Flyers to Sell, Watch from the Sidelines of Trade Deadline
As the trade deadline swiftly approaches, teams around the league are already starting to make deals.
Former Flyer Ryan White was sent by the Arizona Coyotes to the Minnesota Wild along with Martin Hanzal in an effort to make a cup run. Goaltender and possible Flyers target Ben Bishop is now off the market as he has been traded to the Los Angeles Kings, who just got starter Jonathan Quick back from a groin injury.
At the beginning of the year, the Flyers organization and their fans had different expectations than what has been happening this year. Last year, they made the playoffs and unfortunately lost to Washington. This year, they were expected to do about the same. This is a team that is constantly improving their youth, and management seems to be content riding out growing pains. The asking price for players like Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog are far too steep for the Flyers to pay. General manager Ron Hextall has said repeatedly that he is not willing to part with valuable prospects for a temporary fix.
When the 10-game winning streak was at large, their playoff hopes looked bright. The Flyers looked like they were going to acquire a top 6 scoring winger at the deadline, but now that the tides have changed, the strategy going into the deadline will most likely change as well.
The Flyers are now looking to showcase their players that are in contract years. Alternate captain Mark Streit, who is in the final year of his contract, is one of the veteran presences that will most likely be moved before the deadline. Hextall also wants to showcase defenseman Michael Del Zotto, who was scratched for the outdoor game in Pittsburgh. With Brandon Manning getting suspended for two games, Del Zotto will have that opportunity to prove his worth.
Both goaltenders for the Flyers are in contract years. Michal Neuvirth seems to be the highest likely candidate to be traded by Wednesday as Steve Mason is slated to start Tuesday vs. Colorado.
With the Flyers most likely being sellers at the deadline, it appears the team is gearing up for future contention among the NHL’s elite. For now, however, Philadelphia will offload talent to teams competing at the top of the league, hoping that young prospects can carry them there in the future.
Photo: Lisa Gansky (via: Wikimedia Commons)
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Categorized:Flyers