Philadelphia Flyers: Top 2023-24 In-Season Trade Candidates

It’s that part of the offseason where this isn’t much news concerning the Philadelphia Flyers or the NHL in general, leaving us only to speculate about the coming season as we count the days until the puck drops in October. So as we wait for games to begin again, let’s prognosticate what current Flyers players who — for one reason or another — are most likely not to be with the club once the 2023-24 season concludes.

Marc Staal/Sean Walker

We’ll group this pair of newly acquired defensemen together, although the paths that might lead to their trades out of town diverge somewhat. For Staal, a 36-year old veteran still chasing his first Stanley Cup, he’s just as likely to be watching from the press box on a given night as he is to be in the lineup for John Tortortella. But he knows that he’s primarily here to help mold a young locker room, and both he and the Flyers are no doubt hoping that it bears enough fruit to attract the attention of a Cup-contending team by the deadline. If the Flyers can get 40 or so effective games out of Staal, there is no reason that they can’t get a mid-round pick for him, creating a win-win for the team and the player. This could be his final shot, and he figures to put it all on the line.

As for Walker, the intriguing 28-year old rearguard that was acquired in the three-way Ivan Provorov deal, the Flyers really should give him 18-20 minutes a night to test him out. If he flounders and isn’t deemed worthy by any trade partners, his contract is up at the end of this year and the Flyers can wash their hands of him. A solid performance, however, could net the Flyers a nice return, given how teams seem to covet those right-handed shooting D-men. The worry here is that he exceeds expectations and entices the Flyers to consider a longer deal to retain him. I know, it sounds crazy to hope against one of your players overachieving, but we are holding our collective breath when it comes to costly, long-term mistakes. Walker doesn’t seem to be part of a long-term plan in Philadelphia, but you never know.

Wade Allison

If only he could stay healthy. Somewhat to his credit, Allison did manage to appear in 60 games last season, although his 15 points were underwhelming given the way that he is so visible on the ice at times. Allison is eligible for arbitration after this season, so 2023-24 is absolutely critical in establishing his value as a viable bottom-six NHL forward. More injuries or severe underperformance might lead to his exodus from the league entirely, so expect maximum effort once again from the right-handed winger. The Flyers could turn this to their advantage and get a prospect or mid-round draft pick during this season, but Allison has to be healthy for that to come into play. This year will be fascinating to see if Allison and the Flyers are a match for the future, or if it’s time to move on, one way or the other.

Nick Seeler

Seeler is another defenseman to speak about, one who we actually thought might have been on the way out the door last season, and he presents an interesting case. Making barely over the league minimum, the 30-year old Seeler has emerged as an ideal bottom pairing defenseman, and there might be some contending clubs out there who figure he would be a perfect fit. But, if the Flyers don’t deem the return to be good enough, they are just as likely to explore a new contract with Seeler (maybe something in the 2-year, $4 million range) to keep him around as organizational depth and a veteran mentor for the young blueliners. This is a real ‘wait and see’ situation; check back with us in March on this one.

Cam Atkinson

Lastly, the total enigma of Cam Atkinson. Just how effective can he be after missing all of 2022-23? If you’ll recall, Atkinson was reasonably productive in his first season with the Flyers (23 goals, 27 assists in 73 games), and it would be fantastic if he could be in the ballpark of those kinds of numbers again. In an ideal world, Atkinson is renewed by the time off to heal, he clicks well with some of the Flyers young forwards, and he catches the eye of a playoff-bound team looking to add a middle-six winger with an acceptable cap hit. Atkinson has one more year after this one at $5.875 million, and the Flyers are likely to dangle the carrot of salary retention to facilitate a deal and clear a permanent lineup space for a young winger like Bobby Brink. Again, this depends on Atkinson staying in the lineup and being a regular contributor on the scoresheet, so let’s hope everyone comes out a winner.

The twists and turns of the 2023-24 season might ultimately offer up different results, but these Philadelphia Flyers currently stand out as the ones most likely not be be part of the 2024-25 team. In the end, though, we’ve got to wait for the games before things come more clearly into focus.