A Realistic Trade Target For The Flyers

Photo Credit: Jose Moreno of the Philadelphia Inquirer

As the clock keeps ticking towards the NHL trade deadline, Chuck Fletcher is faced with a daunting task of do you add and mess with the chemistry the team has formulated at the moment, or overall landscape of the team? Or do you stand pat and pray for the best (Especially with the progression that Nolan Patrick has made)? Fletcher will more than likely shore up the bottom six with depth, to hopefully make a successful playoff push, possibly even an extended playoff run.

The Flyers have approximately $2.08 million of cap space left, per Cap Friendly. With that being said, it’s unlikely the Flyers move JVR’s contract, as many NHL teams are in the same situation as the Flyers, in regards to the cap. What Fletcher could do is add a player(s) that brings Cup experience, and that could really help aid the youth on this team. This week’s realistic trade target is a 6’3″ 206 pound, Center/Winger Derek Grant from the Anaheim Ducks.

Grant is an intelligent hockey player. He is strong defensively, and is a journeyman in the NHL. He doesn’t have the best skating abilities, but he can pot goals in tight spaces, and is tough to move off the puck. Grant is a two-way player that possesses puck skills, and has a keen hockey sense. For his efforts, Grant can kill penalties, and he can really score some big goals on the Power Play.

This 29-year-old in Grant is a solid versatile, bottom 9 player that plays the game the right way, and is good in the locker room. He could also play in the top six if need be. Moreover, Grant would fit in well in Head Coach Alain Vigneault’s system, as he is a defensive first type of player. However, Grant can pot a big goal or two, as well. For the season, he has registered 14 goals, and 6 assists for 20 points in 49 games played.

I know what everyone’s thinking, what would it cost to acquire Grant? Grant is in the final year of his contract, and currently has a cap hit of $700,000, per Cap Friendly. Realistically adding Grant should only take a prospect like Mikhail Vorobyev, and possibly a 6th or 7th round pick. There are some good things about making this type of trade for Grant. One would be Grant provides Cup experience from his days with the Nashville Predators, and the second is this Flyers team wouldn’t lose a player within their current lineup. Grant is versatile, and can play anywhere within the lineup.

With the uncertainty to Nolan Patrick, and the loss of Oskar Lindblom being felt within the lineup. Grant could be a huge asset for this young Flyers team. Even if and when Patrick returns, Grant could still plug a hole as a fourth line Center or Winger, thus giving Head Coach Alain Vigneault four really solid lines to work with.