Yes, there is a way for the Flyers to land Leon Draisaitl this summer

With such little cap space for the Philadelphia Flyers and a looming eight-figure contract extension at some point for Leon Draisatil, it would be tough to sell to any fan that the longtime Edmonton Oiler would come to Southeast Pennsylvania in the event of a trade. And for good reason, as Draisaitl himself, thanks to a no-movement clause, can veto any potential move if he doesn’t like the situation for whomever the Oilers would potentially try to trade him to. 

While it’s still a longshot that any trade is on the horizon for Draisaitl, he’s also a player who will be a free agent in 2025 and one the Oilers would be foolish to let walk for nothing. When you think about it, if the Oilers front office doesn’t feel they can work out a deal for Draisaitl, trading him in July wouldn’t be a bad idea. 

Still, how would the Flyers, a team so cash-strapped at the moment, even afford to put Draisaitl in their lineup? It would require moving some players, like Ryan Johansen, Cam Atkinson (10-team no-trade clause), and even Scott Laughton. 

Update: The Flyers bought out Cam Atkinson's contract shortly after this article was published.

Johansen would be easy to get rid of - just trade him to a non-contender and be done with it. Trade Atkinson to a contender in the Western Conference not named the Edmonton Oilers unless they wanted him, preferably someone who needs a middle-six player or lower-liner. As for Scott Laughton, add him and a first-round pick to a trade package to the Oilers. 

We also can’t forget that Ryan Ellis should likely go back on LTIR, which would open up even more cap space for the Flyers. 

Why would Leon Draisaitl want to come to the Flyers?

Leon Draisaitl still holds the power to veto, and the situation in Philadelphia isn’t ideal. Or is it? Hey, if Draisaitl were a Flyer last season, this team would have finished third in the Metropolitan, and it wouldn’t even have been close. The Flyers would have been in the playoffs, and the New York Islanders would have been a wild card team. Meanwhile, the Washington Capitals wouldn’t have found themselves in a situation they didn’t belong in. 

Anyway, the Flyers are a young team that just got better with Matvei Michkov coming to town. At the time of this writing, Michkov is unsigned, but expect that to change. While this will cause a bit of a cap hit for the Flyers should they sign and immediately play him in Philadelphia, an entry-level deal won’t make too much of a dent, especially if everything I have outlined above works out. 

Adding Michkov would generate more interest for someone like Draisaitl to accept a hypothetical trade here should Daniel Briere call the Oilers. Plus, other youngsters like Morgan Frost, Joel Farabee, Owen Tippett, and Tyson Foerster would also help in the cause to bring Draisaitl to Philadelphia. 

Admittedly, one of those players, likely Frost or Farabee, would be part of such a trade as well, considering the compensation required to bring in Draisaitl. But if this article is showing you anything, there is a way to bring him to town if a) the Oilers decide to trade him this offseason, and b) the Flyers are willing to make the transactions and adhere to the necessary compensation. 

As noted previously, this is a longshot, and at this point, it’s hardly anything more than a pipe dream. But it’s not impossible to acquire Draisaitl via trade this season, and we can all admit that he would turn the Flyers into more than just playoff contenders.