The Philadelphia Flyers (12-10-3) completed 25 games in the 2024-2025 season. A six-game losing streak and two separate five-game point streaks made the Flyers what they were before the Thanksgiving break. Once the Florida Panthers visit Philadelphia tomorrow, there will be an opportunity to stretch the current five-game point streak to six.
Through 25 games, the Flyers lineup changed often. Ryan Poehling (22GP) briefly exited the lineup, and Anthony Richard (7GP) entered. Nick Seeler (20GP), Cam York (12GP), and Jamie Drysdale (15GP) exited the lineup for an added dose of Egor Zamula (17GP) and Erik Johnson (15GP), a reintroduction of Emil Andrae (15GP), and the debut of Helge Grans (6GP). Sam Ersson (11GP) and Alexei Kolosov (7GP) both exited the lineup, forcing Ivan Fedotov (9GP) to calibrate quickly. Still, Philadelphia holds the second Eastern Conference Wild Card position.
Recent success would suggest the Flyers are finding ways to compete and win on a more consistent basis. Philadelphia is closer to the version that compiled two separate five-game point streaks instead of the team that seemingly could not buy a win.
Already, the trade rumor mills are cycling. Morgan Frost, Rasmus Ristolainen, Joel Farabee, and Scott Laughton gain interest. Daniel Brière will not make a trade with haste, but his phone line should be ringing.
Suddenly, time is on the side of Philadelphia in the rebuild; a trade is not imminent.
In fact, the only trade executed by Brière took place on November 4th. Ronnie Attard went to the Edmonton Oilers in a defenseman swap for Ben Gleason. The exchange flew under the radar.
A heat check on trending skaters seems appropriate. Who on the Flyers is summoning interest from around the NHL, and will the players be moved before the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline?
Morgan Frost
Before he returned to the lineup, it made sense to assume Frost was likely to split from Philadelphia.
Frost tallied 10PT (3G, 7A) in 21GP this season. He won over 50% of faceoffs in 12/21GP. Point production and earning the extra possession at the dot are at a career-high rate for Frost, but John Tortorella still designated him a healthy scratch because he was a two-way liability. Frost is designed to be a top-six forward but entered the middle-six as he struggled with consistency and confidence, a continuing theme of his time with the Flyers.
Would a change of scenery make sense? Sure. Would Philadelphia get an even value or better reward to supplement their lack of depth at C? Probably not. This is why a trade is not imminent.
It would not make sense to execute a trade while Frost produces after Tortorella scratched him from the lineup. In the last five games, Frost contributed 4PT (2G, 2A), and admittedly, he is more engaged. If there is more smoke to the fire regarding a potential trade, the Flyers should hope Frost finds a bit of a groove to regain value.
Teams interested in Frost (PIT, CLB, CHI, ANA, TOR) will remain. Frost is auditioning for his NHL future, and Philadelphia could benefit.
Verdict: Hold
Joel Farabee
Other franchises in the NHL would be interested in Farabee despite his slowest start since his rookie season in 2019-2020. Despite his sleepy point production, Tortorella praises Farabee for excelling at the finer details, saying he has done many things right that people do not discuss enough.
Farabee posted 8PT (3G, 5A) in 25GP. He is creating offense, but the finish is not there. There is some interest from teams around the NHL, but the price tag ($5mil/AAV) is not appealing. Again, Farabee is a skater designed to be a top-six winger, but his play suggests bottom-six if he cannot convert scoring chances. Additionally, his two-way play is not offsetting the frustration.
Brière could field offers for Farabee. Would an offer for Farabee rake prospects and picks? Potentially, but the current performance and contract lower the profit.
Teams interested in Farabee (MIN, NSH, BOS) could wait until the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline.
It is worth pointing out how Farabee turned into a top-ten pick from the 2018 NHL Entry Draft from a point share value. This slow start could be more of an anomaly, but it is coming at an inconvenient time. Farabee is a skilled LW who could be a valuable addition to a team entering a postseason push or retooling. Tortorella likely prefers to keep Farabee in the lineup. However, if Brière receives an approving offer, the Flyers could be bright to alleviate the cap space.
Verdict: No Trade
Scott Laughton
Tortorella is huge on locker room leadership, and it is no secret that includes Laughton. Throughout the rebuild, Laughton had a pivotal role. He received strong interest in the last couple of seasons before the NHL Trade Deadline, but Philadelphia did not accept any offers on Laughton.
Teams interested in Laughton (COL, BUF, OTT) will not have to offer the draft capital reported a season ago at this rate. Laughton has 9PT (3G, 6A) in 25GP. However, his even-strength play is becoming very inconsistent. The Flyers might witness Laughton officially drop off before he enters the last season of his current contract in 2025-2026.
Business is no place for sentimental value. If an offer presents itself, Brière should act on trading Laughton.
Alleviating cap space should be the aim. At this point, Laughton likely does not attract any prospects. Also, Philadelphia missed the boat on potentially acquiring a second-round draft pick or better. Teams who are interested could be willing to move a veteran on an expiring contract or a mid-round draft pick. A third-round pick would suffice.
The Colorado Avalanche do not have a third-round pick in 2025 or 2026, but the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators do. The Senators might be the best equipped to offer a trade for Laughton, using a 2026 third-round pick. Laughton could rejoin Claude Giroux for the remainder of the 2024-2025 season if the offer is on the table.
Verdict: Trade
Rasmus Ristolainen
Since his arrival, Ristolainen is off to his best start with the Flyers. He is executing on the ice, but his NHL revival has much to do with the coaching from Tortorella and Brad Shaw.
On the back end, the RD position is a hot commodity. Ristolainen spent eight seasons with the Sabres before Philadelphia sent Robert Hägg, a 2021 first-round pick, and a 2023 second-round pick in a trade. If you were Buffalo, you would not think twice about accepting such an aggressive offer from Chuck Fletcher.
What would the return be for Ristolainen now that he is putting together his offense with the best version of his defense?
Teams interested in Ristolainen (EDM, UTA, VAN) will not fork over as much as Fletcher did in 2021, but Ristolainen will not be cheap. Ristolainen contributed 7PT (1G, 6A) in 25GP. Everyone knows that plus-minus is not an accurate measurement of a good defenseman, but it is a positive that Ristolainen is trending upward. If he continues his trend, Ristolainen could finish with a plus rating for the first time in his career.
Due to the renaissance Ristolainen is experiencing with the Flyers, it would not be a surprise if he remains in Philadelphia. It would be excellent to alleviate the $5.1mil/AAV cap hit. However, Ristolainen was serviceable on the top pair with Travis Sanheim. After York returned, Ristolainen fit with Andrae. After all, he found a home in the middle pair.
Verdict: No Trade
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