Two prospects for the Flyers to buy and one player to sell at the trade deadline
The Philadelphia Flyers remain in third place in the Metropolitan as trade deadline week arrives. But there is one player they need to sell regardless of where they stand.
Few teams are in as interesting of a situation as the Philadelphia Flyers at the 2024 NHL trade deadline, as they are a good team that would surprise few in the hockey world if they sell. But since the Flyers remain in the Metropolitan’s top three, it’s hard to believe they will sell to the same extent everyone initially thought they would unless another front office offers general manager Daniel Briere ultra-lucrative compensation.
However, Briere has a chance to turn this opportunity into working in his favor, as he can sell players he doesn’t figure will have a future in Philadelphia for assets like draft picks and high-end prospects while holding onto those who could stay with the organization for the long haul. If Briere plays this correctly, he could put the Flyers in a position to keep winning now while building for the future.
The Flyers can buy a pair of prospects while selling one particular player in a trade
This situation would call for Briere to identify one team, a contender in the Western Conference, to make a trade with. This Western Conference team would ideally have one prospect who wouldn’t mind playing elsewhere and another who could end up as a solid depth piece in Philadelphia.
It’s important to note that the two prospects to buy at the deadline would come from the same team while the Flyers would sell off just one player, but this would not be the complete trade package. Instead, think of these players as being included in the overall package, but more prospects, players, draft picks, and even another team could get involved too.
So who should the Flyers look to buy at the deadline, and which player should they send to the Edmonton Oilers? There is one certain Flyers player reportedly linked to Edmonton per The Fourth Period, and they will take center stage. But first, let’s talk about one of the two prospects highlighted.
Prospect to buy: Philip Broberg
Philip Broberg hasn’t cracked the Oilers NHL lineup full-time, so it’s understandable that the former first-round pick wants out of the organization. The clear downside is that Broberg hasn’t done enough to warrant Edmonton to keep him in the lineup, but sans the great Evan Bouchard, the Oilers also have older, more experienced talent in their defensive rotation.
It’s also important to note that Edmonton’s blue line has just one pending free agent this offseason, which, unless someone like Cody Ceci gets traded, would make it tough for Broberg to crack the lineup full-time next year. Further, if the Oilers make a deep playoff run this coming postseason, they will also look for established talent to earn a trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2025, further leaving Broberg with little opportunity.
Knowing this, Briere could have a hidden gem that was once a highly regarded talent. There is a reason players like Broberg hear their names called so early on draft day, but they may also land in less-than-ideal situations, and that may not be the case in Philadelphia.
Player to sell: Sean Walker
Sean Walker is one of three pending unrestricted free agents in the Flyers defensive rotation, so you can see why it makes sense to try and trade for Broberg should Briere look to send Walker elsewhere. But with players like Scott Laughton and Morgan Frost also in the rumor mill, why would Walker be the best fit for Edmonton?
For one, the Oilers still need help in the defensive zone, and while Laughton would be a good fit as a defensive forward, Walker will be playing in another city next season regardless unless Briere can work out an unprecedented deal with his representation. That doesn’t appear to be the case, and Laughton has another two years remaining with the Flyers, so he can help them keep making their run this year and next year.
Therefore, Walker, and not Laughton, is the player to sell in a hypothetical trade with Edmonton. Further, Walker does a much better job of getting in front of shots, with 98 blocks this season compared to 39 for Laughton.
Walker can also help the Oilers offensively, and it’s something we have seen in Philadelphia with a career-high 50.9 xGF this season. It shows how valuable Walker has been to the Flyers, and if there was a better chance of getting a deal done, he would remain within the organization, but it’s not trending that way.
Prospect to buy: Olivier Rodrigue
The Flyers need goaltending on both the big club and in the prospects pool, and Olivier Rodrigue would be another hidden gem in the Oilers pool who the Flyers can try to acquire in a trade. Rodrigue’s numbers early in his pro career won’t impress you, but he has since recorded a save percentage of 0.912 or better and has won at least 13 games in back-to-back seasons.
The former second-round pick is not a finished product, so he would need to spend time with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, but he’s shown enough to be a future 1B in an NHL lineup. Trading for the 23-year-old would give the Flyers a good prospect, but he wouldn’t solve their issues in the net immediately, so they would need to do some work in the offseason or even at the deadline to get more stability in the crease.
Samuel Ersson could be the stopgap for the time, and he has performed well enough to earn a bridge extension that will take him through the 2025-26 season. At that point, Rodrigue would be NHL-ready, and if Ersson shows he can be the 1A or overall No. 1 goaltender, the Flyers may have a tandem should they include Rodrigue in a trade package.
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(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference and Elite Prospects as of March 4th)