Photo Courtesy Of, Heather Barry Images
The Philadelphia Flyers traded Claude Giroux to the Florida Panthers yesterday evening along with Connor Bunnaman, German Rubtsov and a 5th round pick for a return of Owen Tippett, a 2024 1st round pick and a 2023 3rd round pick. Naturally, after a franchise icon like Giroux was traded it’s only fitting that General Manager Chuck Fletcher held a press conference to address the trade. Along with, the upcoming trade deadline and other potential moves that could be made this off-season.
When dissecting the press conference and what was mentioned by Fletcher not much of what was said is of any surprise. It’s been widely reported by several NHL media pundits that Giroux was only willing to waive his no movement clause to go to the Florida Panthers. Which in turn, diminished the return the Flyers received for a franchise icon in Giroux.
It was reported earlier by Anthony SanFilippo on the Snow The Goalie Podcast that Giroux would have been willing to waive his no movement clause to possibly be traded to other teams. However, this would only be agreed upon if it was assured he was to be re-signed in the off-season by the Philadelphia Flyers. Chuck Fletcher did not want to make that guarantee and propelled Giroux into only accepting a trade to Florida which is his right in this situation.
On the contrary, during the press conference when asked about Giroux potentially returning as a UFA in the off-season, Fletcher stated that he and Giroux did not have any conversations about a possible return. While also mentioning that there was no animosity between Giroux and the Flyers whatsoever.
Obviously, it’s difficult to determine what unfolded in this situation as the only individuals likely present in these conversations were Chuck Fletcher, Claude Giroux and Giroux’s agent Pat Brisson. Though SanFilippo’s report does provide the thought that there’s more to this discussion than Fletcher has seemed to admit. As a result, it’s certainly an interesting situation that occurred surrounding Giroux’s possible return to the Flyers this off-season and what it may have meant to this specific trade. It’s likely until we hear Giroux’s side of this story (if he ever decides to reveal what happened) we may never truly know what the circumstances really were with this facet of the trade.
To add on, Fletcher put forth a few other telling tidbits within his press conference today. The first I found very fascinating is his notion that the organization was more interested in targeting an NHL ready prospect in return for Claude Giroux. Whether that means other prospects like Grigory Denisenko or Mackie Samoskevich were offered by Florida instead of Owen Tippett cannot be confirmed.
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When considering the other two prospects may have higher ceilings than Tippett it could be characterized as concerning. The overall talent level of these prospects should have been the focal point when conducting this trade instead of their readiness to play in the NHL. Tippett is still a great prospect as he has a ton of untapped potential, talent and upside. Though it’s not encouraging to hear Chuck Fletcher possibly turned down prospects that are more highly touted when he himself admitted months ago the team is in need of high end talent at the moment.
Moving on from the Giroux trade, General Manager Chuck Fletcher also made some other eye opening comments. The first of which surrounds the Flyers expected involvement in trade discussions leading up to tomorrow’s 3pm Trade Deadline. Fletcher stated that he has been receiving calls about multiple players on the roster. Despite this being the case, the front office executive went into detail about the fact that some of these talks and potential deals are moves typically made in the summer.
Fletcher specifically mentioned that things like this happen regularly, where groundwork for trades can be laid at the trade deadline initially and then occur at a later point. Fletcher referenced speaking to the Washington Capitals at the 2019 Trade Deadline concerning a Niskanen/Gudas swap and that deal ended up taking place in the off-season.
Another interesting facet of this press conference comes from the statement made by Chuck Fletcher that the franchise is looking to assemble a core group of players under the age of 25 that can play for the Philadelphia Flyers for a prolonged period of time. Fletcher mentioned that acquiring Owen Tippett fit that mold due to his great skating, shooting ability, and size.
Hearing a notion like this from Fletcher should be a positive for Flyers fans. It reveals that Fletcher realizes the team needs to add a lot more talented young players to this roster now and in the future. To ensure the organization can return to success in a short manner. Obviously acquiring these types of players through trade is a lot easier said than done. As all 32 teams in the league are likely looking to add young and talented under 25 players to their roster. For the Flyers sake, they’ll hopefully be able to add to that under 25 talent pool with a high draft pick in the upcoming NHL entry draft.
Overall, this press conference did not reveal much that we did not already know. The Flyers main goal going into this off-season still seems to be geared towards retooling this roster as they see fit and returning to competitiveness within the NHL landscape. What it did reveal is that Chuck Fletcher and his staff plan to be active in the trade market moving forward to try to shape this roster into a contending team. Additionally, it puts into focus that there are several players on this roster that are of interest to other NHL teams at the moment.
Although the Flyers are aiming to return to the playoffs as early as next season, with the circumstances the organization is currently in, patience can be a virtue. Looking ahead, trades and signings will be made and the Philadelphia Flyers roster will look much different after this off-season. The key question at play is if such trade activity and signings Chuck Fletcher pursues will be the correct transactions to make.
