The Philadelphia Flyers have had a fun offseason, to this point. They’ve traded away a couple of veterans – not without drama – and nailed their first draft in the Keith Jones and Danny Briere era. The Flyers have clearly entered rebuild mode, but they haven’t leaned into the rebuild as much as they should have to this point. Their roster still features a host of veterans who would be of great use to almost every aspiring contender in the league.
One such problem the Flyers face in finding trade partners is that the salary cap did not go up as much as many had hoped. A $1 million increase to teams’ salary caps across the board is really negligible; it’s barely enough to cover an entry-level contract. In that same vein, that’s where the Flyers’ cheaper, best-value contracts come into play. Travis Konecny is one of the first names that comes to mind.
The Trade
The Logic
Evan Bouchard is an RFA currently, and is yet to sign an extension with the Edmonton Oilers. The problem there is that the Oilers only have $3.5 million in cap space to sign the 23 year old, and that’s just not enough for one of the best young defensemen in the entire NHL. Plus, it’s been reported that he’s seeking more money than that. The money owed to Jack Campbell over the course of the next four seasons might be enough to pay Bouchard if he decides to sign long-term now, but it would take a herculean effort by the Oilers’ front office to offload Campbell at this point.
stay hot evan bouchard! what a goal to tie it with five seconds left. pic.twitter.com/g78A0ai5Ls
— zach (@zjlaing) November 29, 2022
Instead, the Oilers may want to turn to the Flyers for help in this case. Sometimes, the best defense is a good offense, and adding Travis Konecny would give Edmonton a concrete argument for having the best top-six in all of hockey. The Flyers can afford to take on the anchor that is Jack Campbell’s contract, and with Alexei Kolosov and others in the pipeline, they don’t need to hang onto Carter Hart longer than what is necessary. An Oilers tandem of Hart and Stuart Skinner would be eons better than what Skinner and Campbell were in 2022-23.
As for Warren Foegele, he’s heading into the last year of his contract. The 27 year old is a decent bottom-sixer and could fill in for Scott Laughton, should Philadelphia want to cash in on him as well. The Oilers would need to shed his salary for this trade to work.
In all honesty, Philip Broberg would be a reclamation project at this stage of his career, but the Flyers can afford him the ice time and the opportunity to play with Nick Seeler and Egor Zamula out of the picture. If he develops and becomes what he should have, that’s great for the Flyers. If not? They still have Travis Sanheim and Emil Andrae, among others.
Conclusion
Bouchard walks into this Flyers team as the bonafide top dog on the right side of the defense, and he should be able to get paid whatever he wants once Ryan Ellis hits LTIR. Hart and Konecny is a steep price for the Flyers to pay, but that’s the cost of business when you’re dealing with the best up-and-coming defenseman in the National Hockey League. Plus, are we sure Hart is still the real deal anymore? Konecny could walk for free if the Flyers are still rebuilding when his contract expires. Seeler and Zamula give the Oilers some different profiles in defense, without completely compromising their depth.
The Oilers certainly come away as an improved team, even at the cost of their star defenseman. They would fix more holes than they create. The Flyers address an organizational need at right defense; Rasmus Ristolainen and Sean Walker aren’t going to cut it in the short or long-term, and Oliver Bonk and Carter Sotheran are at least two years away from pro hockey.
If the Flyers and Oilers are feeling froggy enough, this trade would put the league on high alert. The days of safe, passive trades are over.