The Philadelphia Flyers head into the NHL trade deadline limping, winning just three of their last ten outings.
After Saturday’s loss to Pittsburgh, Philadelphia fell six points back of the final wild card spot.
The Flyers have gone 9-15-4 since their 10-game winning streak ended, sitting just five points back of picking in the top 5 at the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.
If the @NHLFlyers went ~0.379% over last 21 games, like they have in last 29, they would finish on 79pts. Most likely #5 pr #6 pick. #Flyers
— Alexander Appleyard (@avappleyard) February 26, 2017
Sell Sell Sell
Philadelphia Flyers
"“Flyers GM Ron Hextall confirmed that “we’re not buying” and according to the paper, their five pending unrestricted free agents are available for draft picks and prospects.“We’ll be making calls and getting calls, and we’ll see what’s out there and see where we’re at as a team in the standings and make the appropriate moves,” Hextall told the Inquirer.Flyers defensemen Mark Streit, Michael Del Zotto, and Nick Schultz, and goalies Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth are all set to become UFAs July 1 and are all up for grabs.Several teams are in the market for defensive help, while a handful of teams are interested in adding a reliable goalie as insurance for the playoff push. (TheFourthPeriod.com)"
With the Flyers playoff chances diminishing, it feels as though something needs to give in Philadelphia.
Ron Hextall likes his team.
"When they won their 10th straight on Dec. 14, only three NHL teams (Chicago, Montreal, and Pittsburgh) had more points than the Flyers, who had a nine-point cushion over ninth-seeded Tampa Bay in the East.“It tells me what we’re capable of, and at times we’re not playing anywhere near to that level,” Hextall said. “That’s been frustrating. I like our team. We’ve got some good players, but the consistency part, we have to level that out for sure, especially from now to the end of the year.” (Sam Carchidi) (philly.com)"
Don’t expect a fire sale in Philly over the next three days; General Manager Ron Hextall still believes in his group. It is however in the club’s best interest going forward to deal, trading pending UFAs in order to gain more assets for the future. Hextall says he’ll look into trades that make the organization better over the next few days.