Philadelphia Flyers: Who Are Some Under The Radar Trade Candidates?

The Philadelphia Flyers are expected to be active on the trade market this offseason and have a couple of players they could look to move over the summer.

General Manager Chuck Fletcher has already made some deals during his six-month tenure with the Philadelphia Flyers. He shipped Wayne Simmonds to the Nashville Predators for Ryan Hartman and a 2020 fourth-round pick, acquired Cam Talbot from the Edmonton Oilers for fellow net-minder Anthony Stolarz, cut dead weight by moving Dale Weise and Christian Folin to the Montreal Canadiens for defenseman David Schlemko and forward Byron Froese, and brought in Justin Bailey from the Buffalo Sabres for Taylor Leier. It’s clear he isn’t afraid to make a trade if he deems it necessary and will more than likely use that fearlessness when the offseason fully gets underway.

The Flyers have had two players speculated to be on the trading block, with one having more steam than the other, in Shayne Gostisbehere and Jakub Voracek. Elliotte Friedman mentioned on his podcast that Gostisbehere’s name seems to always be on the rumor mill while Voracek’s just been hypothesized by frustrated fans and writers alike. Outside of those two, Fletcher does have a few other names that he could move as part of a package to reel in a more skilled player.

One of those guys is none other than Radko Gudas. The physical blue-liner was arguably the Flyers most consistent defenseman last season, performing very well in the defensive zone while occasionally chipping in on offense, too. Gudas would provide value to a team looking for a second or third pair d-man who can play on the right side and log shorthanded minutes. I’d be a little skeptical in moving the seven-year NHL vet, though, given how beneficial he was for Philadelphia this past season, but if Fletcher is able to receive a top line defenseman in exchange for a package involving Gudas, I’d be more okay with moving the former Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman.

Another player Fletcher could look to deal is Michael Raffl. While the long-time NHL GM gave Raffl a two-year extension before the 2018-19 season came to an end, he could still trade the Austrian forward if the deal is right. Raffl could interest a club hoping to sure-up their fourth line while adding veteran leadership and solid puck-possessing skill, as well. As far as the three candidates I’ve listed or am about to list, Raffl is the least likely to depart the City of Brotherly Love given his new contract.

The last option isn’t even a player at all, but the Flyers 11th overall selection. I’ve already mentioned whether Fletcher should consider dealing the pick or not in this article. The pick is easily the Flyers most valuable asset they have on this list that’s not named Ghost or Voracek and could be a significant piece in a potential trade prior to or during the 2019 NHL Draft.

Fletcher has plenty of options at his disposal and could even surprise us all by moving somebody unexpected over the summer. Whatever happens, the Flyers roster as it currently stands could look a lot different come September.