The Philadelphia Flyers are heading into a complicated trade deadline season. On the one hand, they’re riding a six-game losing streak and beginning to fade in the Eastern Conference playoff race. On the other hand, they’re not bad enough to raise the white flag on the season just yet.
As such, the Flyers aren’t ready to become sellers just yet, but they’re not really in a position to become buyers.
That situation means that Philly’s trade deadline plans will likely hinge on injuries. The recent loss of Rodrigo Abols is a prime example. While Abols might not be out for an extended period, he will at least miss the Olympics.
So, does that prospect warrant Daniel Briere to go looking for another bottom-six center? Does the club try to fill the gap from within and hope for the best? Or is it time to throw in the towel and look to recalibrate the roster for next season?
That attitude will come down to the Flyers being able to turn things around and get back into the playoff hunt. The club is five points behind the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins for third in the Metro Division.
While five points is a bit of a tough hill to climb at this point in the season, it’s not an insurmountable one. It all depends on the club regaining the consistency it had at the beginning of the season.
Flyers may seek goaltending help
One of the biggest injuries was the loss of Dan Vladar to a lower-body injury. Now, Vladar isn’t expected to miss a significant period. However, the injury shed light on how thin the goaltending situation is for the Flyers.
Samuel Ersson has managed to hold his own at times. However, he’s shown that he’s not quite the solution the Flyers hope he could be. The 26-year-old Ersson has a 3.43 GAA and an .855 SV% in 19 games this season. Those numbers aren’t precisely what the Flyers need in an NHL-level netminder.
Then, there’s Aleksei Kolosov. The 24-year-old has played well at the AHL level this season. In 19 games, he’s posted a 2.54 GAA and a .908 SV%. Those are good numbers by AHL standards. However, he’s been unable to translate that into any sort of NHL success. Kolosov has posted a 4.00 GAA and an .830 SV% in four NHL games this season.
Based on this scenario, would the Flyers consider trading for a goaltender at the deadline this season? That would depend on two factors: Injuries and standings. If both Ersson and Vladar are fully healthy, Briere may put the gun back in its holster.
But if one of Ersson or Vladar goes down and the Flyers are in the playoff picture, Briere may get trigger-happy and look to solidify their goaltending situation.
Ultimately, the Flyers are headed for one of the most complicated trade deadlines in recent memory. The next batch of games ahead of the Olympic break will determine if Philly will become a buyer or a seller.