Flyers Find Themselves in an Odd Position as the Trade Deadline Approaches
With the NHL trade deadline looming just three weeks away, the next nine games weigh heavily on how the Flyers’ 2019 season will unfold down the stretch. A Flyers team who just a week ago sat in last place in the conference have jumped five spots and sit 7 points back of the final wildcard spot thanks to a revitalizing, eight-game win streak.
Now, the question on every Flyers’ fans mind is how will Chuck Fletcher treat the February 25th trade deadline?
When asked about the upcoming deadline last week before the team returned to action from the All-Star Break, Fletcher stated, “We could both buy and sell, but I guess my point is every decision we make, if we’re going to try to improve our team going forward and we can get that player now, great. There’s always opportunities. So for me, it’s not the next eight games or even the rest of the year. From this point forward, we have to get better. To be better next year, we may have to try to get better this year.”
The circumstances have changed some as they have gained nine points on the Columbus Blue Jackets, who hold the final wild card spot since Fletcher spoke about the upcoming deadline, but the idea remains the same that the Flyers main goal is to improve not just this year but for the next few years as well. Whether or not the Flyers keep winning will determine just how drastic the changes will be.
It will be a difficult task for Fletcher to decide just what to do with this team as the Flyers are as streaky as they come and it’s quite difficult to put a finger on just what this team is. They can go on an eight-game losing streak like they did at the beginning of January or win seven straight games; they are impossible to predict and that will definitely come into play when the time comes for Fletcher to decide how to proceed at the trade deadline.
This unpredictability will likely deter Fletcher from making any big moves for rental players to go all out for a playoff push but yet this is Fletcher’s first trade deadline with the Flyers so we can’t be sure exactly what to expect from the new GM. Yet, the Flyers’ new general manager has been in a similar situation before during his time with the Minnesota Wild in 2015. Fletcher acquired Devan Dubnyk from the Arizona Coyotes and helped bring the Wild to the brink of playoff contention much like Carter Hart has for the Flyers before acquiring Sean Bergenheim and Chris Stewart at the trade deadline to help the Wild reach the postseason and win a playoff series.
Fletcher has shown the willingness to buy at the deadline before but as aforementioned, the next nine games will play a pivotal role in whether the Flyers sell off some of their talent for future pieces, stand pact, or maybe even add a rental player to make a push for the playoffs.
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Categorized:Flyers