Back in playoff hunt, Flyers’ trading posture has changed

Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Flyers entered the 2024-25 season coming off narrowly missing the playoffs last spring. Entering the second (official) year of the rebuild under president of hockey operations Keith Jones and general manager Daniel Briere, the Flyers raised their expectations. This was not to say it was a Stanley (or playoffs) or bust by any stretch, but a bottoming-out year was not going to be acceptable.

After a rocky start that had the Flyers near the bottom of the Eastern Conference, the rumor mill began to turn rapidly. Would the Flyers add a goaltender? Could they address their blueline? Would they go after a center? All valid questions – the last of which is still on the table, if I’m a betting man – that Briere and his staff had to answer.

Negotiating when you’re in a tailspin and clearly desperate to shake things up never gives you the leg up in trade discussions; just ask Buffalo Sabres GM Kevyn Adams. For the Flyers, attempting to shake things up less than two months into their season left them in a position of weakness in trade discussions – one of the reasons I believe we haven’t seen a deal executed to this point.

Over the last 20 games or so, the Flyers have turned things around and gotten themselves back in the playoff picture. At 5-3-2 in their last 10 and tied for the second Wildcard spot in the East with the soaring Ottawa Senators, the Flyers have now been able to take a deep breath and evaluate where things are at roster wise. Things are not perfect, but the tides have settled enough that any instinct to make a quick-fix type of deal seems less of a possibility for the time being.

All this being said, the Flyers are looking at ways to improve their roster. It has been well documented to this point that Briere is an active GM. This is not to say he has a dozen trade calls lined up in the queue at any given moment, but the second-year GM is not one to sit on the sidelines and miss out on an opportunity; he and his staff want to be attuned to every angle that can improve the Flyers.

The goaltending, while still not perfect, has stabilized. Samuel Ersson and Aleksei Kolosov are the 1-2 punch as the starting tandem – the former being the clear-cut starter, as said publicly by head coach John Tortorella – with Ivan Fedotov being pegged as the third guy. For now, it doesn’t sound like there are any plans to waive Fedotov imminently or explore a trade; the plan for the time being is to carry three goaltenders, which is becoming more of a norm in the NHL.

On the back end, the emergence of Emil Andrae (though sitting the last two games) as a top-four defender has rounded out the defense corps. With a defined top four and bottom pair, the Flyers’ defensive outlook is the best it has looked since the Ryan Ellis injury three years ago. In an ideal world, I think the Flyers would like to add a depth defenseman with size, but that doesn’t change the fact that their defense, as currently constructed, is a positive.

I do think Rasmus Ristolainen is still available for trade, but his recent play (along with that of the Flyers) has only made the price that much higher if a team wants to pry him out of Philadelphia. Any team looking to acquire the hulking, right-shot defender will need to be aggressive to get him.

Up front it is a different story, as the Flyers’ main struggles come down to one thing: offense.

The Flyers want to add a center – that much has been well documented for a long time. Sean Couturier’s rebound this season has helped things, but he is still not a No. 1 center right now. Morgan Frost, while playing better recently, has not produced consistently enough to be counted on in the mid to long term as a top-six pivot. Noah Cates has done admirably in the third hole, but his lack of offense overall – same goes for his linemates Bobby Brink and Tyson Foerster – leaves a lot to be desired.

Plain and simple, the Flyers need a jolt down the middle. Easier said than done, obviously, but the difference between now and a month and a half ago is that the Flyers’ play does not leave them negotiating with no leverage. They have made it work with their less than ideal center ice position; though they want to improve it, they’ve proven that they don’t need to in order to keep pace in the playoff picture.

In terms of trade targets, we have heard some names out there in terms of availability, including Minnesota Wild center Marco Rossi. Rossi, a 2020 first round pick, has had a remarkable season with the Wild, but still seems to be available for the right price. I do think his size is something that worries the Flyers, perhaps leading them to believe that he is more of a second-line center as opposed to a top-line one.

Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported last month that the Flyers did have a conversation with the Senators – one that ultimately went nowhere. And with Ottawa turning things around as well as they have recently, I can’t imagine GM Steve Staios is in a hurry to upset the apple cart.

That brings us to Dylan Cozens of the Sabres, who has become the center (pun intended) of attention in regards to trade rumors the last week or two. Speaking with several team executives on Monday morning, it doesn’t sound like Sabres GM Kevyn Adams is in a rush to trade Cozens. As Seravalli noted on DFO Live on Monday, Adams still seems to have the price on Cozens set higher than the player’s play would warrant.

As one executive noted to me (and something that has been said before), Adams seems very hesitant to move on from any of his core guys in fears of history repeating itself when he blew up his prior nucleus. Jack Eichel, Brandon Montour, Sam Reinhart – all three players have won a Stanley Cup since moving on from the Sabres several years ago. I do get the hesitancy on Adams’ part, but is running it back year after year with a sum of players that isn’t getting it done a better alternative than potentially seeing your players find success elsewhere? For now, status quo will apparently suffice, as Seravalli reported Monday that owner Terry Pegula expressed a desire to let the current group fight its way out of its hole without a major shakeup when he met with the team yesterday.

Be all this as it may, I do know the Flyers are one of the teams that have reached out to Buffalo regarding Cozens. What the offer was I’m not sure exactly, but it was pointed out to me that the Sabres could use a right handed defenseman; they currently have four left shot guys capable of playing in the top four. Speculatively speaking, my mind immediately went to Jamie Drysdale as a player that would make sense to dangle from the Flyers’ side.

As a Western Conference executive said to me, just Drysdale doesn’t seem like it would be enough for Cozens, which is a fair point. Given Cozens’ AAV of $7.1 million, I wonder if Joel Farabee and his $5 million cap hit would be a player that could be included. This is all just speculation, but Drysdale and Farabee are two names that would make sense as players who could be involved should the Sabres and Flyers get more serious in trade talks.

The Flyers are still keeping their ears to the ground for options to improve, but their recent stretch of play has cooled the urgency to shake things up. Things can always change fast, but their return to the playoff picture has allowed Briere more leverage in trade talks compared to earlier in the season.

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Back in playoff hunt, Flyers’ trading posture has changed

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