3 gamebreaking players the Flyers must try to trade for in the 2024 offseason

Mario Ferraro, San Jose Sharks

The San Jose Sharks continue to be a strange team since, as bad as they look on paper and on the ice, they had more than a few hidden game-changing gems scattered about their lineup. Anthony Duclair looked sensational during his short stint in Tampa Bay, Kaapo Kahkonen did the same in New Jersey, while Tomas Hertl gave the Golden Knights some decent returns early in his tenure, even if it didn’t carry over into the playoffs. 

Now, Mario Ferraro has hit the rumor mill, and he, too, could factor in as a player who could augment a very average defensive rotation. And he’s someone the Flyers can use, considering the fact they moved Sean Walker at the deadline in March and lost Rasmus Ristolainen after he appeared in just 31 contests. 

Mario Ferraro would add another young piece to Flyers blue line

Ferraro factored in first-pairing minutes with 22:52 of average total ice time with the Sharks, but he wouldn’t need to be on the ice for so long in Philadelphia. He will bring even more physical play to Southeast Pennsylvania, and his 195 blocks this past season were by far the best in category among Sharks players and second when you compare that number to the Flyers roster. 

Despite the Sharks poor scoring units, Ferraro still finished with 18 assists last season, a number that would have ranked third among Flyers blueliners, with only Travis Samheim and Cameron York snagging a higher number. 

You may cringe if you check out Ferraro’s advanced stats, but remember, he was forced to play for an awful San Jose Sharks team. I already mentioned plenty of examples of former Sharks players who fared much better when they had gotten out of that situation, and Ferraro would likely be no different.