The 2020s are somehow half over already, and so far it’s been a decade the Philadelphia Flyers would love to forget. Between the worst stretch of hockey in the history of the organization, a complete front office regime change and five different coaches, there are more than a few “what if” moments the Flyers have had during first five years of the 2020s.
Number 5: What If They Traded Up For Ivan Demidov?
The Flyers went into the 2024 draft with pick 12, and all the rumors indicated they were looking to make the jump into the top five to select Russian and friend of Matvei Michkov, Ivan Demidov.
There was talk they originally wanted to move up to 7 and then try and finagle another trade with Montreal at 5. There were rumors they wanted to move straight up to Columbus’ 4th overall pick, but ultimately, Danny Briere was unable to swing a deal and Demidov went to Montreal fifth overall.
Not only did they not get to move up, but they traded back a spot with the Minnesota Wild and selected forward Jett Luchanko, passing on defenseman Zeev Buium.
Given the Flyers have seemingly made moves for various Russian players in the year since, they theory that they really wanted Demidov seems to hold some water. They didn’t want him bad enough to pull the trigger on a blockbuster trade, and now the Demidov is in North America, they could live to regret their inaction even more in the very near future.
Number 4: What If Matt Niskanen Didn’t Retire?
The Flyers got the decade off on the wrong foot when they acquired 33-year-old Matt Niskanen to help stabilize their defense during the 2019 offseason. He and Ivan Provorov were a hell of a pair… until the pandemic hit and forced the season to an early close in March of 2020. After the Flyers were eliminated from the playoffs, Niskanen promptly retired from the NHL with one year left on his contract. His absence was felt hard and they never really recovered.
At his age, he obviously wasn’t a long-term solution, but had he been able to hold out for another year or two, not only would the on-ice product have been better, but it would’ve given the front office a chance to put a succession plan in place rather than be caught off guard by his absence.
Number 3: What If They Acquired Eichel or Reinhart with Ristolainen?
Chuck Fletcher paid a premium for Rasmus Ristolainen during the summer of 2021 to the tune of a first and second round pick, plus Robert Hagg. There were all kinds of rumors that they were also sniffing around both Jack Eichel or Sam Reinhart. That never ended up happening and Reinhart was dealt to the Panthers a few weeks later and Eichel was dealt to Vegas in the fall.
Both are now top players in the NHL with 577 points and three Stanley Cups between them on their new teams… meanwhile the Flyers’ center depth has remained abysmal in the four years since.
Chuck Fletcher’s reign as GM had it’s fair share of misses, but refusing to go in on either Eichel and Reinhart in 2021 was a questionably dumb move at the time, and has only aged worse with every year that passes.
Number 2: What if Ryan Ellis Stayed Healthy?
The acquisition of Ryan Ellis was by far the biggest name value Flyers’ trade of the 2020s, and one of the biggest in the entire decade prior to the July 2021 swap. But it was quite odd that Chuck Fletcher added a top fur right-handed defenseman for Nolan Patrick and Phil Myers, an AHL defenseman and someone whose career was essentially over.
Well, the Flyers found out quickly that Ryan Ellis’ career was on its last legs as he played just three games before missing a month of action. He came back for a single contest before missing the rest of the season and essentially retiring due to a hip injury.
He posted five points in four games and seemed like someone who could be the top defenseman the Flyers’ desperately needed, but that dream was shattered quicker than it manifested. Considering he’s still under contract until 2027, not only did they not get a roster player, but they got a financial anchor for six years.
Was Fletcher aware of what he was getting himself into? Or was this a legit tragic injury out of the blue? Nobody besides Chucky really knows for sure, but it ended up being a nice little metaphor for his time as GM of the Flyers- momentary hope quickly snuffed out by incredible stupidity.
Number 1: What If Cutter Gauthier Didn’t Get Traded?
The Flyers selected Cutter Gauthier with the fifth overall pick in the 2022 draft and seemed pumped to join the organization. He attended Boston College and at some point along the way, something happened where he made the decision that he no longer wanted to sign with the Flyers and was ultimately traded to the Anaheim Ducks in early 2024.
Now, there has never been a clear explanation for the series of events that unfolded leading up to his decision. Depending on who you ask, it ranges from Kevin Hayes poisoning his well, to Danny Briere refusing to sign him to an entry-level contract at the conclusion of his freshman season at BC, to not wanting to play for John Tortorella.
Briere’s front office did a very good jump dumping any and all blame on Gauthier himself, while they walked away from the incident largely unscathed in the eyes of the fans… but that’s still a fifth overall pick they desperately needed that isn’t here anymore. Imagine Gauthier and Michkov on the same team at the same time. Gauthier’s 20 goals and 44 points during his rookie season would’ve been fourth on the Flyers in both categories.
Honorable mentions
What If They Traded Travis Konecny?
The “rebuilding” Philadelphia Flyers made the decision to re-sign their top forward during the 2024 offseason, a year before he was going to hit free agency. The 28-year-old signed a max-term eight-year, $70 million contract. For the fans, it was a popular move, but for the stated goal of the organization which was supposed to be building for the future, it didn’t make much sense.
What would’ve happened if they traded his expiring contract for a king’s ransom at any point leading up to the last year of his contract?
In fairness to Konecny, he has actually stabilized his career quite a bit over the last few seasons, but he’s get seven years left on his contract and his 30th birthday is on the horizon. Much like their similar ill-advised extension to Sean Couturier a few years earlier, things are just magically going to get better with age.
What If Carter Hart Wasn’t A Piece Of Shit?
By no means are we going to put the former Flyers goalie on a pedestal. There’s a very serious reason why he isn’t with the Flyers right now. But, strictly from a hockey sense, he was very good at what he did professionally. And it’s just the Flyers’ luck that they finally get a young goalie capable of leading the team and he goes away for reasons beyond their control. Especially considering the tandem he left behind, Samuel Ersson and Ivan Fedotov has produced the worst save percentage in the league for two consecutive seasons, how the last couple years and the future may have been different had the guy just not been a piece of shit.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
photo credit: nhl.com
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