Philadelphia Flyers general manager Daniel Briere has already made one deal and the timing is right for him to trade Scott Laughton and Rasmus Ristolainen.
In a season where the Philadelphia Flyers didn’t have any players that they had to move or else they would walk to free agency, general manager Daniel Briere got ahead of the trade market in late January. That deal with the Calgary Flames landed the Flyers a pair of roster players and draft picks — including another second-rounder — in return for two forwards who hadn’t lived up to expectations in Philadelphia.
Now, amidst the 4 Nations Face-Off break with less than a month until the trade deadline, Briere and Co. need to take advantage of the trade market in his NHL landscape.
Looking around the league, there are six teams with between 57 and 62 points fighting for two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. It’s a bit more decisive in the West with the Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames fighting for the last Wild Card spot, but the big guns might want to load up for an arms race.
We already saw the Colorado Avalanche and Carolina Hurricanes make a big trade with the Dallas Stars and Canucks also dealing away first-round picks for some veteran help. The stove is sure to remain hot leading up to the March 7 trade deadline.
Not only are the Flyers in a clear selling spot, but they also hold a few trade chips at positions of need. There’s no rush to trade anyone off the roster with Kuzmenko being the lone pending UFA, but Scott Laughton and Rasmus Ristolainen are going to be in the rumor mill — and rightfully so. It should be a seller’s market for both centers and right-handed defensemen.
Brock Nelson is the top center on most trade boards but it looks more and more like he may just re-sign with the Islanders. After that, there’s not much with guys like Trent Frederic, Nick Bjugstad, Ryan Donato, Jake Evans, and the injured Yanni Gourde as rental options.
Laughton fits right into that bucket but teams also get the luxury of another year of the gritty two-way forward. The Flyers are certainly in no rush to trade their veteran leader but now might be the best time to move Laughton. Teams aren’t likely to be willing to meet the Flyers’ asking price at the next deadline since he’ll only be a rental and they’ll probably keep him around at that point.
As far as right-handed defensemen are concerned, it’s slim pickings on the trade board. David Savard is a rental option with Seth Jones and his $9.5 million cap hit for the next five years another longer-term option. Cody Ceci was already moved and Connor Murphy has also cropped up on some trade boards. Ristolainen’s improved play over the past few years makes him a desirable target for playoff teams.
A trade over the summer could make sense for both Laughton and Ristolainen but teams won’t have that same desperation going into a crucial postseason.
The Maple Leafs are one of the potential landing spots for Laughton and this could easily be their last year with their core four intact as both John Tavares and Mitch Marner are free agents this summer.
Winnipeg is another rumored team for both of the Flyers’ trade chips and the Jets are always looking for players with term due to their city not exactly being a desirable destination for free agents.
The Stars are another team to keep an eye on as they may look to go all-in after back-to-back Conference Finals appearances. Jamie Benn is in the last year of his deal along with several other key players, including potential offer-sheet targets Wyatt Johnston and Mavrik Bourque. Dallas has already dealt for Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci but could still be looking to improve the right side of their defense.
Teams trading for Laughton would have him for two playoff runs and three for Ristolainen. They’ve both shown improved play this season and are exactly what teams are looking for come playoff time.
Nearly two-thirds of the league still has a semi-realistic chance at making the playoffs — or at least can convince themselves they do. There is also a large number of teams that probably think they have a legitimate chance to at least make the Conference Finals and then who knows what happens.
The Flyers are not among either of those groups.
They’re one of a few rebuilding teams that have sought-after trade chips, and perhaps most importantly, they have leverage. They don’t have to trade Laughton or Ristolainen now. Would it help the rebuild? Absolutely. But it may not hurt that much to keep them around at least through the draft or offseason.
Briere and Co. have made it clear that they’re not going to make a trade trade for the sake of making a trade. Teams have to meet their asking price and they’ve shown they’re willing to hold firm on that while also being flexible a bit at last year’s deadline. They got the first-round pick they wanted for Sean Walker by taking back an undesirable contract. Cap space should be weaponized at this point of a rebuild.
All of this is to say that the timing does feel right for Briere to make his next move before this year’s trade deadline. It doesn’t have to happen as the front office has done a great job of giving itself some flexibility, but if things keep lining up in the Flyers’ favor, they might be able to pull the trigger on a deal or two to get more assets to build with.
