An Intriguing Flyers’ Trade Piece who is now being named in talks and could bring back a Monumental Return  

Photo Credit: Jess Starr/The Hockey Writer’s

Even with the Flyers’ latest win against the Washington Capitals this past Saturday and the team beginning to get healthy, the reality of the situation is this club is still 36 points out of first place in in the Metropolitan Division and 23 points away from even sneaking into 4th place (the last playoff seed). With that being said, opposing teams’ scouts are now flocking to the Wells Fargo Center and the Flyers’ General Manager Chuck Fletcher has made clear that he will now be acting with the mindset of achieving an aggressive retool. Any game has now become but a showcase for the club’s possible trade assets. 

Now, myself- along with every other so-called expert- have written pieces ad nauseum about the possibility of Giroux getting traded and what the team could potentially get back in return, so I’ll spare you from having to read yet another one of those pieces. But let’s take a look at just who else might be departing from the city of Brotherly Love in the near future. 

Justin Braun

…is a name that has been discussed a lot lately. A now 35-year-old veteran right-hand-shot defenseman with an expiring contract who has been asked to play up on the Flyers’ first defensive pairing for most of the year due to Ryan Ellis missing all but four games this season. Braun could be a nice piece for a playoff team that is looking for some depth/insurance on the back end heading into the playoffs; giving them someone who could step up if an injury occurs during a grueling seven-game series. Teams that have been rumored to have shown interest (or at least kicked the tires on Justin) are the Carolina Hurricanes, the Boston Bruins, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Nashville Predators. But, given his age and expiring contract, this writer doesn’t forecast the Flyers getting a return that will change the future of the franchise. Depending on the market at the time he is dealt the Flyers *may* get a mid- to late-round draft pick at best. 

Martin Jones   

Another player who could be dealt before the March 21^st trade deadline. A veteran signing who was brought in to help try and solidify the goaltending position behind Carter Hart. This sad attempt at a reunion for Jones and Flyers’ goalie coach Kim Dillabaugh did not have the same kind of success that they did in LA when these two were able to win a Stanley Cup back in 2014 together. Thankfully, Jones was only signed for one year. With that expiring contract, Philadelphia will most likely look to move Martin at the deadline. For the Flyers’ sake they better hope that potential playoff teams (buyers) chalk up his 3.51 goals-against-average and .898 save percentage to playing on such a misfortunate team this year and still may be willing to bring him in for the remainder of this season. But don’t expect Philadelphia to get much back in return for him: Other netminders rumored to be on the trade block right now are 3-time Stanley Cup winner Marc-Andre Fleury, the Stars’ Anton Khudobin (who caried Dallas to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2020) and Columbus’ Joonas Korpisalo- all of whom will most likely go before Jones, so don’t expect much of a return. At most the Flyers would get maybe a 4^th or a 5^th round pick. 

Rasmus Ristolainen 

He was acquired by the Flyers in a trade this past off-season. While Ristolainen brought everything to Philadelphia that they needed- strength, physicality, and a right-hand-shot- he did prove costly to obtain. The Flyers gave up a 1^st round pick in last year’s draft, a 2^nd in 2023 and roster player defenseman Robert Hagg. Now, less than one year later, the team is being forced to make the decision to trade their newly-acquired impending free-agent defenseman away at the deadline. Coming from Buffalo, Rasmus wanted nothing more than to join a playoff contender and, with Flyers’ off-season acquisitions, he was thrilled to be a part of the Broad Street Bullies. But given the state that the team finds themselves in currently, Ristolainen may not choose to re-sign next season. This would be a problem for the Flyers; they gave up a lot to acquire Ristolainen and would hate to lose him for nothing this off season if he decides to sign elsewhere. So, don’t be surprised if he is dealt come March 21^st, for it is better to try and get something for him before he walks for free at season’s end. 

Travis Konecny 

While all those deals sound productive, what they are due to bring back will not exactly help the team next season. All of those players are free agents at season’s end and will most likely bring back mid- to late- round draft picks that will most likely take time to develop within the Flyers’ system. But one player who the Flyers could move that could gain them a big return is their 24-year-old spark plug Travis Konecny. Travis, who has three years left on his current contract that pays him a hefty $5.5 million a season, has struggled since signing this deal. Before inking this deal two years ago, Travis put up three consecutive seasons of 24 goals and a career high of 61 points. Since then, Konecny has managed to score a combined 19 goals over the course of two seasons. This lack of production has management between a rock and a hard place: Travis is the life blood of the Flyers and, while he hasn’t been able to tally as many goals, he has yet to take a shift off in his career. His constant chirping and willingness to throw his weight around on every shift still sees to it that he remains a fan favorite, but his contract deems that he still needs to do more than just drive the other team nuts. One team who has shown interest in him and has been said to have inquired about obtaining him recently is the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings are currently in second place in the Pacific Division and have won the Stanley Cup twice with a player who Konecny’s game reminds me a lot of. That player is none other than 37-year-old Dustin Brown whose contract expires at the end of this season. In fact, these players’ games are so similar that it would be like the Kings just found Brown’s clone. Both play the right wing, both offer very similar point production (when healthy), both play a very physical/gritty style of game, and both have a very similar cap hit. If Konecny were to be traded to the Kings, it would be as if LA were getting a Brown 2.0, just 13 years younger! But the question is: what would the Flyers gain out of trading away one of their young stars? Well, the answer is really “anything they want!” The Kings have one of, if not the, best prospect pool of any team in the NHL today. 

They’ve got forwards like: Quinton Byfield, Gabriel Vilardi, Alex Turcotte, Arthur Kaliyev, Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Tyler Madden, Martin Chromiak, Francesso Pinelli and Rasmus Kupari and Defensemen: Tobias Bjornfot, Sean Durzi, Helge Grans, Jordan Spence, Brock Faber, and Kirill Kirsanov in the fold. With this roster they wouldn’t even miss the likes of those prospects the Flyers should try an obtain in a trade for Konecny. That’s right, the heck with trying to acquire a 1^st round pick in a trade for Travis: The Kings already have a bevy of players ready to make an impact in the NHL as soon as next season. The toughest part would be deciding which ones to ask for. Being the helpful guy that I am, I have come up with a trade proposal that the Flyers would benefit greatly from if acquired in a trade for Konecny. It centers around the Flyers’ top needs: goal scoring and a right-hand-shot defender. 

Brandt Clarke

is the Kings’ 2021 first round pick. A 19-year-old Canadian right-hand-shot defender that stands at 6’2 and weighs in at 185 pounds who the Kings selected 8^th overall. Now, this star prospect may sound like a lot to ask for, but you have to remember that Travis is only 24 years old and had three NHL seasons in which he has scored 24 goals and is signed for three more seasons after this one. With that being said, Brandt has all the tools to be a future number one defenseman. He is an offensive threat with elite skating ability. While playing for the Barrie Colts this season, Clarke has managed to score 10 goals and 41 assists for 51 points in just 42 games played. That averages out to 1.21 points-per-game and, on top of that, he is a +20 on the season so far. Obtaining Clarke would mean that the Flyers just gifted Cam York with a partner for the next 10-15 seasons; An effort that would not only help to bolster the defense moving forward but would bring some real assistance to their ailing star- goaltender Carter Hart. 

Samuel Fagemo

The second piece coming back in a trade for Konecny should be Swedish forward Samuel Fagemo who the Kings drafted in 2019 with their second-round pick. 21-year-old Fagemo is a 5’11 winger who weighs a solid 190 pounds. Before coming to North America, Samuel played two seasons in the SHL for the Frolunda Hockey Club where he showcased his sniper-like precision. Whether it be a slap shot, wrist shot etc. it doesn’t matter: Fagemo is simply lethal with any/all of his full-on arsenal of shots. Fagemo further flaunted his skill at the 2020 World Junior Championships, scoring 8 goals and 13 points in 7 games played for Sweden. Now in his second season playing in the American Hockey League with the Kings’ affiliate the Ontario Reign, his progression shows no sign of slowing down by scoring 17 goals and 8 assists for 25 points in 40 games played this season. Acquiring Fagemo would give the Flyers a legit sniper who possesses the ability to become a top-line player in the NHL really soon, which would only add to the scary youth the Flyers have already coming up the pike: Tyson Foerster, Zayde Wisdom, Elliot Desnoyers, Bobby Brink, and Connor McClennon. 

Although, deciding to move Travis Konecny would be difficult, it would help to obtain some prospects that would aid the Flyers’ up-and-coming youth immensely. Fletcher needs to move some dead salary in order to be able to bring in the kind of talent that will truly help this club moving forward. The Kings would not only be able to afford Konecny with Brown potentially retiring after this season, but a trade would help to bring in an experienced young veteran who would not only be able to help the Kings playoff chances this season but take the reins from the Kings’ aging Stanley Cup-winning core (34-year-old center Anze Kopitar, 37-year-old winger Dustin Brown, 32-year-old defenseman Drew Doughty, and 36-year-old goaltender Jonathan Quick), in order to lead the Kings’ talented youth of tomorrow moving forward. A win-win for both clubs: a move in the right direction for the Flyers.        

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