Even as the busiest time of the 2024 NHL offseason has passed, there are still a few loose end storylines across the league that have yet to reach a conclusion. On the east coast, the Flyers have virtually no cap space left even after an inactive summer. And on the west coast, there’s the Anaheim Ducks, who are struggling to even get to the cap floor of $65 million.
It leads to the theory that the two squads may still have time to be dance partners even after the music has stopped. There have been rumors connecting the teams ever since the Cutter Gauthier/Jamie Drysdale swap in early 2024. Most notably for 23-year-old forward Trevor Zegras.
What if there’s still a deal to be had where the Flyers can offload some money and add Zegras, a young main roster piece, something they otherwise totally ignored even with Matvei Michkov in tow?
How about a trade that revolves around Joel Farabee, Rasmus Ristolainen and Edmonton’s 2025 first round pick in exchange for Zegras?
While Zegras may not be the bonafide top center the Flyers desperately need, he’d easily be the most offensively talented player on the roster (besides Michkov, of course) and he can play center, arguably the biggest need in the entire organization at the moment. Would he fare any better under John Tortorella than Morgan Frost is? That’s still up for debate, but Zegras’ track record is better than Frost, and he’s two years younger as well.
Joel Farabee appears the odd man out of the current Flyers overflowing winger corps. Moving him for a player that can line up down the middle would be a smart move to help the roster settle cleaner. His $5 million cap hit is just three-quarters of a million less than Zegras’ which, even just that little bit of difference, the Flyers could not afford.
That’s where Rasmus Ristolainen comes in. There were rumors leading up to the 2024 trade deadline that he was on the block, but an injury kept him on the Flyers’ roster. He’s due to make $5.1 million for three more years and with the overabundance of bodies on the blue line, the Flyers don’t need him anymore. That $5.1 million in space would not only make this trade work, it’d correct their already-in-the-red cap situation and give them a couple million in breathing room as well for any in-season adjustments.
Ristolainen’s $5.1 million would elevate the Ducks to a safe cap dollar above the floor both now and in the immediate future when they’re loaded up with entry-level contracts. Plus, Ristolainen is a right shot. The Ducks only have one RHD on their projected opening night roster, being Radko Gudas.
There’s a good chance that you, the reader, recoiled in fear at the mention of dealing away Edmonton’s 2025 first round pick, but there’s a good reason for it. The Oilers were recently named the odds-on favorite to win the Cup in 2025, meaning the Flyers moved Florida’s 32nd overall pick for Edmonton’s 32nd overall pick. Even in a projected deeper draft year, there’s no “sure thing” to be had that late in the first round. Using one of their three first rounders to clear some cap and add a young roster player may be the smarter use for that pick rather than drafting Random Dude X who will top out as an AHLer in five years.
Have there been any official rumors of a trade like this? Nope. Does it make a lot of sense for both teams to make a trade like this? Yes. We’ve hit the dog days of the NHL offseason and there’s a good chance nothing of note happens until at least training camp in September. But if the Flyers still find their hands tied financially and they finally come to the realization that their offensively anemic roster is a detriment rather than a positive, maybe there’s a last second deal to be had that can kill multiple birds with one stone for both teams involved.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
brotherlypuck.com 