The Flyers Have to Get Better at Trading: A Brief History Lesson
The Flyers have a history with bad trades involving future and current NHL stars. Many of these trades have had a negative domino effect over the last quarter-century.
Following Monday’s 3 p.m. NHL trade deadline, the Flyers found themselves in a familiar position. Trading away a valuable asset for little return.
The Flyers traded away one of their best players over the last eight years Wayne Simmonds to the Nashville Predators for Ryan Hartman and a 2020 fourth round pick. Philadelphia is clearly in a rebuild, but how much can this move help the Flyers going forward?
Hartman is a former first-round pick but never lived up to expectations. The fourth round pick could become a third rounder if Nashville wins a playoff series, but overall the return for Simmonds isn’t much. It’s a trade that brings more questions about what the Flyers have done in the past eight years. They acquired Simmonds in a package trade for Mike Richards in 2011, but what have the Flyers done since? They’ve missed the postseason three times over the past eight years (only once in the 16 years prior to 2011), and haven’t advanced further than the semifinals.
In 2010, the Flyers were a goaltender away from winning a Stanley Cup. In 2011, the Flyers had a great season earning the No. 2 seed, and lost in the East semifinals to eventual champion Boston. The Bruins had what the Flyers didn’t… A franchise goalie. Following that series loss, the Flyers traded away their best offensive weapons Richards and Jeff Carter in hopes to build for the future, and save salary cap space.
That move doomed Philadelphia hockey as former Flyers Carter, Richards, Simon Gagne, and Justin Williams went on to win the Stanley Cup in Los Angeles. The Kings had what the Flyers didn’t… A franchise goalie. The Flyers future since the 2011 trades has been mediocre, to say the least, and the team has yet to successfully rebuild.
Here are a few other notable mistakes the Flyers have made along the way….
Peter Forsberg
The first blunder that comes to mind for many fans is trading Ron Hextall, Steve Duchesne, Mike Ricci, Kerry Huffman, Peter Forsberg, a first-round pick in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, $15 million, and future considerations to Quebec (now Colorado) for Eric Lindros. Philadelphia grossly overpaid for Lindros, however, they reached the Stanley Cup Finals in the 1996-97 season and had a 3-1 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2000. Unfortunately, Lindros got hurt in that series, and the Flyers faltered. The Flyers were in the postseason every year with Lindros, and the outlook of this trade would’ve been much different if they succeeded at winning the cup.
Three draft picks
The Flyers overvalued Adam Oates in the 2001-02 season parting ways with Maxime Ouellet a first, second, and a third round pick for a player who was past his prime. Oates played a total of 14 games for the Flyers and tallied 10 points.
Michal Handzus
In 2002 the Flyers acquired two pieces that almost helped them win a Stanley Cup. They acquired Robert Esche, and Michal Handzus from Phoenix in exchange for Brian Boucher, and a 3rd round pick. It was a good trade for the Flyers. The Flyers reached the playoffs in 2003 and were two goals short of reaching the Stanley Cup Finals in 2004. Handzus never missed a game and added 18 points in 31 playoff games. In 2006 the Flyers traded Handzus for Kyle Calder. After posting a -31, Calder was sent back to Chicago as the Flyers missed the postseason for the first time in 11 years.
Simon Gagne
There’s no 2010 Stanley Cup appearance without Gagne. He rescued the Flyers from a 3-0 series deficit when he returned from an injury in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Gagne was traded for Matt Walker who played a total of eight games in his Flyers career and a 2011 fourth-round pick. Gagne went on to win a Stanley Cup, while the Flyers continue their 44-year championship drought.
Patrick Sharp
Trading Sharp might be the worst trade in franchise history. The Flyers traded Sharp and Eric Meloche for Matt Ellison and a 3rd round pick. Ellison played in a total of seven games for the Flyers. Sharp went on to win the Stanley Cup and tallied four goals and two assists in the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals against the Flyers.
Jeff Carter
Shortly after losing to the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins, the Flyers traded Carter to Colombus for Jakub Voracek, a first, and a third-round pick. The return for Carter was appropriate, however, trading him away was a mistake. Carter went on to win two Stanley Cups, and an Olympic gold medal. The Flyers, on the other hand, have yet to sniff the Eastern Conference Finals since the deal.
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