Olivier is in the second season of a two-year $2.2MM contract and was set to become a UFA on July 1st. He picked an excellent time to have a career year and will surely earn a raise on the $1.1MM he is making this season.

In other Metropolitan Division notes:

• Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph left yesterday’s game against the Boston Bruins with an upper-body injury (Twitter Link). The injury occurred when Bruins forward Mark Kastelic hit Joseph with a thunderous body check that sent the Penguins defender to the ice and ultimately out of the game. It was an unfortunate end to an eventful day for Joseph who had earlier laid a hit that sent Bruins forward Brad Marchand out of the game. It’s been a tough stretch this season for the 25-year-old who was dealt mid-season from St. Louis back to the Penguins for future considerations and has been exposed defensively for much of the time since his return.
• Philadelphia Flyers forward Garnet Hathaway was unavailable for last night’s game against the Winnipeg Jets due to an upper body injury (Twitter link). Hathaway last played on Thursday against Pittsburgh, and likely suffered the injury after taking a late hit from Penguins forward Boko Imama. Imama was assessed a minor penalty for interference on the play and Hathaway needed assistance to get off the ice. The 33-year-old Hathaway has eight goals and 10 assists in 60 games this season and has continued to provide a physical presence for the Flyers, handing out 218 hits.

It’s an approach teams are beginning to take with unprotected veterans, much like the Predators’ Ryan O’Reilly. In Laughton’s case, it’s fueled by general manager Daniel Brière’s and president of hockey operations Keith Jones’ desire to ensure “that Philadelphia becomes a desirable destination again,” Kurz writes.

Laughton isn’t the longest-tenured Flyer – captain Sean Couturier has him beat in that regard – but he is a Philly lifer. Selected 20th overall in 2012, he’s suited up in 12 NHL seasons for the orange and black and ranks 14th in franchise history with 657 games played. Trade speculation has swirled around the two-way center since the Flyers started their rebuild by trading former captain Claude Giroux at the 2022 trade deadline. Laughton signed a five-year, $15MM extension in the 2021 offseason, though, so there’s never been much urgency to move on from him with no risk of losing him for nothing until 2026.

The age-old question is whether a veteran player carries more value to a rebuilding club in their on-ice play and leadership or in the form of assets to build for the future. Now past the crux of their rebuild and with young names like Matvei Michkov in the system, the answer for Laughton is the latter. That’s led to consistently sky-high asking prices on the trade market for his services by Flyers’ leadership, something Kurz reports hasn’t changed. Darren Dreger of TSN said earlier this month that Philly still won’t part with him for anything less than a first-round pick. They’ve employed the same strategy regarding defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen’s availability, which has led to an unexpected lack of calls less than two weeks ahead of deadline day.

Laughton has been far more consistent throughout the last half-decade, though, and carries a much more stomachable $3MM cap hit through next season compared to Ristolainen’s $5.1MM. The 30-year-old pivot has averaged around 40 points per season every year since the 2019-20 campaign, averages 15-16 per game, and can play top-unit penalty kill minutes. He’s comfortable at center and left wing, and while he isn’t a dynamo on draws, he’s serviceable with a career 49.7% win rate. Everything considered, they should have a much easier time fetching that additional first-rounder for either the 2025 or 2026 class (or equivalent asset, as Dreger said) for Laughton than with Ristolainen.

It comes down to who’s willing to pay that price. Kurz expects Laughton isn’t too willing to make a considerable jump westward after his father-in-law’s passing last month. That likely removes center-hungry teams in the Central and Pacific like the Jets, Canucks, and Wild from the list if the Flyers don’t receive a completely above-value offer. However, Kurz said clubs like his hometown Maple Leafs would be acceptable destinations if the return value threshold is met.

Ristolainen’s resurgence as a dependable piece outside of a top-pairing role made his name pop into trade speculation as far back as November. The Flyers haven’t been in the playoff conversation for an extended period like they were in 2023-24, allowing general manager Daniel Brière to more firmly cement his team’s status as a retooler/seller on deadline day and gain more traction on moving non-rental assets. While that may still hold for players like center Scott Laughton, they haven’t had a ton of urgency surrounding Ristolainen discussions. A high asking price (speculated as a first-rounder) likely deterred some interest from teams before they even called to initiate talks.

Right-shot defensemen are always in need, but even for a cost-controlled asset who will be 32 years old upon expiry, Ristolainen’s $5.1MM cap hit remains steep, considering past years’ performance. It’s probably right on track for his value in 2024-25, though. The much-maligned Finn is having arguably his best all-around season since he entered the league. While not clicking at his 40-point heights early in his career with the Sabres, he’s produced a respectable 1-17–18 line through 56 games. Backing up his offensive totals are the best defensive metrics of his career while averaging north of 20 minutes per game for the first time since the 2021-22 campaign.

Ristolainen has anchored the team’s second pairing at even strength behind Travis Sanheim and Cameron York up top, also routinely flexing into their top penalty-kill unit. The results have been good – a plus-five rating tied for third on the team, plus a strong +2.6 expected rating, considering he’s started over 60% of his shifts in the defensive zone for just the second time in his 12-year career. He may not be much of a power play option anymore, although he has averaged 48 seconds per game with the man advantage for Philly and hasn’t been on the ice for a shorthanded goal against this season. He has desirable size at 6’4″ and 208 lbs and ranks third on the Flyers in blocks and hits with 86 each.

That should make him a desirable pickup for a contender, in theory. However, this is likely a case where a player being under contract for a few more years hurts their trade value rather than helping it. The 2013 No. 8 overall pick has had wildly inconsistent year-to-year performances in the past, so while teams may have had interest in capitalizing on his strong rebound and letting him walk in the summer, they won’t be able to do so with him locked in through the 2026-27 campaign. There’s also the fading but still-present stain on his reputation from his Buffalo days when he was vastly overtaxed as their No. 1 until Rasmus Dahlin’s arrival and failed to have much effectiveness outside of power-play contributions and physical play.

If Ristolainen doesn’t get moved by the deadline, there’s still a non-zero chance he finishes his contract with the Flyers, depending on how quickly they turn the page in their rebuild. A return to playoff contention next year likely means continued strong play from the defender, which wouldn’t give Brière much reason to shop him again a year from now. If they find themselves in a similar position in the standings, though, Ristolainen should generate more interest with only one year left on his deal, assuming his play doesn’t nosedive.

Poehling, 26, hasn’t played since sustaining an upper-body injury, a suspected concussion, on a hit from Islanders winger Maxim Tsyplakov on Jan. 16. The hit earned Tsyplakov a three-game suspension but held Poehling out of the lineup for much longer. He’ll be available after missing 11 games for the Flyers, who went 4-6-1 in his absence. It’s unclear where he’ll slot into the lineup, but he’s held down a bottom-six role for most of the campaign.

The Minnesota native is in the first season of the two-year, $3.8MM extension he signed with Philadelphia in January 2024. He signed with the Flyers after being non-tendered by the rival Penguins in the summer of 2023, and he’s since emerged as a good fourth-line option with fringe third-line upside. The 6’2″ pivot has 4-11–15 through 43 appearances this season after recording a career-best 11-17–28 lines in 77 games last year. He’s complemented that with an even rating and a strong 51.2 FOW% while averaging 13:18 per game, down from last year’s 15-minute average.

His return will likely push veteran enforcer Nicolas Deslauriers to a press-box role, but head coach John Tortorella is likely mulling over more surprising options to scratch as per usual. Poehling has not been a healthy scratch this season – his absences have come either due to injury or personal leave.

The left-shot Zamula returns after missing eight games before the break with an upper-body issue. Now in his fifth NHL season, the 24-year-old is averaging a career-high 16:52 per game through 39 appearances. The undrafted free agent out of the Western Hockey League’s Calgary Hitmen has 3-8–11 with a -10 rating this year, matching his even-strength stat line in 66 games last year but failing to factor in on special teams. His 59 blocks rank sixth on the team, and his possession numbers – a 49.1 CF% and +2.2 expected rating at even strength – both rank 14th out of 29 skaters to suit up for the 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.

In addition to today’s rivalry matchup, Ristolainen’s availability may affect Team Finland in the upcoming Four Nations Face-Off. Friedman suggests that the Flyers would like Ristolainen to participate if he is healthy; however, his current condition may prevent him from playing, becoming a more pressing issue.

Finland has already lost defensemen Miro Heiskanen and Jani Hakanpää to various injuries, and the potential loss of Ristolainen would further diminish their chances. Ristolainen has scored two goals and recorded 15 points in 54 games this season while averaging 20:31 of ice time for the Philadelphia Flyers. He is currently the highest-scoring active defenseman on Finland’s roster.

[SOURCE LINK]

Feb. 7th: The Flyers have placed center Anthony Richard on waivers with intent to reassign him to AHL Lehigh Valley, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports Friday. Whether he clears or not, he’ll be the second corresponding transaction as the Flyers look to activate Andrei Kuzmenko and Jakob Pelletier from the non-roster list before tomorrow’s game against the Penguins after reassigning forward Jacob Gaucher earlier today.

Richard, 28, has played eight straight games since being recalled on Jan. 22. It was the smooth-skating pivot’s second recall of the season after a weeks-long trial in the NHL back in November.

The ninth-year pro signed a two-year, two-way deal with the Flyers in the offseason and has been a quality depth scorer when called upon. He has two goals and four assists across the pair of recalls, averaging 12:22 per game with good possession numbers (49.4 CF%, +2.2 expected rating at even strength). It’s the 5’10” forward’s third straight season seeing NHL ice after brief action with the Canadiens and Bruins in 2021-22 and 2022-23.

A longtime farmhand in the Predators’ system after they selected him fourth overall in 2015, he’s suited up for five organizations in the past four years after a mid-season trade in 2022 sent him to the Lightning. He was a decent depth scorer there but has only broken out in earnest post-COVID, clicking above a point per game in the minors since 2022-23. When on assignment to Lehigh Valley this season, Richard has 8-11–19 in 18 games with a plus-six rating.

The Quebec native needed waivers today because he’s played more than 10 games since last clearing during training camp. His strong point production in both leagues this season and experience playing down the middle means there’s a solid chance an offense-needy team takes a flyer on the veteran on the wire, but if not, Philly will be thrilled to keep him around as a reliable recall option.

Gaucher, 23, was signed to a two-year entry-level contract in December after spending parts of three seasons on minor-league deals with Lehigh Valley. He’d spent time in the ECHL as recently as last season but landed a fringe depth role with the Phantoms, posting 8-8–16 with a -7 rating in 59 AHL contests in 2023-24. It was a significant step forward for the 6’3″ pivot, who was still finding his footing in the pros after finishing off his junior career with a 68-point campaign for the QMJHL’s Baie-Comeau Drakkar in 2021-22.

This year, Gaucher had a strong camp with Philly on a tryout and returned to the Phantoms rejuvenated. He’s operating at over double last season’s point-per-game pace, and his plus-one rating is tied for ninth on the team. He totaled 14-13–27 in 44 games before receiving his first NHL call-up last Saturday.

Gaucher served as the Flyers’ fourth-line center for their last three contests, going without a point but managing three shots on goal and winning nine out of 13 faceoffs. He averaged 7:30 per game, all at even strength, and posted strong possession numbers in limited minutes with a 53.3 CF% and a +0.1 expected rating.

His reassignment also comes as Ryan Poehling, the Flyers’ usual fourth-line pivot, returned to practice today in a non-contact jersey, per Jackie Spiegel of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Poehling, who’s on injured reserve, has been out with Jan. 16 with an upper-body injury and has missed 10 games. He’ll presumably miss tomorrow’s game against Pittsburgh but should be good to go when the team resumes its schedule after the 4 Nations Face-Off later this month. His return indicates that recent call-ups Rodrigo Abols and Anthony Richard will likely join Gaucher on the road back to Lehigh Valley over the break.

• Also from Spiegel’s column, the Flyers are hoping that newcomers Andrei Kuzmenko and Jakob Pelletier will be available for Saturday’s contest versus Pittsburgh. The two were acquired from Calgary last Friday but are still in the process of securing a work visa.  Neither player is presently on their 23-man roster so once they get clearance to suit up, Philadelphia will need to open up two roster spots before they can be activated.  Moving Tippett to IR retroactively is one way they can free up one of the spots.

The 33-year-old Deslauriers hasn’t played since November 9th because of an upper-body injury and should give the Flyers some sandpaper in their bottom six. The 12-year NHL veteran has been used sparingly this season when he has been healthy, averaging just 6:05 of ice time per game, a drop of well over four minutes a game from his career average.

Last year, the Flyers were a significantly worse team with the veteran in the lineup as Deslauriers only had four points in 60 games and posted a CF% of 45.7% at even strength. His advanced stats were even worse than that as the Flyers expected goals percentage (xGF%) was significantly higher with Deslauriers off the ice (53.4%) than when he was on it (44.0%).

This season, Deslauriers has played just seven games and has a single assist along with 15 hits and a blocked shot. His underlying numbers are much better this year (CF% of 58.9%), albeit in a small sample size. Prior to his injury, Deslauriers had served as a healthy scratch on several occasions, and that will likely remain the case if the Flyers get their full slate of forwards back in the coming weeks.

Briere started by emphasizing how difficult parting with a pair of roster forwards was. He shared that a slow season was enough to push both players down the depth chart and that they were at risk of losing their spot in the top nine to younger players. Frost ranked fourth on the Flyers in scoring with 25 points in 49 games – putting him on pace to match the 41 points he scored last season. Farabee was far less productive, with just 19 points in 50 games – a far cry from the 50 points he scored last year. While neither player were offensive black holes, they weren’t showing signs of improvement on a Flyers offense looking towards the future, which could have led towards players like Bobby Brink or Tyson Foerster getting the preferred minutes.

But it wasn’t easy for Briere to part with Farabee’s lofty $5MM cap hit. Briere shared that many teams were interested, but that they all wanted the Flyers to retain some part of Farabee’s deal. That would be a hard pill to swallow given Farabee still has three more seasons on his deal, and the Flyers already have a retention spot occupied by Kevin Hayes. Calgary was the only team willing to take on Farabee’s full contract, which may have influenced the overall strength of Philadelphia’s return. Briere emphasized that the biggest asset gained by this swap was cap flexibility, so finding a trade partner with cap space was a top priority. The Flyers leave this deal with a projected $24.3MM in available cap space for this summer, though they’ll have four restricted free agents – Foerster, Pelletier, Cameron York, and Noah Cates.

And while the focus on cap space may have earned Philadelphia a lighter return, they’ve still landed a player to watch. Briere shared that the team was planning to negotiate with Kuzmenko when he entered unrestricted free agency this summer. Kuzmenko has a noted connection with star Flyers rookie Matvei Michkov, having played with the Calder Trophy candidate with the KHL’s SKA St. Petersburg in the 2021-22 campaign. Having another compatriot in Philadelphia could be a nice spark for Michkov – but the Flyers will first have to hope Kuzmenko gets past his menial 15 points in 37 games this season. He scored 46 points last year, split between Vancouver and Calgary – a number that’d leave far more impact on the Flyers lineup.

Briere closed by noting that this move was made with the future – particularly this summer – in mind. He says that the Flyers’ rebuild is at the point of aggressively adding to the roster, and the team is hoping to take full advantage of their cap flexibility on the open market. In the meantime, they’ll get a chance to test Kuzmenko’s fit before having to extend him beyond this year – and get the boom-or-bust upside of Pelletier to boot.

Andrae has split the season between the Flyers and Phantoms.  With Philadelphia, the 22-year-old has suited up in 20 games, picking up five points along with 28 blocks and 22 hits while averaging 19:18 of playing time.  He has been a bit more productive with Lehigh Valley with nine points in 15 outings with them.  With Erik Johnson absent from practice today, it’s possible that Andrae could be counted on for Sunday’s game in Colorado.

As for Gaucher, it’s his first recall after his minor league deal was converted to an entry-level pact in December.  The 23-year-old has done well this season with the Phantoms, notching 14 goals and 13 assists in 44 games, well surpassing his rookie-year numbers in fewer games.  Gaucher’s 27 points put him in a tie for second on Lehigh Valley in scoring, two behind leader Samu Tuomaala.

As for making roster room, Kuzmenko and winger Jakob Pelletier were acquired from Calgary on Thursday.  However, both players are dealing with visa-related concerns and are not yet available to the team.  Their debuts may have to wait until Tuesday in Utah.  Zamula, meanwhile, has missed the last week with an upper-body injury.  His retroactive IR placement came on Friday, meaning he’s eligible to be activated at any time.

The recall is head-scratching at face value. After producing a mediocre 4-8-1 record and a .870 save percentage in 15 games with the Flyers, the organization decided to try Kolosov at the AHL level a little over a week ago.

Kolosov’s results in Lehigh Valley weren’t much better. He posted a 2-4-1 record in seven games, with a .874 SV% and a 3.59 goals-against average. Still, while it’s not entirely the fault of the goaltenders, and it is merely wishful thinking that Kolosov would have produced a different outcome, the Flyers are 2-4-0 since sending him down and have given up 20 goals in that stretch.

The Minsk, Belarus native may receive one or two more starting opportunities with Philadelphia in the coming week. However, this is not the most promising route for him to secure more starts. The Flyers have faced significant goaltending issues this season, and Kolosov’s subpar performance has contributed to this problem.

Ginning is heading to a familiar environment fresh off making his season debut in Philadelphia. He skated in 12:48 of last night’s loss to the New York Islanders adding one hit and one blocked shot to the team’s total. He could be back with the Flyers soon given the team only has six healthy defensemen on the roster without him.

Philadelphia had to make a roster move after yesterday’s acquisition of Andrei Kuzmenko and Jakob Pelletier from the Calgary Flames. Moving to the last part of the transaction, Zamula finally lands on the injured reserve after missing the past four games. Once he’s healthy enough to return, Kolosov or forward Rodrigo Abols will likely be reassigned to AHL Lehigh Valley.

Jan. 30: The Flames and Flyers are working on a trade that will send winger Andrei Kuzmenko to Philadelphia, per Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet adds that winger Jakob Pelletier is heading to the Flyers as part of the swap. Heading Calgary’s way in return are forwards Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost, Seravalli reports. Friedman adds that the Flyers were on Kuzmenko’s 12-team no-trade list, but he waived the clause to make the move happen. Finally, Seravalli reports a second-round and seventh-round pick are headed to the Flyers along with Pelletier and Kuzmenko to complete the trade.

To put things plainly, Kuzmenko is a pending unrestricted free agent needing a change of scenery. The soon-to-be 29-year-old has struggled to stay in the lineup this season despite a $5.5MM cap hit. While he missed some time due to a lower-body injury in December, he was recently a healthy scratch for a three-game stretch and has been limited to 37 of Calgary’s 49 games overall. In those appearances, the Russian sniper is averaging just over one shot on goal per game and has converted at a career-worst 10.3% rate, working out to only four goals and 11 assists for 15 points.

That dip in production is evidence of the 5’11” winger’s inconsistency, but he’s shown flashes of proper top-six play since arriving in the NHL as an undrafted free agent signing by the Canucks in 2022. He erupted for 39 goals and 74 points in his rookie season while playing primarily on Elias Pettersson’s wing, shooting at a league-high 27.3% and averaging over 16 minutes per game with strong possession metrics (52.9 CF%, 55.2 xGF% at even strength).

Kuzmenko landed a rich two-year, $11MM extension midway through his rookie campaign as a result of his efforts, but it’s been marred by up-and-down play. His production dropped to eight goals and 21 points through the first 43 games of the 2023-24 campaign before he was sent to Calgary in the deal that sent Elias Lindholm to the Canucks. He rediscovered his sharp-shooting ways after the move to Alberta, ending the season with 14 goals and 11 assists for 25 points in 29 appearances. He was the second-most productive Flames forward after the swap on a per-game basis, trailing only Nazem Kadri (36 points in 33 games).

But as in Vancouver, Kuzmenko hasn’t been able to carry his production over into year two with his new club. His minus-seven rating ranks fourth-worst on the team, but possession metrics paint a much rosier picture. His 53.6 CF% at even strength is sixth on the team and fourth among forwards, while his expected +1.9 rating is fifth. He’s not generating nearly enough individual offense to make his strength as a scorer shine through, but he’s not been a meaningful liability away from the puck, either.

Philly picks up an inconsistent but high-ceiling option on the wing in Kuzmenko, and they pick up a similar but younger archetype in Pelletier. Selected in the first round by the Flames in 2019, he’s only just beginning to break through as an impact NHLer. The 23-year-old has only 10 points in 37 career appearances entering the season and even cleared waivers on his way down to the minors at the beginning of the season. He’s gotten more chances in the NHL lineup as the campaign has progressed, though, and has earned an everyday role in the lineup over the last six weeks.

Since first being recalled at the beginning of December, Pelletier is tied for sixth on the Flames in scoring with 11 points (4 G, 7 A) in 23 games. He also has a team-high +10 rating during that span despite averaging only 12:57 per game. There’s significant upside with both players, especially if thrust into consistent top-six roles.

The Flyers also open up some long-term flexibility by dealing Farabee, who’s had similar struggles to Kuzmenko this season, to Calgary. He costs slightly less than Kuzmenko against the cap – $500K, to be exact – but is signed through the 2027-28 campaign. Philadelphia will get out of Kuzmenko’s deal in a few months and also open up short-term cap space by swapping the $2.1MM Frost for a six-figure Pelletier.

Farabee has a much longer NHL track record than Kuzmenko despite being four years younger, but he’s also failed to flash the ceiling Kuzmenko has. His career-highs only check in at 22 goals and 50 points, both set last season while skating in all 82 games for Philadelphia. The 2018 first-rounder has 90 goals and 201 points in 383 career outings for the Flyers since entering the league six years ago.

At 24 years old (25 in a few weeks), Farabee fits the Flames’ retooling timeline better than Kuzmenko, and even if his $5MM cap hit is steep for his inconsistent production, he’s cost-controlled in the event he breaks out. This season has been difficult for Farabee, who’s shooting at a career-worst 8.1% and has eight goals with 11 assists for 19 points through 49 games. That’s the worst point-per-game pace of his career by a decent margin, and his possession impacts are also among the worst on the Flyers. While the cost control could be a gift if he returns to a 50-point pace in top-nine minutes, Calgary is taking on a significant amount of risk with three more seasons left on his contract.

They do pick up a promising young center in Frost, matching the type of player general manager Craig Conroy has been looking to acquire since their hot start to the season. Calgary was among the teams to check in with the Sabres on Dylan Cozens’ availability, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic said a couple of weeks ago, but Frost is a much lower-risk option contractually as a pending restricted free agent with a $2.4MM qualifying offer.

Frost, 25, was a first-rounder in 2017 and ranks fifth on the Flyers in scoring with 25 points (11 G, 14 A) through 48 games. He was an eyebrow-raising healthy scratch on a few occasions early in the season but has played every game since Nov. 23. He’s on pace to produce in the 40-50 point range for three years straight now, averaging north of 15 minutes per game and steadily improving in the faceoff circle. His 51.6% win rate on draws this season is a career-high and immediately ranks tops among Flames with at least 100 attempts this season.

The Flames ended up with a net cap gain of $800K in the swap, a negligible figure considering they entered the night with nearly $44MM in current space, per PuckPedia. No corresponding transactions will be required to execute the deal with an equal number of roster players changing hands, either.

Images courtesy of USA Today Sports.

David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period was the first to report the Flames were sending draft picks to the Flyers to complete the deal.