilding, trading Travis Konecny should be high on the to-do list, especially given his near-point-per-game start. Though, considering they were just gun-shy with him during the offseason, it seems unlikely they part ways with him at the deadline. Anything is possible, but considering he still has a year left on his deal, the Flyers may continue to take their time deciding on what to do with the soon-to-be 27-year-old.
Decision- Stays
Scott Laughton
There were some impressive rumors out there during the 2023 offseason in regards to potential trade packages for de facto captain Scott Laughton, but ultimately the Flyers didn’t pull the trigger. Laughton hasn’t been off to nearly as hot a start as he was last season, but he’s not a guy teams are going to acquire for his stats; it’s his above-average ability as a depth forward and his leadership qualities that will entice potential suitors. He seems like a classic example of a player some teams will pay through the nose for at the trade deadline, but much like Konecny, if the Flyers turned down offers during the summer, would they really change their mind at the deadline?
Decision- Stays
Garnet Hathaway
Hathaway was one of the various depth players the Flyers added during the 2023 offseason with the theory that he’d be a trade chip down the road. He still has a near $2.4 million cap hit for the 2024-25 season and he’s quickly become a favorite of John Tortorella, so even though they may have a suitor at the deadline, will the Flyers sell him this season or wait until year?
Decision- Stays
Morgan Frost
The biggest, never ending, dumbest possible storyline early in the 2023-24 season has been the fate of Morgan Frost, who has found himself deep in the Tortorella doghouse. Even though he signed a two-year, $2.1 million aav extension during the summer, his handling has led to the theory he could be traded sooner rather than later. His value may not be very high at the moment, but a trade sure feels like the most likely outcome for Frost and the Flyers.
Decision- Goes
Owen Tippett
Tippett is a pending restricted free agent during the 2024 offseason. There was an early rumor to pop up suggesting that Tippett could be looking for a $7 million contract extension. It’s a number that isn’t necessarily out of the realm of possibility if he can repeat as a near 30-goal scorer, but it’s quite a bit of money for the Flyers to commit to anybody at the moment. If a deal isn’t imminent when the deadline rolls around or negotiations have taken a turn for the worse, it’s possible they trade him, but otherwise, it sure seems like Tippett will be apart of the Flyers’ future.
Decision- Stays… probably
Sean Walker
Walker has been a pleasant surprise during 2023-24, but the 29-year-old’s contract is up at the end of the season and could be a very good trade chip for the Flyers. The organization has to be careful not to fall into the Nick Seeler trap of overvaluing a depth defenseman and thus losing out on a surprise asset during a rebuild. If they really want to keep Walker around, pull the ol’ Justin Braun trick of dealing him at the deadline then re-signing him during the offseason with a free draft pick in tow.
Decision- Goes
Nick Seeler
If Chuck Fletcher was even a sei-competent GM, he would’ve dealt Seeler at last season’s deadline when he was having a respectable season. While he hasn’t been terrible to start the 2023-24 campaign, he just hasn’t been at the same level. Can they move him? Yeah, probably. Will they get anything notable in return? No.
Decision- Goes
Marc Staal
As of this writing, Marc Staal has played just four games with the Flyers after missing about a month with injury. Now, he was brought in with the sole idea of being trade bait at deadline day. Who is going to want a 37-year-old washed up depth guy? Probably nobody. It’s going to be a lot more difficult to garner value if he continues to miss time (though if he plays it could hurt his value more), but there’s absolutely zero reason to keep this guy past the deadline, even if it’s for a seventh round pick 25 years from now.
Decision- Goes
Carter Hart
All eyes will be on restricted free agent Carter Hart as the Flyers will soon be forced to make their decision in regards to their star netminder. If the Flyers have no intention on re-signing Hart, then the trade deadline could be a time to move him, and just hope that there’s a playoff team that desperately needs a goalie. It could be the best way to maximize his value. Do the Flyers end up moving Hart? It’s still not a great idea and will probably bite them sooner or later, but it sure seems like they two are destined for a split over the next few months.
Decision- Goes
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
photo credit: nbcsportsphilly.com
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