After a very quiet 2024 offseason where Danny Briere and the Philadelphia Flyers didn’t do much of note, a turbulent start to the 2024-25 season has raised some questions about the path forward.
We looked at some early trade deadline predictions already, and came to the same conclusion with most of them- between sub-par play, ugly contracts (and in some cases both) the Flyers aren’t exactly operating from a position of negotiational strength here. It makes the whole idea of flipping roster pieces in the name of overturning the roster a significantly bigger task than it already is.
Individually, most players are not straight up immovable, but in the current cap situation across the league, it’s going to be very difficult to get even a semi-decent return for some. Take Joel Farabee as an example. The 24-year-old winger posted 22 goals and 50 points last season. That’s not nothing, but he’s making $5 million for three more seasons, which is far more expensive than a player in his point range should be making. Someone out there may want him, but more than likely isn’t going to pay a premium to acquire him.
So how does Briere go about making trades that seem like wins? The answer may be that he doesn’t.
Let’s say between the 2025 trade deadline and the offseason, Briere makes a string of trades that look like this:
Morgan Frost for a fourth round pick
Joel Farabee for a third round pick
Rasmus Ristolainen for a second round pick
Scott Laughton for a third round pick
It may feel like they’re leaving value on the table, but that’s over $15 million in freed cap space, four new draft picks and four roster spots freshly open. Totals that would increase if they threw Nic Deslauriers, Egor Zamula and Ryan Poehling into the mix. The newly found financial and roster freedom that comes with the perceived lost trades may more beneficial overall than holding onto the same exact roster for another season because they’re hell bent on “winning” trades from a return perspective that just will never materialize.
It gives Briere plenty of breathing room to actually make some trades using the new draft picks as cannon fodder and potentially make a run at a free agent signing this summer, rather than spending the offseason trying to garner an additional fourth round pick for Farabee. It’s about looking at the bigger picture.
That’s why it needs to be done on a grand scale with multiple players. If they just ditch Farabee for nothing, collect the new cap dollar and call it a summer. It’s a bad look. If they commit to moving a bunch of players and being aggressive when it comes to adding and a quarter of the roster is overturned, it’s a solid strategy instead of a white flag.
The Flyers are going to need to get creative one way or another during the 2025 trade deadline and offseason. They cannot afford to sit on their hands and let another summer pass them by, or that perfect little world Briere is building for himself will come crashing down.
Public perception seemingly carries quite a bit of weight with this current front office. They walk on eggshells as to not make the wrong move, but their lack of moves is also causing some underlying tensions that aren’t going to get better with time, particularly if the team doesn’t show palpable growth soon.
What the Flyers need right now more than anything is change. A significant amount of bodies going out and plenty of new blood coming in.
Both the fanbase and front office need to keep an open mind about change. “Progress” is a word and a mentality that has been overlooked for way too long. It’s been well over a decade now since the Flyers were involved in a blockbuster trade or free agent signing. In a way it’s new and scary territory for an organization that has accepted complacency for too long.
Taking a couple steps backward in order to take multiple steps forward is a gamble. It may hurt in the short term until the new additions settle in, and if the front office is more concerned about winning a popularity contest with the fans more so than winning on the ice, it’s a risk they may not feel inclined to take. But if they use the freed cap space and roster spots to their full advantage and the team cliches a playoff spot next season it’ll be a huge win for the Briere regime, which will go a lot further to appealing to the masses than holding onto Scott Laughton for another year ever could.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
photo credit: nhl.com
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