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.

Feb 27, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Sean Walker (26)
Feb 27, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Sean Walker (26) | Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
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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. 

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference and Elite Prospects as of March 4th) 

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