Flyers Acquire Ryan Ellis from Nashville Predators
By Collin Coyne
With several teams making big moves just prior to the NHL roster freeze that comes before the impending expansion draft, it seems Chuck Fletcher wanted in on the action. The Flyers made a deal for Nashville Predators defenseman Ryan Ellis, in exchange for defenseman Philippe Myers and forward Nolan Patrick.
Ellis has long been in rumors linked to the Flyers, and his acquisition here gives the orange and black an elite defenseman to pair on the right side with Ivan Provorov, something the team has sorely needed since the sudden retirement of Matt Niskanen.
Ellis comes with a 6,250,000 dollar cap hit through the 2026-27 season, making him 36 at the end of the contract. Being 30 right now gives the Flyers some massive veteran leadership on the blue line, He also brings an amount of elite production he had in Nashville as a part of the lauded defensive core that took that team to the cup finals and gifted them the Presidents Trophy back in 2018.
The Flyers end up trading away Nolan Patrick and Phil Myers, two players who had been hampered by regression in this disastrous 2020-21 campaign. Myers took massive steps backwards this past season, going through stretches where he would be far and away the worst player on the ice and hemorrhaging scoring chances for the other team.
Patrick, similarly, has dealt with rough sledding in Philadelphia since his selection at No. 2 overall in 2017. Struggling to establish himself, and then being shut down for an entire season with recurring migraine issues, Patrick leaves Philadelphia as somewhat of a “what if”, though rumors that he had requested a trade prior make his dealing less than surprising. Patrick was also dealt again to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for prospect Cody Glass, setting him up for success in a great situation.
For the Flyers, they certainly sell low on the two young players, but the return is something that should go a long way to cleaning up the defensive woes that contributed to the Flyers playoff miss this past season. Matt Niskanen did a fantastic job coaching and helping the young Philly blueliners grow, and Ellis slots into that same position with even more talent.
Chuck Fletcher’s offseason may very well not be finished, as the Flyers still have a few unanswered questions on the roster. And with them taking on additional money for Ellis, it seems all but certain some more big names, and more importantly big contracts, will see their way off the team.
Ryan Ellis is a Philadelphia Flyer. And that alone makes the team that much better.