The NHL trade stove is heating up. With the deadline less than a week away, the dominos are beginning to fall. The Mikko Rantanen trade to Carolina feels like it happened ages ago, yet it marked just the beginning of what could be a hectic trade deadline.
Three trades happened on Saturday, including two high draft picks and one big-name player getting moved. Though the Flyers were not involved in any of these trades, they still had an impact on the Flyers at this trade deadline.
The first trade of the day took place between the New York Rangers and the Colorado Avalanche. New York sent left-shot defenseman Ryan Lindgren, along with LW Jimmy Vesey and the rights to defenseman Hank Kempf to Colorado. In return, the Rangers received a conditional 2025 second round draft pick, LHD Calvin de Haan, and center Juuso Parssinen. The Rangers retained 50% of Lindgren’s contract.
Right away, the trade seems to be Lindgren for a second-round pick, with the other players being throw-ins or making money work.
With the Rangers still in the hunt for the playoffs, this seemed more like New York wanting to get something in return for Lindgren before his possible departure in free agency this summer.
Obviously, the trade did not directly affect the Flyers. However, if the Rangers could get a second-round pick for Lindgren and some change, the Flyers can get a first for Rasmus Ristolainen. Some retention may be needed to make it happen, but a first is not out of the picture.
Of course, that only matters if the Flyers decide not to keep the Finnish defenseman. Given the way things have seemed lately, the value has to be there, and the deal has to make sense for the Flyers if Daniel Briere were to make the trade.
The Minnesota Wild reunited with forward Gustav Nyquist on Saturday. Nyquist spent the 2022/23 season in Minnesota.
In return, the Wild sent Nashville a 2026 second round pick in return for the middle-six centerman with 50% of his $3.185 Million AAV retained. He is a UFA at the end of the year.
This trade just made sense. Nyquist is familiar with the Wild, and Minnesota needed a center after Joel Eriksson Ek went down.
Scott Laughton’s value seemed inflated by the Flyers’ value for him. His impact in the locker room in Philly and the community makes him more expensive than his stats do—or so we thought.
It seems Laughton’s price tag is a first round pick, possibly along with a prospect, or a prospect of equivalent value.
If Nashville got a second-round pick for an expiring Nyquist, a first-rounder doesn’t seem so far-fetched for a Laughton return.
Along with the impact on the possible return, the Nyquist trade makes a possible Laughton suitor in the Wild a less likely destination now. They could still use some forward depth, but Laughton’s value as a center will likely take him elsewhere at the trade deadline, if traded.
The first big-time trade of this deadline happened Saturday night. The Chicago Blackhawks sent RHD Seth Jones and a 2026 Fourth Round pick to the Florida Panthers in return for G Spencer Knight and a 2027 First Round pick.
Knight, a former first-rounder, has a lot of untapped potential. He was seemingly the next man up to take over the crease when Sergei Bobrovski’s time in Sunrise is up. Chicago had to retain 25% of Jones’ $9.5 Mil a year for the next five seasons to get that return.
With Jones off the board, Ristolainen is back at the top of the much-coveted big RHD market.
Jones and Rasmus Ristolainen aren’t necessarily comparable. Jones has a high league value, is more of an offensive threat, and has five remaining years left under contract. Ristolainen is more of a shutdown blueliner with only two years remaining under his contract after this season.
The Flyers likely won’t get a first-rounder without any retention, which would defeat the purpose of trading him. They definitely won’t get a first AND a prospect. The Jones return will likely have more of an effect on Erik Karlsson and his market than Ristolainen.
I initially thought Florida could be a suitor for Ristolainen, which obviously changes now.
However, with Jones now off the market, teams that were interested in him will likely start inquiring about Ristolainen before the trade deadline if they haven’t already.
