With the trade deadline only two weeks away, if you’re a team on the outside looking in, the next sample of games is the best time to showcase your deadline bait and try to get as much value as possible. If things were cut and dry and the Flyers were rebuilding, then it would be a very easy deadline with expected trades for Claude Giroux, Rasmus Ristolainen, Justin Braun, Martin Jones, Derick Brassard, and Keith Yandle.
However, as the Flyers always do, they never follow the script and are still trying to extend Ristolainen, might hold onto Yandle, and are expecting a lot more than they should for the valueless Jones.
If last game was any indication of what the Flyers are going to look like for the next 7 games before the deadline, we are going to be seeing a lot more of the expiring contracts in larger and more prominent roles. Had a younger player made the same mistake that Derick Brassard made at the end of the first period against Minnesota on Tuesday night, they wouldn’t have played another game, let alone another minute in the remaining two periods. Sure, he went straight to Mike Yeo to apologize, he’s a veteran, and players make mistakes but that’s partially why a young player like Nicolas Aube-Kubel is no longer with the team.
In any case, Brassard redeemed his mistakes after he went from bottom-6 to top-6 overnight. Placed on a line with Joel Farabee and Cam Atkinson, the trio chipped in for 3 of the 4 goals in their win on Saturday against the Chicago Blackhawks. Brassard had a goal, Atkinson had 2 goals an an assist, while Farabee had 3 helpers himself; the line was also a plus-3. Martin Jones, who was 0-6-2 in his previous 8 starts, got the gig in a nationally televised Saturday afternoon matchup with the Wells Fargo Center packed to the brim for the first time in months.
The Flyers have two sets of back to backs in the next two weeks so he’s going to play in at least two games, but with the season lost as is and the Flyers trying to get their bang for their buck from the beleaguered backup, he could be in line for a few more starts. Brassard figures to remain in the top 6 for the foreseeable future and after his performance on Saturday, it only makes sense. Kevin Hayes still needs a few games to get his feet wet and his confidence back up to speed.
Justin Braun will remain on the top pairing with Ivan Provorov and he seems the most likely to be traded. He is a right-hand shooting defenseman that every team covets like a crown jewel, he’s also a veteran depth defenseman who can play all throughout the lineup, and is decently steady unless he’s asked to do too much; which the Flyers have done in the last year and a half. He figures to bring in a few mid round picks as previously mentioned by NHL Rumors Daily in a podcast appearance on Snow the Goalie.
Something to note from that podcast appearance is that he mentioned that players like Yandle, Brassard, and Jones don’t hold too much value at the moment. So much so that the Flyers could hold onto them until season’s end, not just because of lack of value but also because they’re afraid that their lineup would be devoid of NHL-calibre players for the final 20+ games.
The Flyers already reportedly rejected a 5th-round pick for Jones from the Edmonton Oilers with Chuck Fletcher wanting a 4th-round pick in return, at minimum. Perhaps he has changed his mind in the last month or so since the trade was offered but they’re also worried about throwing a young goaltender to the wolves if Jones was dealt. The goalie market is believed to be saturated with many teams coveting Marc-Andre Fleury, Joonas Korpisalo/Elvis Merzlikins, Jordan Binnington/Ville Husso, Semyon Varlamov, and maybe even Ilya Samsonov.
With so many goalies possibly being available, the market for Jones is as low as it can get. I’m sure you can find a trade partner, but the Flyers seem hellbent on getting “value” for their expiring contracts, even if that value is far away from reality.
Brassard has been injured several times this season upon return and there is belief that because he has already played for 4-5 contenders who are looking for a depth centre, that they already know what he’s capable of and will punt on the possibility of re-acquiring his services. Depth centers are always needed so a trade could be facilitated with ease but if they passed on him during the summer, why would they send future assets to acquire him? If he continues producing like he did on Saturday or at the beginning of the season, the market should open back up.
Yandle is an interesting one because he carries a no-trade clause. He understands that his role would be diminished on a different team to a point where he could become a healthy scratch and a depth defenseman. Rather than leaving he could decide to stay with the Flyers and continue playing on a regular basis, knowing that opportunity might not be there with a contender.
Ristolainen has now found his way on the second unit of the power play, a role he had rarely held throughout the first 5 months of the season. Not only is he getting power play minutes but the Flyers have placed him in front of the goalie as a net-front presence/screen. After reportedly rejecting a 6-year deal that was worth $38 million, the Flyers are still trying to get a deal done, but in the mean time they’re placing him in situations that could increase his trade value. The Flyers could very well recoup most, if not all, the assets they traded to Buffalo for his services. They won’t be the identical picks but it’s not out of the question that they can get a first round pick and then some.
Claude Giroux will most likely play all the way until the 17th of March, which would represent his 1000th game as a Flyer. That would be the third-last game before the trade deadline, it would also be four days before the deadline, and would give the Flyers plenty of time to orchestrate a deal. It’s tough to swallow, it’s tough to believe, and it’s hard to think of it as a reality but Giroux, his agent, and Fletcher have had several conversations about how a trade would go down.
Giroux’s agent Pat Brisson has also had permission to seek out teams, there has been a handful of scouts attending Flyers game for the last 2 weeks, and he has stated himself that appearing in his 1000th game is pretty important.
There have been speculations at large about what a deal for Giroux could bring back. The Flyers have been asking for a 1st round pick, a prospect, and a player in return for one of the hottest trade deadline rentals on the market. It’s not out of the question that the Flyers could receive a package like that with teams getting desperate or in bidding wars amongst themselves. With several teams now in the mix that includes: Colorado, St. Louis, Minnesota, Florida, Calgary, and even Washington; the sky’s the limit for what the Flyers could get in return.
The Flyers should be in-store for a busy trade deadline, something that hasn’t been the case for a very long time. Unfortunately they won’t be buyers but for those looking for the team to sell and receive future assets; then your wish might come to fruition unless Fletcher and co. have a completely different viewpoint. The Flyers will be showcasing their expiring contracts, which is partially why they sent down players like Isaac Ratcliffe and Morgan Frost.
They have already stated their intentions to re-tool in the summer, but hopefully that doesn’t interfere with general-seller trade deadline moves that need to happen.
