Philadelphia Flyers: The Case In Trading For P.K. Subban

The current Nashville Predator defenseman might be on the trading block, and the Philadelphia Flyers should have an interest in the soon to be 30-year-old.

Shortly after the Nashville Predators were eliminated in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, rumors started to swirl that they could look into trading P.K. Subban in order to free up some cap space. Subban has three years remaining on his current contract with a cap hit of nine million per year, making him an obvious candidate to be dealt if the Preds want significant cap relief. Philadelphia Flyers General Manager Chuck Fletcher mentioned his desire to add a veteran defenseman this offseason and Subban most definitely fits that bill.

While he posted the lowest point total of his ten-year NHL career this past year, disregarding the 2009-10 season since he played just two games, Subban still brought value to Nashville offensively. He was one of the best play-drivers on the team, ranking Top 10 in both Corsi-For and Fenwick-For percentages among skaters who have played at least 500 minutes of Time On Ice at even strength, according to Natural Stat Trick. Minus High Danger Chances For, Subban also kept every other advanced percentage above the 50.0% mark, which is impressive given he battled an upper-body injury early on in the 2018-19 season.

Subban went on to score three points (1 Goal, 2 Assists) in the six-game series against the Dallas Stars. He overall looked solid for the Predators in their first-round exit and didn’t warrant a lot of blame for their early postseason departure.

The Flyers have the cap space to add Subban in a potential trade, but the real question is who they would have to cough up in return. While his hefty cap hit and age could weigh down that return a bit, Fletcher will have to part with some sort of valuable piece to acquire Subban’s services. So, a Robert Hagg for P.K. Subban one-for-one deal should get it done, right? Flyers fans can only dream.

Nashville will probably ask for one of Shayne Gostisbehere, Phillippe Myers, or to a lesser extent Radko Gudas as a jumping off point. Myers and Gudas would require a package of picks, prospects, and maybe even another roster player to even out the value, but I could see a Gostisbehere for Subban trade working out for both sides. Then again, Ghost is younger, more durable at this stage of his career, and on a team-friendly contract, so I’d be skeptical in agreeing to the theorized deal.

Whatever the case, Fletcher should at the very least inquire about Subban services. He’s a capable Top-4 defenseman, and I’d very much like to see him paired with Ivan Provorov if he does end up in the city of Brotherly Love.