With the 4 Nations Face-Off break here, the trade deadline looms large and is less than a month away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Philadelphia Flyers.
The standings won’t be a focus in the Flyers’ deadline plans. They entered the two-week break for the 4 Nations Face-Off on the heels of a 3-6-1 record in their last 10 games while being outscored 31-16. The Flyers’ positives have been elsewhere, namely with rookie Matvei Michkov. He’s earned Calder Trophy attention with 16 goals and 36 points in 55 games and seems to be heeding the wisdom of tenured head coach John Tortorella. He leads a suite of prospects performing well, joined by Tyson Foerster, Bobby Brink, and Emil Andrae in the NHL and Samu Tuomaala, Jacob Gaucher, and Alexis Gendron in the minors. Their success, and a heaping seven picks in the first two rounds of this year’s draft, will train Philadelphia’s sights firmly on the future for the rest of the year.
Record
24-26-7, 8th in the Metropolitan Division
Deadline Status
Seller
Deadline Cap Space
$8.43MM on deadline day, 1/3 retention slots used, 45/50 contracts used, per PuckPedia.
Upcoming Draft Picks
2025: PHI 1st, COL 1st, EDM 1st, PHI 2nd, ANA 2nd, CGY 2nd, CBJ 2nd, PHI 3rd, PHI 4th, PHI 5th, CAR 5th, PHI 6th, PHI 7th
2026: PHI 1st, PHI 2nd, PHI 3rd, PHI 4th, PHI 6th, PHI 7th
Trade Chips
Philadelphia telegraphed their deadline approach in late January when they sent Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee to the Calgary Flames for Andrei Kuzmenko, prospect Jakob Pelletier, and two draft picks. In the wake of the deal, general manager Daniel Brière emphasized the team’s long-term thinking, even painting Kuzmenko’s acquisition as a test run for free agency. They’ll continue trimming veterans for future assets into March, playing with a hand of frequent trade candidates.
Center Scott Laughton is once again standing tallest on Philadelphia’s trade block. He continues to serve a diligent center role in Philadelphia’s middle-six, stepping up as the hard-nosed drive behind the Flyers’ top scorers. Teams have long commended Laughton’s ability to lead a locker room, but his trade price has been rumored to be as high as a first-round pick in years past. Laughton has scored a commendable 11 goals and 26 points this year and carries a modest $3MM cap hit through this season and next.
However, his third-line role would make a high price hard to nab. Laughton’s veteran presence would almost certainly garner plenty of attention from playoff hopefuls on the open market. Still, the Flyers may need to come down on their price to make something happen. His move could open the necessary lineup space to reward Gaucher’s hot AHL season or create room for OHL prospect Jett Luchanko next season after he made the Flyers out of training camp this year.
Defender Rasmus Ristolainen has also been featured on the Flyers’ block for a long time. The 30-year-old Finn has rounded his game out in Philadelphia, becoming more of a physical defensive presence than in his early years. Ristolainen has just 15 points in 54 games this season, but he’s also recorded the first positive rating of his career with a plus-three. He’s diligently served the Flyers’ slot and could be a cheap acquisition for playoff teams needing any support on right defense, like the Stars. Ristolainen carries a lofty $5.1MM cap hit through the end of next season, which may force Philadelphia to concede quite a bit of ground if they want to make a move happen – something they’re unwilling to do given he’s not yet a pending UFA. Helge Grans would likely stand as the biggest benefactor of Ristolainen’s move. The 22-year-old made his NHL debut earlier this year, netting one point in six games, and has 18 points in 44 AHL games.
Outside of the veteran pair, the Flyers don’t seem to have many alluring assets. Depth forward Noah Cates offers a physical, two-way presence and may be entering his prime too early for the Flyers’ timeline. He could be a cheap acquisition for teams looking to shore up their bottom six. The same can be said for bruising veteran Garnet Hathaway, who ranks second among NHL forwards with 205 hits in 57 games. Both forwards check in with cap hits under $2.65MM but likely wouldn’t command lofty returns.
Philadelphia also has an excess in goal. Russian tandem Ivan Fedotov and Aleksei Kolosov have struggled to find their footing in the NHL. They both boast save percentages in the .870s while splitting time as the backup behind Samuel Ersson. Shipping off either goalie could land Philadelphia a simple return. Fedotov, who is five years Kolosov’s senior, seems the more likely to move of the two.
Team Needs
1) Defense Prospects – The Flyers have built hardy prospect groups on offense, but the lackluster acquisition of Jamie Drysdale has left them a bit vacant on defense. Cameron York has caught enough momentum to lead Philadelphia’s blue line into the future, but he needs strong support. One of their aforementioned packages could be enough to net Christian Kyrou away from Dallas or Elias Salomonsson away from the Winnipeg Jets. Both players are right-shot, former second-rounders currently performing up to par in the AHL with 13 points in 28 games and 15 points in 26 games, respectively. Any incoming right-defender will join Grans as the future bets on a shallow right side and could stand as modest ways to round out a prospect pool.
2) Depth Goaltending – Goaltending has been the sore spot throughout the Flyers organization this year. Ersson has done enough to claim the starting role, posting a 16-10-3 record and a .896 save percentage, but nearly every role behind him is unclear. The AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms have utilized five different goaltenders this year, and only one – Parker Gahagen (.907) – has posted a save percentage above .900 in substantial minutes. Finding a netminder that can stand above the rest would be a welcome silver lining as Philadelphia builds out next year. The Toronto Maple Leafs could be swayed to part with 22-year-old Dennis Hildeby for the right price, with 26-year-old Joseph Woll boasting a .909 in 30 NHL games.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Contrary to some people’s opinion Tortorella has done a decent job with this group and manages his players and their development quite well. However, Philadelphia seems to be desperate for a good goaltending coaching staff…
Contrary to some people’s opinions, Tortorella has been horrible. The team has not gotten any better over his time there, the power play has sucked every year, and his only move is to moan and whine like a two year old. The Flyers will continue to suck as long as this hothead dinosaur is around.
Torts may not be perfect but he’s way down on the list of problems. We’ll continue to suck until we find defensemen who can move the puck, rid ourselves of bloated veteran contracts, and stop the revolving goalie door.