Philadelphia Flyers: Is it time for the team to Lose for Hughes?

The 2018-19 season clearly hasn’t gone as planned for the Philadelphia Flyers which begs the question, Is it time for the team to think more towards the future?

There was a good amount of optimism coming into the season around this Philadelphia Flyers team. The roster looked good on paper and young players were poised to take the next step in their respective developments. Now, just 43 games in, things couldn’t be more opposite.

The Flyers have had to hire a new General Manager in Chuck Fletcher and a new Interim Head Coach in Scott Gordon due to their struggles this year. The firing of now former Head Coach Dave Hakstol provided a spark to Philadelphia at first, but quickly went out as they reverted to their  losing ways.

The team is now riding an eight game losing streak after losing to the Washington Capitals in their last contest. They are currently in last place in the Metropolitan Division and only rank ahead of the Ottawa Senators for last place in the entire league. With the Flyers sitting 15 points out of the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, the question must be asked if it’s time to fold on this season and look towards the future. More specifically, should they #LoseForHughes?

For those who don’t know, forward Jack Hughes is the projected number one pick for the 2019 NHL Draft. He possesses great offensive skill and looked solid in World Junior Championships this year, scoring four assists in four games played. He isn’t the only prospect worthy of the first overall selection, either, with Finnish forward Kappo Kakko breathing right down Hughes’ neck for top prospect in the draft.

Both would be tremendous additions to the Flyers offense, who have struggled with consistency throughout the 2018-19 campaign. The real question is whether or not Fletcher should sell at the trade deadline given the fact that the players and coaches won’t just give-up on the season themselves. I personally think he should. Almost everything has gone wrong for Philadelphia this year and it’s clear they aren’t going anywhere barring a miracle.

As much as I’ve loved to see Wayne Simmonds wear the Orange-and-Black uniform over the years, he’s begun to decline a bit in terms of scoring production and won’t be worth the contract he’ll get on the open market this offseason. The Flyers also need new faces in their locker room, as this current roster has shown time and time again that they can’t get the job done. For all these reasons, Fletcher must be an aggressive seller at the February 25th deadline, but has to make sure the deals are right, as well.

So, to answer the question, the Flyers should one hundred percent lose for Hughes (or Kakko). It would take a whole lot of luck for the team to make the playoffs and it’s time to build for next season and beyond.