The Philadelphia Flyers were busy all day Friday at the NHL trade deadline. They made a move that everyone was expecting, and a few that were surprising and not talked about much.
Will these moves make a positive or negative impact on the team? Well, now that it’s Saturday, we can kind of get a small gist of the impact that they’ve had. The Flyers played a very sloppy game this afternoon against the Seattle Kraken. Owen Tippett would score the only goal, and Samuel Ersson had yet another tough outing in net. Would the players that were traded away have made a difference? No one knows. However, what Flyers fans do know is that this team is struggling to keep it together.
With all of this being said, let’s briefly break down the trades that the Flyers front office made yesterday at the deadline.
Andrei Kuzmenko traded to Los Angeles Kings
The Flyers kicked off the trade deadline by trading away Andrei Kuzmenko to the Los Angeles Kings. This would fall under the category of a trade that was never really talked about or brought up much. To be honest, this trade took me by surprise when it appeared on my X feed.
In my opinion, Kuzmenko was one of the few players who were playing well at the time. He was really forming chemistry with his linemates and setting up great scoring chances in the offensive zone. He also was helping out former teammate Matvei Michkov understand what was being said at times. The two played together during the 2021-22 season for St. Petersburg of the KHL.
Kuzmenko was traded to the Flyers back on Jan. 21, alongside Jakob Pelletier from the Calgary Flames, in exchange for Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee. In the 197 games played in his career, he has tallied 67 goals and 73 assists for 140 points and has a plus/minus rating of -12.
He only played seven games for the Flyers, however. One thing that can be said is that he made his presence known in each one. In those seven games, he collected two goals and three assists for five points and was a -5. Kuzmenko now joins a Kings team that is poised to make the playoffs. In 60 games played, they’re 31-20-9 with 71 points and sit in third place in the Pacific Division.
The trade breakdown for this one:
To LA: Kuzmenko, 2025 7th round pick
To PHI: 2027 3rd round pick, 50% retention
Scott Laughton traded to Toronto Maple Leafs
This is a trade that almost everyone was expecting. Scott Laughton’s name was rumored weeks before the trade deadline, and he ultimately was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
This was a tough trade the Flyers front office had to make. Flyers General Manager Daniel Briere had a very difficult time trading Laughton away. In his press conference, he said, “Trading Scott Laughton was one of the most difficult things I’ve probably ever had to do as a GM. What he means to the Flyers, always being here, the type of person that he is, the teammate that he is, how helpful he was to not just his teammates, to the coaching staff and to the community.”
The locker room is going to feel different without Laughton, and that’s a fact. Losing a big presence like him always seems to make a difference, whether it’s positive or negative. Laughton was well-respected by everyone and made a huge difference on and off the ice.
Laughton was drafted by the Flyers back in 2012 and has played his entire career in Philadelphia up until now. In 661 career games, he’s collected 106 goals and 159 assists for 265 points and is a -42.
The Flyers will definitely miss the passion and fire in his game and his occasional two-on-ones with Travis Konecny on the penalty kill. He joins a very talented Maple Leafs team that is working its way towards the playoffs. In 62 games played, the Maple Leafs are 38-21-3 with 79 points and in second place in the Atlantic Division. Could Laughton help them make it past the first round of the playoffs?
The trade breakdown for this one:
To TOR: Laughton, 2025 4th-round pick, 2027 sixth-round pick
To PHI: 2027 first-round pick (conditional), Nikita Grebenkin, 50% retention
Erik Johnson traded to Colorado Avalanche
The Flyers finished out the trade deadline by sending Erik Johnson to the Colorado Avalanche. This was another trade that wasn’t talked about. However, Johnson is very familiar with the Avalanche, as that’s where he won the Stanley Cup back in 2022.
Johnson was traded to the Flyers at last year’s trade deadline from the Buffalo Sabres, as the Flyers were in need of depth on defense. They liked what they saw from him, so they re-signed him to a one-year, $1M contract.
In my opinion, Johnson was brought in as more of a mentor for the young defensemen on the team, such as Jamie Drysdale, Cam York, and so on. He has only played seven games for the Flyers since December of last year. This season with the Flyers, Johnson has collected one goal and two assists for three points and is a -3.
This is a good move for the team, as it allows Emil Andrae to be up with the big club for the rest of the year. Briere is essentially giving Johnson another shot at winning a cup. He says, “It’s more of a favor to him,” Briere said Friday, “to give him a chance to chase a Cup in a place that he played a lot of years and still has lots of friends.”
In 63 games played, the Avalanche are 37-24-2 with 76 points and is in third place in the Central Division. Will he win a second cup with his former team?
Trade breakdown for this one:
To COL: Johnson
To PHI: Givani Smith
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