The Philadelphia Flyers emphasized their plan before the 2025-26 season was to build towards the future and their young stars taking that next step to build an eventual contender. No one expected the Flyers to have the start they've had this early into the season.
Through 41 games this season after defeating the Anaheim Ducks 5-2 on Tuesday, the Flyers are 22-12-7 with 51 points, good enough for third place in the Metropolitan Division. Sure the majority of the Eastern Conference remains in the playoff picture, but the Flyers look to have more than decent odds if they continue to keep up at their pace, But could they be enticed to make a trade for a difference maker at the March 6 trade deadline?
Before Tuesday's game, general manager Danny Briere discussed the possibility of making a trade to help out their playoff chances. Briere let it be known that he's not going to sacrifice the team's future for a trade to help with their playoff push.
"It doesn't change the vision," Briere said, h/t ESPN. "It doesn't change what we're trying to do. It's still about the future. It's not just in the moment. Don't bank on any rentals and to give up assets. We're not at that stage yet."
Danny Briere won't sacrifice Flyers' future
This has always been the plan for the Flyers — building towards the future. Even before the season, Flyers chairman Dan Hilferty and president of hockey operations Keith Jones said that there was no playoff mandate for the upcoming season. They just wanted the team to be competitive.
Briere also touched on how crowded things are in the Metropolitan Division and the Eastern Conference and how their playoff fates can change in the matter of a couple of games.
"We expected to be competitive. Maybe a little better than I expected, to be honest with you. But I expected us to be competitive," Briere said. "The funny part is we can win two games and be in first place or we can lose three and be in last place in our division. There's no guarantee. It can change really quick. I love that at the halfway point we're right in the mix. That to me is exciting for a lot of our young players to get that experience."
That is the truth. The entire playoff picture can change in an instant. Thus, making a big trade to bring in a difference-maker could be a huge gamble.
Briere's moves this offseason paid off. Trevor Zegras is the team's leading scorer with 17 goals and 24 assists through 41 games. Dan Vladar has been their answer at goaltender, as he has a 16-6-3 record, a .910 save percentage, and a 2.37 goals allowed average. Christian Dvorak has been an underrated signing for the Flyers, as he's on pace to have a career year, with nine goals and 17 assists in just 40 games. That resulted in the Flyers signing Dvorak to a five-year, $25.75 million contract extension.
The moves have panned out for Briere. As for making a trade to help their playoff push, that's not in the cards for the Flyers.