Stay or Go: A Look at the Flyers Trade Deadline Candidates

It seemed like the season only started, and before you knew it here we are once again within a week of the NHL trade deadline. The Philadelphia Flyers and GM Danny Briere have been in plenty of trade rumors the past few weeks, especially after sending Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost to the Calgary Flames. 

After that trade, it immediately raised some eyes across the league to let the rest of the NHL know that Philadelphia is open for business. It’s unlikely that other players, besides the ones mentioned below, are dealt but anything is possible. Here are the top candidates who are most likely to be dealt, and a prediction of what the return may be.

Scott Laughton

Here we go again. The fourth time could be the charm with the long-time Flyer, as his name has consistently been brought up this time of the year at the deadline. This could finally be the year Philadelphia parts ways with the 30-year-old. 

Laughton’s name has been heating up the past few weeks with teams such as the Winnipeg Jets, New Jersey Devils, and Toronto Maple Leafs all realistic options for the forward. Head coach John Tortorella made a point that you “can’t fall in love with players” during a recent press conference. 

“You’re always looking to improve your team. We have to improve our team,” Tortorella said. “Danny is listening. He has to listen because we’re in that stage. We have to improve our team. Scottie is loved here, but you can’t fall in love.” 

Philadelphia is at a crucial point of their rebuild with some of their core, like Laughton, getting a little older. Clearing up a few extra dollars could help speed up the process in the long run. Briere has advised several times that he will never make a trade just to make a trade, and that it has to make sense. 

Prediction: Trade – it will come down to whoever has the most assets, and right now New Jersey could be the one to make it work. They have three second-round picks in this year’s draft (Winnipeg, Edmonton, and their own), so it could look something like two second-round picks plus a player who’s close to NHL ready. Another route the Flyers could look is bolstering their defense core, which could make fellow Flyer Rasmus Ristolainen more expendable. If that’s the case, and although highly unlikely, could a Simon Nemec or a Seamus Casey be in play?

Rasmus Ristolainen 

While we’re playing the hypothetical game, if Laughton is traded to a team and the return includes a young defenseman, then it gives Briere all the more reason to get a nice haul for Ristolainen. 

The Chicago Blackhawks got a sizable return by trading Seth Jones for a conditional first-round pick and Spencer Knight. Now let’s be clear, Jones is a better player than Ristolainen with a heftier contract, so there shouldn’t be a reason to receive a package like that. However, with his consistent play, being a big hard hitting right-handed defenseman, and on a more team-friendly contract than Jones – despite Chicago retaining $2.5 million for the next five years – Ristolainen could bring back a very good return. 

Although not rumored to be scouting him, the Dallas Stars would be a great spot for Ristolainen to play, if they have the money to make it work. Depending on his health, and the ability to maintain this impressive play as of late, it could be another factor to move him now while you can get a good enough return.

Moments before discussing Laughton’s availability, the only bit of information Torts would give the media is that he would be more concerned about trying to find his replacement. 

“If you trade him Friday, then on Saturday, you say, [expletive], I need a big, right-handed defenseman,” Tortorella said. “You’re always looking for that big, right-handed defenseman.” 

Unless it’s his head coach pumping his tires and trying to drive the value up, Tortorella is certainly sending a message to Briere of how important Ristolainen is to his lineup. 

Prediction: Stay – Ristolainen will remain a Flyer, more likely to be dealt at the 2025 NHL Draft.

Andrei Kuzmenko

Although Kuzmenko was only acquired weeks ago, it is a strong possibility that the Flyers flip him to a stronger team pushing for the playoffs. It is important to keep in mind that Kuzmenko has a 12-team no-trade clause, so unfortunately they can’t send him just anywhere.

Since joining the team, he has been fitting in quite well with three points in five games. We will see if Kuzmenko can keep this playstyle and drive going, but there are so many different options for him besides being dealt. 

He may walk after this season to another team, or he may take more money to return to the KHL. If he does end up staying, it would be wise for Briere not to go long-term, whether Kuzmenko wants to or not. He has a tendency to tail off with his production after initially getting off to a fast start with a new team. Besides the production aspect, Briere should also consider Kuzmenko’s age and where he will be at the end of any potential extension.

Prediction: Stay – Although it won’t happen until the off-season, Kuzmenko will re-sign a three year $4.2 million AAV extension to stay with the Flyers. He seems to be very comfortable so far and is thoroughly enjoying his time currently in Philadelphia. Despite being 29 years old, Briere and company might have the opportunity to unlock Kuzmenko’s true potential we saw a few years ago in Vancouver.

Something to keep in mind is that Briere’s asking price could be too high for teams as well. By the time 3 p.m. hits on Friday afternoon, it’s also likely that he could stay put and not even make any more trades. 

Kevin Kurz of The Athletic mentioned in a recent article that both Laughton and Ristolainen – the two more notable names available – are both playing well and aren’t just going to be given away. Since both players also have some term left on their contracts, Briere is not anxious to get a deal done. If the right deal comes together, perfect. However, if he feels it’s not a strong enough deal for either player, then he is perfectly content in waiting.

Briere will get plenty of phone calls on mainly Laughton and Ristolainen, but he may receive some surprising offers on Kuzmenko, or even others. Will he be aggressive and go after some younger talent, or will Briere be patient and let the offers come to him?