The annual trade deadline has come and gone, bringing with it the usual flurry of activity — draft picks here, spare parts there and, naturally, the blockbuster deals and head-scratchers peppered in between.
Ron Hextall certainly didn't waste any time in his first deadline as Flyers GM, moving a longtime defensive pair in two separate deals. After a combined 17 seasons and 1,095 games, the Flyers careers of Kimmo Timonen and Braydon Coburn have come to a halt, with both men heading to sure-fire playoff contenders in Chicago and Tampa Bay, respectively.
The Orange and Black, of course, got some decent returns for the key cogs of their blueline. They get a second-round pick in this year's draft for Timonen (along with a conditional pick in 2016), while acquiring first- and third-round picks along with young Czech blueliner Radko Gudas for Coburn. (Wait a minute, haven't Czech players enjoyed recent success with the Flyers?)
As a result, the Flyers currently have 10 picks in this year's draft — their most since 2006. They also have two picks in the first round for the fifth time in franchise history, and first since 2003 — the first round that saw them draft Mike Richards and Jeff Carter.
Hextall also sheds Coburn's $4.5 million cap hit and Timonen's $3.5 hit — which didn't count for the team this season while he was on the long-term injured reserve list. Goudas' hit for next season will be a paltry $992,000 — significantly easier on the Flyers' cap.
When Hextall first assumed the reigns as GM last offseason, he established a patient approach in building a roster worthy of Stanley Cup contention. He made a significant trade early on, and was largely idle as free agency began. He inherited the bulk of the roster that predecessor Paul Holmgren left behind, and didn't have a whole lot to work with, for the most part.
But now, Hextall can continue that patient approach, while ensuring that he'll be quite active when the Draft rolls around. And with a draft class as loaded as 2015's promises to be, Hextall's vision for the future of the Flyers organization is beginning to take flight.
It's essentially become a cliche to typically declare "winners" and "losers" after the final trade calls are completed. While it's too soon to consider Hextall a winner after his first deadline, he's taken the right steps to set the Flyers up as winners for the long-term.
Follow Rob Riches on Twitter @Riches61
