The Philadelphia Flyers, like every other team in the league, are hurtling towards the NHL trade deadline. However, the Flyers find themselves in a bit of an awkward position. They’re far enough outside of the playoff race not to be considered natural buyers. Yet, they are still close enough to where giving up on the season may not be quite so evident at this point.
That puts GM Daniel Briere in a tough spot. If he sells, the hammer will come down on him for giving up on the team. If he buys, the moves will come under intense scrutiny if they don’t yield a playoff berth.
But there could be a middle ground. Insider Elliotte Friedman shed light on the Flyers’ deadline plans, but articulated his vision into one statement. The Flyers should target long-term solutions to boost the club's vision well beyond this season.
“I think the only thing that I would guess is if they got something with team control, I could see them doing something. But I think the key is, they’re not going to waste it on rentals or anything like that. I don’t think they’re going to waste it on that.”
So, several things to unpack here. First of all, finding pieces with team control means players who have some sort of term left on their contracts. For instance, a name in that vein that has been thrown out consistently is St. Louis Blues winger Jordan Kyrou. He’s got five more years left on his current deal, even at $8.125 million per season.
While this isn’t to suggest the Flyers will be in on Kyrou, it serves to exemplify what the Flyers could be looking at.
Also, the comment about passing on rentals speaks volumes about what Friedman believes could be the club’s strategy moving forward. In particular, this comment seems perfectly apropos considering the chatter surrounding the Flyers and Artemi Panarin.
The Flyers have been considered a dark-horse team to land Panarin. Unless that move means Panarin joining the Flyers with an extension in tow, the Flyers may just pass on the Russian star.
Lastly, the idea of foregoing short-term fixes is consistent with the Flyers’ rebuilding plans. But there is a word of caution here. The club must be wary of impatient fans. The team started the first half strongly and spent a good chunk of the season in a playoff position. Unfortunately, the club has faded since.
That situation raises concerns about what exactly the problem could be. Perhaps there might be some finger-pointing. But the fact is that the Flyers are still officially rebuilding. So, that situation means fans must avoid becoming overly anxious at the lack of tangible results.