There's a fascinating dynamic going on with the Flyers right now. For the first time in a long time, they're in a position of strength in the trade market. That wasn't the case even this past offseason when Philly ONLY was in a position of strength with the Ivan Provorov trade but very much in a position of weakness when it came to Kevin Hayes and Tony DeAngelo in particular.
Right now, with the Flyers surprisingly in second place in the Metro and with several tradeable contracts for players on expiring deals who are playing well -- ranging from defensemen Sean Walker and Nick Seeler to center Ryan Poehling -- the stands have been packed with other teams' scouts in recent weeks. They're getting a lot of calls from other teams.
So right now, Flyers GM Danny Briere is trying to weigh whether to strike while the iron is hot versus not wanting to disrupt the chemistry on this year's team. He said publicly just a week ago that Philly won't be buyers and their long-term focus on a rebuild hasn't changed. Meanwhile, though, there's a push-pull on whether to stand pat and let the season play out til the deadline or trying to avoid the sort of situation that happened last year.
Last year at this very same time, James van Riemsdyk was playing some of his best hockey in several years. He was getting credit for his role in helping two younger linemates -- Owen Tippett and Morgan Frost -- play the best hockey to date of their NHL careers. Former Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher could have pulled the trigger on a JVR trade in mid-January when his line was humming and he had 14 points in a 17-game stretch.
But Fletcher overplayed his hand. The anticipated market around the trade deadline was no longer there. For one thing, JVR really struggled after the All-Star break. Other teams started filling their needs, and JVR turned into a Plan B or Plan C. By the time the deadline came, there were no offers. JVR finished out the season in Philly -- which he handled like a true pro, as one on expect -- and then left as a free agent over the summer. The Flyers received nothing.
I don't think that will happen with Walker or Seeler. The question is how high the price will go and whether the market does recede a bit. Meanwhile, Flyers head coach John Tortorella very much wants to keep both players around. There's debate on whether to re-sign one or both to extensions rather than trading them (unless an offer blows the organization away).
From what I've also heard, there's some interest elsewhere in Frost -- a player Briere in particular likes a lot but who is not a favorite of Torts (which is hardly a secret around the league, and has hurt trade value -- which is part of the deal with Torts' bluntness and usage methods with players that HE may not want around for the long haul). However, Briere won't be lowballed here.
Frost is signed through next season and Philly is still thin at center. So unless something develops that the the GM considers a fair trade offer for both sides, Frost is a Flyer. Now that he's playing regularly after being inexplicably -- in fact, inexcusably -- scratched by Tortorella in 10 games despite all the strides he's taken last year and even this season, I wouldn't be surprised if the market picks up. If not for this season, then the offseason.
Sometimes, though, the best trades are the ones you DON'T make. The Flyers right now are very, very happy that Torey Krug wouldn't waive his no-trade to come to Philly and that Travis Sanheim (after a terrible market for him over the summer) has been the best defenseman on a much, much improved blueline.