On Monday, the Philadelphia Flyers sent Jett Luchanko back to juniors, and it could foreshadow even more player movement. With the Flyers most likely looking to make moves that will put more room with the big club for younger talent or acquire high-potential prospects outright, they have enough talent in their current lineup to make that happen.
As the season continues and injuries pile up around the NHL, surefire contenders may look at transitioning teams like the Flyers and see if there's a good fit for depth, or even if they're looking for a specific role player.
Here are three names that other teams will have a lot of interest in come November for varying reasons. The Flyers also shouldn't have much trouble parting ways with any of the trio below in November as the season heats up.
Nick Deslauriers
Some teams will be looking for enforcers to protect their young, brewing superstars, and it's why a part-time player like Nick Deslauriers could draw interest. While the Flyers have brewing stars like Matvei Michkov and Trevor Zegras, they also have players who will go to bat for them like Garnet Hathaway, so Deslauriers is expendable.
Teams like the New York Islanders, who have a youngster in Matthew Schaefer, could use muscle like Deslauriers to keep opponents away from the rook. It doesn't have to be a division rival, since the Detroit Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres, and others who look like they will be on the playoff bubble come March 2026 could also use his services, so the Flyers don't need to deal with him up to four times a year.
Rasmus Ristolainen
Anyone attempting to acquire Rasmus Ristolainen would need to wait until late November or early December before playing him since he's still on injured reserve. But Ristolainen is one player on the Flyers who can use a change of scenery more than anyone else, thanks how turbulent his time has been in Philadelphia.
He has spent a significant portion of the last two seasons missing time, appearing in just 94 of the last possible 172 games. With a younger Philadelphia Flyers team, Ristolainen provides more value if they traded him elsewhere, even if it meant taking a flier on a prospect or getting a mid-to-late-round pick in return.
Samuel Ersson
Samuel Ersson is clearly not a good fit in Philadelphia, and he has looked okay, at best, in his first three outings. As it stands, Ersson has a 3.50 GAA, a 0.861 save percentage, and a 0.333 quality starts percentage, which isn't anywhere near what you want for even a No. 2 goaltender.
If there's any good news here for the Flyers it's Dan Vladar, who has shown fans what a change of scenery can do. Vladar has put up Vezina-like numbers through five games, with a perfect 1.000 quality starts percentage, a 1.81 GAA, and a whopping 0.932 save percentage.
What does that mean for Ersson? He has worn out his welcome in Philadelphia, but it doesn't mean he won't thrive elsewhere. A goaltender, even one performing as poorly as Ersson, often boasts high value, meaning the Flyers can get at least a mid-round pick for him when a goaltender-needy team comes calling.