The Philadelphia Flyers were one of the more active teams this offseason. Well, maybe not as active as their division rivals, the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals. But that wasn't without effort. The Flyers made a trade to bring in goalie Joseph Woll and defenseman Simon Benoit from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Then, they shook up the NHL world by signing Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson to a five-year, $90 million offer sheet, the richest deal in NHL history at the time. But, the Flyers watched the Ducks match the offer.
All indications point to the Flyers not making a big splash this offseason. Still, they could still make some additions before training camp. But is there one move on the horizon?
Back on July 22, The Fourth Period NHL insider David Pagnotta reported that there were several teams interested in Montreal Canadiens defenseman and current restricted free agent Arber Xhekaj. One of those teams were the Flyers, who Pagnotta states had "longstanding interest" in trading for Xhekaj.
Yet, no deal has transpired just yet. Could it be a change in philosophy for the Flyers? Possibly, moving on from the "Broad Street Bullies" moniker?
Flyers were interested in Arber Xhekaj, but a trade has yet to transpire
We have seen teams looking to add more grit to their lineup. Look no further than the Florida Panthers, who brought in Brady Tkachuk, Radko Gudas, and former Flyer Garnet Hathaway in the offseason. They are going to be a pain to play against, especially if they make the playoffs.
Xhekaj would fit the bill for any defenseman that can dish out hits and drop the gloves with ease. He is not a player that is going to rack up points and he is, quite frankly, a third pairing defenseman. But he can bring toughness to any team's defensive depth.
This past season, Xhekaj recorded one goal, three assists, 178 hits, 43 blocked shots, and 116 penalty minutes in 65 games, while averaging 11:25 of ice time.
In his four seasons with the Canadiens, Xhekaj recorded 10 goals, 23 assists, 642 hits, 201 blocked shots, and 416 penalty minutes.
As mentioned earlier, the Canadiens had a high asking price for Xhekaj. Considering the report was from a couple of weeks ago, perhaps the Flyers have moved on? Or, they are waiting on the asking price to drop? We don't know, and likely won't find out until we get closer to training camp, considering the majority of the league is on summer vacation.
Flyers don't need to embrace 'Broad Street Bully' moniker for success next season
The Flyers have spent their time rebuilding their roster with young talent. They have that tenfold with the likes of Porter Martone, Denver Barkey, Alex Bump, and Matvei Michkov. Not to mention they have proven veteran players who are on the younger side in Trevor Zegras and Tyson Foerster.
This team made it to the second round of the playoffs last season to the shock of many. The hope is that they will use this as a learning experience and use it to push them further in the playoffs. If there is one thing the team needs to improve, it's their scoring, as their power play was woefully inefficient throughout their two round trip. The team will need their young forwards like Martone, Zegras, and Foerster to help with that.
Defensively, the Flyers seem set. Even though Rasmus Ristolainen continues to be floated as a potential trade option, it looks like they're keeping him. Not to mention, the team already has Travis Sanheim, Oliver Bonk, Cam York, and Benoit on defense already. So, there may not be much room for Xhekaj regardless, barring an injury.
While the Flyers were interested Xhekaj, there hasn't been much movement.
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