As it stands, the Philadelphia Flyers have almost no chance of making the playoffs despite holding a spot there for most of the season. Aided by an eight-game losing streak right at the end of the season, things have gone south fast for them. However, they have made solid strides in what was a rebuilding campaign for them.
General manager (GM) Daniel Briere seems to be going for a more obscure route to his team’s rebuild. Instead of building up solely through the draft, he has built the Flyers on the fly somewhat, adding 22-year-old Jamie Drysdale to the defense instead of acquiring a high-end draft pick when prospect Cutter Gauthier demanded a trade from the team. It is a competitive rebuild of sorts — the team is building but also winning.
If Briere and the Flyers want to get better next season, the acquiring young talent part of the rebuild has to start at the center position. Getting a top-six center could take them from a fringe playoff team to a solidified one and be a long-term solution to their dearth at the position.
Flyers’ On-Ice Stats Could See a Drastic Shift
The numbers by themselves might make you think that the Flyers aren’t a very good team. They aren’t elite by any means, but they have tended to outplay their opponents this season. It turns out that just a few players have skewed the numbers in the wrong direction for just about everyone.
When looking at the 13 different Flyer skater stats prior to their contest against the Montreal Canadiens on April 9, the results are pretty remarkable. Without centers Sean Couturier and Scott Laughton plus veteran wingers Cam Atkinson and Nicolas Deslauriers, the on-ice stats for the Flyers go from subpar or relatively average to elite for essentially every player. The difference between those four players being on versus off the ice is astounding.
Both offensively and defensively, the Flyers have excelled without those four players. Wingers Atkinson and Deslauriers will probably see less ice time anyway, if not be off the team altogether.
Oscar Eklind, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound winger out of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), could take on that physical fourth-line role occupied by Deslauriers but with a little more offensive upside — that might decrease his minutes even if he does stay. Atkinson, who makes $5.875 million against the cap and has an expiring deal in 2024-25, is a likely buyout candidate. So what about the two centers?
Related: Flyers Should Buy Out Cam Atkinson in 2024 Offseason
If those two wingers don’t see the ice as much, the key to improving lies with Laughton and Couturier. At this point, neither of them is a first-line center. In fact, they might not even be a second-line center with how things have gone.
Ideally, Couturier can play on the third line with some special teams ice time sprinkled in. He has played well defensively in a bottom-six role. As for Laughton, if he remains on the team then he should see a role reduction. He has played as a top-six center quite a bit recently, but the on-ice stats just don’t work in his favor. For the Flyers to see legitimate improvement next season, it has to start with keeping him out of a top-six centerman spot. While he has had some good stretches of play, he is not skilled enough to take Philadelphia from right on the bubble of a playoff spot to being in — something has to change.
The problem with playing two players who aren’t performing well in a top-six role so often is that it hurts their linemates. At this stage, only Morgan Frost has proven to be worthy of as much as a second-line fixture. He has had some solid results on the first line, too. That’s where the idea for getting a top-six center comes from, as the team already has one of the two required — it would make everyone’s job easier, as centers have a profound impact on the game.
Flyers’ Playmaking Is Lacking
One of the Flyers’ other issues is their playmaking skills. Aside from a few players, most individuals play a pretty bland style that doesn’t make them irreplaceable. To be a true top-six centerman, that quality is a must in the modern NHL.
Frost has his playmaking unlocked. The Flyers’ other centers just don’t have the talent level at this stage to make things happen. While someone like Couturier might not have the worst on-ice stats, he doesn’t have the offensive abilities to unlock the full potential of someone like Tyson Foerster, who flourishes when he has space to shoot the puck. Couturier isn’t a dynamic player who can create this sort of space either by drawing attention to himself or feeding a fantastic pass to a teammate. This limits everyone’s upside.
Players like Laughton and Couturier have their strengths, but creating offense isn’t one of them. When a center is able to create offense, their on-ice defense will vastly improve sometimes. If they always have the puck, how can they give up opportunities going the other way? That’s a big reason why Frost’s on-ice stats have been some of the best on the team — he makes plays offensively. He can’t be the only center who does, though.
What Are the Flyers’ Options?
Unfortunately, adding a legitimate top-six center is a sacrifice and can be expensive. Since the Flyers are in a rebuild, they should be looking for a young player to fill this need — that is an even bigger luxury. Which players are some potential options?
Trevor Zegras
Trevor Zegras of the Anaheim Ducks is both the most ideal and most expensive option for the Flyers. Just 23 years of age, he already has multiple 60-point seasons under his belt. He has struggled with injury in 2023-24 and his numbers have dipped pretty significantly, but that seems to be more of a one-off than anything. Not only is he a top-six center, but he could easily be a legit first-line center for years to come.
Zegras being traded is pretty unlikely for this very reason. He has been in plenty of rumors, but GM Pat Verbeek is not actively shopping the youngster. It would likely take an offer so good he couldn’t refuse it:
Zegras already has been “traded” in hundreds of deals in Hockey Twitter, but the dynamic playmaker remains very much a part of the Ducks. Verbeek is a willing listener to the GMs who have called with inquiries and offers, but he isn’t shopping Zegras, who has been out since Jan. 9 after breaking his ankle.
source: ‘The Flyers, the Ducks and Trevor Zegras: Could a trade ever work? Is it feasible?’ — Eric Stephens and Kevin Kurz — The Athletic — 02/29/2024
Zegras isn’t a non-option, but it would take Briere being fully committed to him as the Flyers’ true first-line center for years to come considering what the cost would likely be — the expectation should be any asset not named Matvei Michkov. While Zegras seems to have what it takes to reach a high-end first-line ceiling, it would be a massive gamble for the Orange and Black. It’s an option, but it might be too bold for even Briere.
Anton Lundell
In a lower-end but more realistic option, Anton Lundell of the Florida Panthers is an intriguing choice. The 22-year-old center is a restricted free agent (RFA) this offseason, but the Panthers will have to truly consider whether or not they want to keep him. After an incredible rookie campaign in 2021-22 when he had 44 points and a plus-33 rating in 65 games, the production has dipped a tad in his following seasons. This go around, he has 33 points in 75 games along with a plus-18 rating.
Lundell is a very useful player to have around, but the Panthers are a Cup contender that has a few key free-agent signings to make this offseason. In 2024-25, they are set to have about $20 million to spend on 10 more roster players via CapFriendly if they have a full 23-man NHL club. The problem? Two of those could make big money: Sam Reinhart and Brandon Montour.
Considering the former reached the 50-goal and 90-point plateaus this season and the latter had 73 points in 2022-23 as a defenseman, they could demand massive deals. Even if they let one of these players go to make the salary cap work, said player will have to be replaced. This makes Lundell relatively expendable, especially if he wants a big pay raise on his $925,000 salary.
With Lundell being limited to third-line minutes this season, a bigger opportunity could mean more money for him in the future. On an elite Panthers roster, the opportunity might not be in the Sunshine State. Perhaps the Flyers could make a trade work, or flat-out offer sheet him. Offer sheets cost draft capital, but the Flyers can virtually give him any contract they want to price out Florida.
Other teams can do this too, but the Flyers have a position of power here as long as Lundell would be willing to sign. He’s an exciting option as he could instantly be a second-line center with upside for more.
Josh Norris
Josh Norris of the Ottawa Senators would be an interesting player for the Flyers to acquire due to how cheap a trade might be, but also the level of belief the Flyers would need in him to make a deal work. The 24-year-old is on a lucrative $7.95 million contract that runs through the 2029-30 season but hasn’t lived up to that number in the slightest.
Norris missed all but eight games of his 2022-23 campaign due to injury and is currently dealing with a long-term ailment in the present. His Senators have several players locked up to big deals, so improving their 34-40-4 record next season might be a challenge if they cannot shed some salary.
That’s where Norris comes in. He has 30 points in 50 games this season in top-six minutes, so his point production hasn’t been the best. His defensive numbers aren’t any better, making his contract a scary one for the Senators. If he doesn’t see improvement, he may be an anchor to their team and not allow them to make game-changing moves.
If the Flyers want a young top-six center but don’t want to give up a fortune of assets to do so, Norris is likely the player for them. It is apparent that something needs to change for him. The Senators probably won’t want to give him up for free, but the package also wouldn’t be unaffordable, either. He is both a reclamation project and an option to help the Flyers get better.
Briere and the Flyers can’t expect to improve next season if they don’t make necessary changes to their roster. It will take boldness and guts to address that issue, but it will have to be done to see playoff hockey in Philadelphia next spring.
