What has the Flyers’ recent stretch of play meant for their NHL Trade Deadline plans?
Following a lengthy losing streak that saw the Philadelphia Flyers tumble down the standings and out of the playoff picture, it was fair to ask whether the team would be looking to change plans, barreling towards the trade deadline.
With the recent injury to goaltender Dan Vladar – I’m told he is expected back in a week’s time – would it put even more pressure on GM Danny Briere to search for plans to rapidly upgrade the back-up goaltender position?
Ultimately, the losing streak may have had the opposite effect, as a source told me earlier in the week that the team was electing to stand pat between the pipes with what they had, given their recent struggles.
While goaltender Samuel Ersson and third-string Aleksei Kolosov had done nothing to inspire great confidence or help the team in their losing ways, there were definitely other reasons contributing to the team’s free fall in the standings since the turn of the new year.
Even with an upgrade on Ersson – he had a strong performance last night against the Vegas Golden Knights, pushing aside 24 of 25 shots – at the backup position, the sense I got from team sources is that they felt like it was far more than just goaltending that was bringing the team down. It’s also fair to conclude that maybe there are simply no better available options for trade at the moment.
The goalies will have to figure it out for now, much like the rest of the team.
The injuries to forward Bobby Brink up front (now healthy) and defensemen Jamie Drysdale and Rasmus Ristolainen (at separate times, with the latter now back on IR) exposed how shallow the Flyers’ roster truly is. Speaking of Ristolainen, it sounds like his most recent injury is more of a tweak and is expected back before the Olympic break.
Ristolainen, who is listed on Matt Larkin’s trade board and whom I wrote about several times recently, is still not being shopped, even when healthy, a source reiterated to me. His absence in recent games has once again shown the team his importance on their second and third pair, according to team sources. By the sounds of it, Ristolainen will really need to be pulled out of Philadelphia with a big offer more than ever.
Up front, there is no doubt that the Flyers could use a shot in the arm in some capacity, but there is no appetite for a rental acquisition, according to sources. The team’s position in the standings (despite a win last night) has not given management any reason to spend heavy assets on a rental. To be fair, it isn’t like there are a ton of impact rentals available, especially after Kiefer Sherwood’s trade to the San Jose Sharks.
Interestingly enough, I heard New York Rangers star rental forward Artemi Panarin’s name tied to the Flyers over the weekend. Asking team sources about it, while I certainly think the team would love to add Panarin to the mix, they aren’t prepared to get into a bidding war ahead of the deadline for his services. Would they target him in the summer if he made it to free agency? I certainly think so, but team sources have suggested a low level of confidence in believing Panarin will make it there, much like every other half-decent free agent.
Conversely, despite some reports suggesting the opposite (which, to be fair, at one point could’ve been true), it doesn’t sound like the Flyers have much of any interest in Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson. Between his hefty contract and first-hand knowledge of the player with head coach Rick Tocchet, there doesn’t seem to be a fit there on the end of the Flyers, despite their need for pivots.
Lastly, it was reiterated to me that the recent stretch of poor play heading into last night didn’t change the way they view re-signing Christian Dvorak. According to sources, the lack of centers league-wide and Dvorak’s fit with the club did not make him a likely trade candidate, even if they were in an outside playoff position come the end of February.
Things can certainly change quickly in a parity-filled NHL, and that seems to be the case for the Flyers. With the Eastern Conference standings so volatile, it will be interesting to see what they dictate as we get deeper into the winter.
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