The Philadelphia Flyers have been stuck in a rebuild for quite some time now. The early arrival of prized prospect Matvei Michkov has Philly in an odd position, to say the least.
Michkov was not expected, at least not publicly, to join the Flyers at the conclusion of his contract with SKA Saint Petersburg of the KHL. That gave the Flyers time to prepare a team around him that was closer to competing for a Stanley Cup.
However, Michkov is here now, and while that is not a bad thing, they are still in the midst of what has been a long rebuild.
That brings me to this one important question.
Is it time to speed up the rebuild?
Flyers President of Hockey Operations Keith Jones has already publically stated that the Flyers will not be buyers at the March 7th trade deadline.
“We are not going to be adding. We’ll be subtracting,” Jones told Nick Kypreos and Justin Bourne on The Real Kypreos and Bourne Show.
Sure, Jones does have a point. Despite the fact that the Flyers are truly in the hunt for a playoff spot, they should not forget the task at hand, and that is to put together a team that can compete for a Stanly Cup championship for years to come.
Jones told the Philadelphia Inquirer that the team has no plans on tanking, and will try to win every game that they play.
That mentality would certainly take them out of the running for a top-5 draft selection, without any favors from the draft lottery of course.
The Flyers do not have the prospect depth at the center position to look internally to bolster the team down the middle, nor do they have the talent at the NHL level to compete.
That leaves the Flyers with two options:
- Tank for one of the premier centers in the upcoming draft (Hagens, Misa, McQueen, etc..), despite the team’s intention to “win every game”, or
- Make a trade for a center now.
If I am the Flyers, I am going with the latter.
Who could the Flyers target?
It is a delicate situation for the Flyers. In no world can you go out and make a move for a veteran center, no matter how talented that player may be.
The Flyers have to gun for a player that fits into their competitive timeline but also improves the roster. There are a handful of players that can match this description, but none are a better fit than Dylan Cozens.
Cozens posted 31 goals (68 total points) two seasons ago and a 48-point season just last year. That does not sound available to me.
However, Elliote Friedman of SportsNet has said Buffalo has been taking calls on its 23-year-old center. The Flyers need to be one of those teams.
Cozens is under contract for five more years beyond this season, carrying a price tag of $7.1 million per season.
The Sabres rebuild seems to be going even worse than the Flyers. Team owner Terry Pegula met with the team in Montreal Monday before their game vs the Habs. While it is not known what was said, the meeting came after the teams 10th straight loss.
It could be a sign of change in Buffalo. The Sabres might just be looking to make a big move. The Flyers could be the perfect partner, and a move for Cozens would speed up the rebuild.
Or should Philly just stay the course?
While imagining Dylan Cozens playing between Owen Tippett and Michkov is one that could make any Flyers fan thrilled, the Flyers could find themselves with their future 1c by way of the draft.
The Flyers already have three picks in each of the first two rounds of the 2025 NHL Draft, and will likely end up with at least one more first-round pick in their arsenal, whether that be this year or not.
The Flyers could stay the current course, and use their plethora of draft capital to move up, or even stay put and take advantage of a deep 2025 draft.
