The 2025 NHL Trade Deadline has come and passed and it was an eventful day for the Philadelphia Flyers. General Manager Danny Briere traded away Scott Laughton, Erik Johnson and Andrei Kuzmenko all in separate deals.
Based on the Flyers trajectory as an organization and their position in the standings this season it was a no-brainer the team had to sell certain players when considering some of the assets Philadelphia received in return.
Here is a full picture of all three trades executed yesterday by Philadelphia:
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) March 7, 2025
TRADE ALERT
We've acquired forward Nikita Grebenkin and a first round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft from the Toronto Maple Leafs, in exchange for forward Scott Laughton, a fourth round pick in 2025 and a sixth round pick in 2027. https://t.co/SLPbiaoWum
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) March 7, 2025
We’ve acquired a third round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for Andrei Kuzmenko and a seventh round draft pick in 2025. https://t.co/jTdIj1gdsj
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) March 7, 2025
We've acquired forward Givani Smith from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for defenseman Erik Johnson. https://t.co/BTusib3FMF
Laughton Trade
The most impactful trade of the day for Philadelphia was long time Flyer of over a decade Scott Laughton (a 2025 fourth-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick) being sent to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a 2027 first-round pick (top 10 protected) and 21 year-old left winger Nikita Grebenkin.
The Flyers also retained fifty percent of Laughton’s $3 million dollar cap hit for the remainder of his contract.
Laughton has been a fixture within Philadelphia’s lineup and locker room for years at this point and losing such an integral part of their team’s culture will be tough for the Flyers to overcome.
However, the team appears poised to allow some younger pieces to step into leadership roles going forward, such as Travis Konecny, Travis Sanheim, Noah Cates, Tyson Foerster, Owen Tippett and Bobby Brink.
When dissecting the return the Flyers received for Scott Laughton they got beyond fair value for a player that has only produced 27 points so far this season.
If Laughton’s play were to have starkly declined next season or if he were to have gotten injured, the Flyers could have opened themselves up to a scenario where they missed out on a very valuable trade package for the center.
There was no guarantee Laughton would command such a return in a year from now. As a result, Philadelphia decided to maximize their asset in Laughton and take advantage of the opportunity that presented itself in a sellers market.
The prices to acquire top nine centers were at a premium throughout this particular trade deadline and there’s no telling if the same premium would continue to be paid moving ahead. Philadelphia chose to part with Laughton now due to the fact this may have been the best return they could have ever gotten for the veteran forward.
Although, the first-rounder the Flyers got from the Leafs is a 2027 pick, draft capital is always valuable and there’s a possibility Philadelphia may choose to use the asset in another deal to acquire other players.
Acquiring a talented prospect like Grebenkin that has the potential to top out as a 50 point winger in the NHL if all goes right with his development made this an even more attractive deal for the Flyers.
Scott Laughton has never had a 50 point season in his career, there’s no guarantee Grebenkin ever does either, but the skill and upside is certainly there. Philadelphia will need to do their part and assist Grebenkin with his development to ensure he reaches his ceiling and finds success as a Flyer.
Grebenkin will start in the AHL for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and the goal should be to provide the forward with extended minutes and looks in various different situations.
It will take several seasons to judge which team came out on top in this trade whether it be Philadelphia or Toronto.
Nonetheless, this is a deal that benefits both teams for different reasons. Toronto is looking to win now and they believe this will help them do so. While from the Flyers point of view this is a move geared towards the future.
Kuzmenko and Johnson trades
In terms of the other two trades executed by Briere they clearly indicated the Flyers wanted to sell off expiring assets and contracts on trade deadline day.
Philadelphia traded Andrei Kuzmenko and a 2025 seventh-round pick to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a third-round pick in 2027.
Additionally, the Flyers dealt veteran defenseman Erik Johnson back to the Colorado Avalanche for right winger Givani Smith.
In both cases above the Flyers sold off expiring contracts. Philadelphia being able to flip Kuzmenko for a third round pick is solid value when taking into account the winger was almost a waiver wire candidate for Calgary earlier this season.
The Johnson trade appeared to be a favour to the veteran defenseman. Essentially, Briere gave his former teammate in Johnson one last shot at a Stanley Cup run with the Avalanche, a team Johnson was formerly the captain of for several years.
Givani Smith was a player Philadelphia needed to take back for cap purposes and will likely not be signed once his contract is up at the end of this season.
Overall Outlook
After this Trade Deadline here are the additions and subtractions made by the Philadelphia Flyers during the 2024-25 season.
Subtractions:
-Laughton (50 percent of cap hit retained)
-Kuzmenko (50 percent of cap hit retained)
-Frost
-Farabee
-Johnson
-2025 4th round pick
-2025 7th round pick
-2027 6th round pick
Additions:
-2025 2nd round pick
-2027 1st round pick
-2027 3rd round pick
-Jacob Pelletier (RFA)
-Nikita Grebenkin
-Givani Smith (UFA)
-Created millions of dollars in cap space from trading Laughton, Frost, Farabee
In light of the transactions above it’s evident Philadelphia is currently a rebuilding team. They subtracted several players this season with the intention of likely using the cap space created to eventually make additions to their roster in the upcoming off-seasons.
Since becoming the General Manager of the franchise in 2023 the Danny Briere led Flyers have removed 19 of the 35 players he inherited either through trade, buying players out, or by letting them reach unrestricted free agency.
Ultimately, it seems the Flyers have positioned themselves to start making additions to their roster in the next two off-seasons. When looking at the cap flexibility they’ll begin to have and the draft capital that’s been accrued over the past few years, Briere has put Philadelphia in a spot where they should be able to take big swings for highly skilled players fairly soon.
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