As the Philadelphia Flyers gear up for the 2024 offseason, early rumors are swirling as to how exactly Danny Briere goes about improving his team during the summer. One fan theory has been that Joel Farabee could be on the move, a sentiment that was then echoed by Elliotte Friedman during his April 19 edition of 32 Thoughts. So could (or should) the Flyers be trading Joel Farabee this summer?
Farabee just concluded his fifth NHL season posting 22 goals and 50 points, both new personal bests. It was his second consecutive full 82-game campaign and the first he went uninjured (at least publicly) in several years.
The Flyers offense, on the whole, had a disappointing season. Their 27th ranked GF/PG and dead last powerplay are good indicators of just how poor their scoring was. Farabee was third on the team in both goals and points, one of only three players to hit 50 points and one of four to break 20 goals. And it could be that mix of team-wide mediocrity that could spark a trade in the first place.
The Flyers just re-signed Owen Tippett (28 goals, 53 points) to a long-term contract, have a ton of stock invested in Tyson Foerster (20 goals, 33 points) and will likely re-sign Travis Konecny (33 goals, 68 points) soon enough. That a lot of average players taking up money and roster spots, the exact thing that’s preventing them from adding outside talent to attempt to spark the talented but unaided wingers they already have.
Someone needs to go in order to clear that space, and if they’re committing to keeping Konecny after re-signing Tippett, Farabee becomes the odd man out despite the remaining four years left on his contract.
And that may be the biggest hurdle of trading Farabee- his contract. Chuck Fletcher inked the then-21-year-old to a six-year, $30 million extension back in September of 2021 that kicked in during 2022-23. It was a deal that was supposed to end up being team-friendly as Farabee ascended to stardom, but fast forward to today and the now 24-year-old still has four years left on that contract with a $5 million cap hit and that meteoric career rise hasn’t happened.
If Farabee settles in and ultimately tops out around the 20-goal, 50-point plateau, a $5 million aav isn’t necessarily egregious, but it’s certainly not great value either.
But therein lies one of the more frustrating aspects of someone like Farabee- the fact that he’s still just 24, has dealt with a fair amount of injuries during his young career and is stuck on an anemic roster that limits his ceiling even when he’s healthy. He may not be a bonafide star in his own right, but rather a high-end complimentary player that could succeed if placed on a line on a different team that features top players in the game today.
The Flyers have slogged through the last five seasons patiently waiting for Farabee to breakout and, while there have been hints, he just hasn’t been the star they hoped for but could easily reach that mark on a semi-competent team.
So what could they trade him for? Well, that’s an interesting question.
Putting the questionable contract aside, He’s a young veteran at just 24 years old with five seasons and 334 NHL games of experience to his name and may be one of the more dynamic players on the team in terms of his ability to play up and down the lineup and either wing.
He could still hold an appeal to teams, especially those with impact players already in their lineup that could use flexibility on a game-to-game basis.
It could just be as simple as swapping a winger for a center, but not getting a major upgrade when it comes to scoring. Someone like Trevor Zegras for example. Age, point totals, ceilings all relatively similar at this point in their careers, but the Ducks get a winger and the Flyers get a center, which makes sense for both clubs positionally. It may not be a one-for-one swap, but could serve as the foundation for the deal, or a similar deal with a different team.
Do the Flyers trade Joel Farabee this summer? There certainly seems to be some smoke to this fire, albeit the feeling that it won’t be the easiest swap to accomplish. The contract complicates the middle-of-the-road production to this point in his career, but the idea that he’s young enough with raw, untapped potential could lead to a team taking the risk and acquiring him.
Sorting through the middling roster and making tough decisions is going to validate Briere’s ability as a GM. And 2024 will put him to the test when it comes to evaluating, and more importantly, executing his vision for the Flyers moving forward.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
photo credit: Getty Images
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