The Rangers are one of the biggest Flyers rivals. Sure, as Flyers fans, you also hate the Penguins and Devils. Maybe some still bear some animosity against the Bruins as well. But let's be honest: the Rangers are in the top three for Flyers fans.
And because of that, you enjoy seeing stories like this: The Rangers are shopping their two top vets: Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba. That's shocking, although to be fair, they were shopping Trouba all summer. Trouba has one year left at $8 million and Kreider has two more years at $6.5 million. Both are on the wrong side of 30.
So, why would the Rangers sell them to Philly? What could the cost be?
Should the Flyers inquire on Trouba and Kreider?
Well, for starters, the two have only traded six times. The last one was the Justin Braun trade. The only two of note are the one where the Flyers traded Bob Froese for Kjell Samuelsson and, of course, the Eric Lindros trade. Most of the other trades were of minor consequence.
Again, trades between the two teams are very rare. You usually don't want to sell off assets to a rival team. Nobody wants to other team to get better. So who could be moved?
On the Flyers side, you'd likely start with Rasmus Ristolainen. If Trouba wants off the team, you aren't going to get much better than that. If you want to add in a younger guy, like Helge Grans, that might not be bad.
For Kreider, I wonder if a package of Morgan Frost, Drysdale (if and when he is healthy), and Desaluriers would be enough. Especially if the Flyers eat up some of that salary. Eating up salary is always a plus for a team. It could also be something where Frost and a better player may be in play. If it comes down to losing a Scott Laughton or a first-rounder, I'd rather ship out Laughton. However, one of the second-rounders might be easier to part ways with.
Kreider has always been a shifty scorer and it would be nice to see him not score against the Flyers. Likewise, could you imagine him teamed up with Matvei Michkov, Owen Tippett, Joel Farabee, or Travis Konecny?
Meanwhile, Trouba for Ristolainen straight up is a nice deal; contingent on whether he would waive his no-trade clause. They are the same age, roughly, so that is a wash. The more he has issues with team management, the more his stock will drop. This could be a coup for Philly if he is willing to come.
It is highly doubtful that the Rangers would send two of their top players to their divisional rival; especially one they'd love to have at the bottom of the standings. However, sometimes things happen. Until you ask, the answer will always be no.