By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 
When the trade deadline passed at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, the Flyers had re-signed two players, added a forward, traded a defenseman and acquired two draft picks.
A busy afternoon for GM Ron Hextall didn't go according to the drawing board of Flyers fans. But what Hextall did is focus on the short term, positioning the Flyers to add and build in the upcoming offseason and beyond.
The Flyers short term starts with prospects. They have two that should be ready for the NHL on the blue line next season in Robert Hagg and Sam Morin. Swedish forward Oskar Lindblom is another name generating buzz that could be on the Flyers roster by next season.
To add prospects down the road, you have to subtract. Trading Mark Streit was a start, getting something in return for an unrestricted free agent the Flyers were likely not going to sign in the offseason. Nick Schultz and Michael Del Zotto are also pending free agents who may not return.
The Flyers will have openings on the blue line heading into next season, so look for prospects to fill the void.
With the Streit deal, the Flyers also added to their prospect pool. Two picks were sent from Tampa — the conditional seventh-round pick was confirmed with Tampa's trade of Streit to Pittsburgh — giving the Flyers at least 11 picks in the upcoming draft. They also added a new forward, Valtteri Filppula.
On the surface, it doesn't seem to make sense that the Flyers would add a player at a deadline where they said they wouldn't be buyers. The fact that he comes with a $5 million cap hit for the 2017-18 season and a no-move clause made even less sense.
Filppula has been in decline in points over recent years — 51 points in 75 games in his first season in Tampa in 2013-14 dropped to 31 points in 76 games last season — but has seven goals and 34 points in 59 games this season. That total of 34 points instantly slots him into fifth on the Flyers roster. Seven goals also has Filppula tied with Travis Konecny and Matt Read for seventh on the team.
There is offensive upside to Filppula on the Flyers. Filppula's numbers came with a deep and offensively-gifted Lightning team. The Flyers, who are struggling for goals, could use anything close to Filppula's season total.
Then there were the re-signings.
Giving Michal Neuvirth an extension made sense for the cap hit. Neuvirth does not have starter's numbers this season, but last season showed signs of having that potential. The signing gives the Flyers a goalie to expose in the expansion draft who isn't a prospect like Anthony Stolarz. It gives the Flyers a decent starter or excellent backup, pending what they decide to do in the offseason regarding the goaltending position.
The term is the real key here. Two years of Neuvirth at $2.5 million as opposed to Steve Mason, who could demand north of $5 million per year in a new day and is making $4.1 million this season, comes with too much of a price tag and too much inconsistency. Neuvirth is the more cost-effective stopgap.
What the Flyers do to fill the other goalie spot is the real mystery. They could survive the expansion draft with both Neuvirth and Stolarz and use them as the goalies next season. They could target a goalie in free agency. Maybe they find a way for Mason to take a pay cut. That remains to be seen.
The extension for Pierre-Edouard Bellemare seems to be a security move, to ensure one of the fourth-line players has a role next season if for some reason the Flyers are grasping for players to fill out the everyday lineup.
With Filppula in the fold and the Flyers regular top six of Claude Giroux, Jake Voracek, Wayne Simmonds, Brayden Schenn and Konecny in place, the Flyers could have a third line of Sean Couturier, Jordan Weal and Lindblom — assuming he's added to the roster next season. If Lindblom does join the fold, Bellemare, Nick Cousins, Matt Read and Dale Weise are all in the running for fourth line roles.
At that point, the Flyers would have three solid lines with a fourth-line that may not be as much of a liability anymore. But that's a big if too.
The task for the Flyers now is to make the move into the future. If the Flyers aren't a big contender next season while more rookies get some experience, so be it. But by the 2018-19 season, the Flyers should have a core in place, prospects playing in their second, third and fourth NHL seasons, and potentially more cap room to add a big piece at forward.
The direction for the team is there. The Flyers just have to embrace bringing prospects into the mix over the offseason, shed the remaining dead weight and charge forward.
The process continued on Wednesday with moves that are good for the short term. It needs to continue into the offseason with steps that focus on the long-term growth of the Flyers into a contender.
