It might seem obvious what the Philadelphia Flyers are — they’re rebuilding. It’s the notion that they have maintained all season long. They were expected to be at the bottom of their division in 2023-24, but they are poised to make the playoffs three quarters through the season. But their mindset never changed. Until now.
The Flyers have been coasting away from their rebuilding mindset. The team’s recent rumors about extending the expiring contracts of their veterans that could get them a nice return at the trade deadline suggest they aren’t exactly a rebuilder. President Keith Jones satirized the matter, saying that, essentially, the language that the team was in a rebuild was never true when he was on the radio. He later clarified that he was joking in his remarks, but perhaps there was some truth to the comments. Maybe the team was never rebuilding.
Of course, that could be a stretch. Most of the actions the Flyers have made suggest they are still rebuilding. With the trade deadline coming up on March 8, decisions have to be made. The seriousness of their rebuild is in the balance. If they steer away from the rebuild to make a run in the playoffs, they might be doomed to walk down the same path that others before them did. The team’s true direction won’t be apparent until after the deadline.
Walker & Seeler Extensions
It seemed like a certainty that both 29-year-old Sean Walker and 30-year-old Nick Seeler would not be Flyers by the end of the season. It was that way for a while. With both having one season left on their contracts, that’s really the only choice the Flyers had. But, pretty much out of the blue, trading them is no guarantee.
The team is actively discussing an extension with Seeler. But it won’t be cheap. Reportedly, he wants over $3 million on his cap hit over multiple years, while the Flyers want around that magic $3 million number. For a rebuilding team, even that is arguably too much. Rebuilding teams typically don’t make moves like that. Most of them would trade him at the deadline without even thinking about an extension. But the Flyers are operating a bit differently.
The Flyers can afford to give an extension to Seeler, even if they overpay by a bit. But that would mean sacrificing the return in a trade, which is usually a draft pick. Even if it was something as little as a mid-round draft pick, the Flyers have made use of those. Actually, some of their best prospects were selected in the middle rounds.
Forward Denver Barkey is arguably the second-best offensive prospect the Flyers have, and he was a third-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. Goaltender Yegor Zavragin is a formidable young netminder as well, and he was selected in the third round in 2023, too. Arguably, the Flyers’ best goaltending prospect and one of the best in hockey, Alexei Kolosov, was also a third-round pick.
Sometimes, any kind of return helps. And if you were to ask anybody who is more important to the Flyers’ future, it would be any of these players over Seeler. Again, there is rationale for extending him, as he could help younger players on the roster develop. But what the Flyers are sacrificing to do so could be significant, not even considering that an extension would take away cap space.
And the Flyers are doing the same with Walker. Only his price is far greater. Before, it wasn’t a big deal as the Flyers weren’t in active negotiations with the defenseman. But now they are, and the cap hit has more or less been agreed upon for what would be fair in a theoretical extension, which is anywhere from $4 million to $5.5 million, but likely somewhere in the middle. As for the term, Walker’s camp is pushing for five years.
Walker has been a very good defenseman for the Flyers this season. It could be argued that he has been their best. But rebuilding teams do not sacrifice draft capital to make massive extensions. Considering third-pairing right-handed defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Feb. 29, and that cost a third- and sixth-round pick to retain his $2.75 million cap hit, the 29-year-old should return far more.
Related: Philadelphia Flyers Should Not Extend Sean Walker
Walker is a legitimately good second-pairing right-handed defenseman with an even lower cap hit. In theory, he could fetch the Flyers a first-round pick. Lyubushkin had pretty bad results with the Anaheim Ducks before being traded, but Toronto did not care. For a player that has better results in a tougher role, Walker should get a fortune in a trade. Extending him would take that opportunity away. A true rebuilder would not even contemplate doing this.
Other Veterans Could Stay
29-year-old forward Scott Laughton would also be a good candidate for a trade, given the constant necessity for centermen on contenders. He still has three seasons left on his $3 million cap-hit contract, so the Flyers don’t have to make a move. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t, though.
The Flyers have every right to keep their veterans with multiple seasons left on their contracts. They want to make the playoffs still, and really only have to trade the players that they won’t be able to by the time the season is over. But if the Flyers are offered a first-round pick for Laughton, they’d be a bit silly to decline. For a bottom-six veteran, that’s as good as you’re going to get. Most rebuilders would accept that deal with no hesitation, as a depth veteran would likely have little impact on their rebuild while a first-round pick could have a great impact. Again, a trade may determine how serious the Flyers are about rebuilding.
There haven’t been many rumors about winger Garnet Hathaway, but he is another player of Laughton’s caliber who is both an older player and has multiple seasons left on an affordable contract. He probably wouldn’t get a first-round pick offered as Laughton plays a more valuable position and can play anywhere in the lineup at a decent level if that’s what’s being asked of him, but that doesn’t mean Hathaway doesn’t have value.
The Flyers likely won’t make any trades until March 8, nor should they. The Orange and Black play their last game before the deadline on March 7, so they’ll want to have the strongest roster possible for as long as possible. But the day of the trade deadline will be very telling. Whether or not they are a true rebuilder will be determined. Nothing about keeping every player on the roster would suggest that they are.