The rebuilding Philadelphia Flyers have a dilemma with 28-year-old defenseman Travis Sanheim. With seven years left on a $6.25 million average annual value (AAV) contract, they should probably be looking to trade him. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple.
Sanheim has a no-trade clause (NTC) through the 2026-27 season, and that shifts to a modified NTC (M-NTC) for the rest of the deal. If he doesn’t give the green light to a trade, the Flyers’ hands are tied. Instead of looking to trade him, how can Philadelphia make the most of his deal if he spends the rest of his contract with the Flyers?
Sanheim’s Contract Situation
Sanheim was given a contract extension right before the 2022-23 season, meaning his new deal wouldn’t kick in until the start of the very next campaign. General manager (GM) Danny Briere had the chance to trade him away in the 2023 offseason, but chose against it—thus, his extension is set in stone.
Seeing as Sanheim controls his own destiny now, it will be incredibly difficult to trade him. For starters, you have to convince the player to want out of his situation. People aren’t exactly itching to move to a completely new area or abandon their teammates, as well as a routine that they’ve adapted for several years. Also, he is making life-changing money—does it get better than that?
Let’s just assume that Sanheim did want out and preferred to play for a true contender. How many top-end teams are there out there that are willing to take on a contract like his? Since the Flyers are rebuilding, the idea is that they’ll be a contender within the length of his contract anyway—demanding a trade doesn’t seem all that logical for him to do.
If Sanheim asked for a move, he’d actually be doing Philadelphia more of a favor than anyone. Right now, he is at no risk of being traded. Until any news with serious truth to it comes out about the veteran defenseman wanting out, the Flyers will just have to keep him. Even though it doesn’t sound ideal for a rebuilder to hang onto an expensive defenseman through their mid-30s, it might work out.
Long-Term Second-Pairing Player?
After having a bad season to his standards in 2022-23, Sanheim had a good one in 2023-24 despite having a dramatically increased workload on the first pairing. He performed well in that role, but he’s not a long-term solution for that spot. To put it bluntly, his biggest weakness is probably his complete lack of hockey IQ. At times, playing consistent first-pairing minutes exposed that a bit too much—the Flyers can do better than him.
On a second pairing for the long-term future, that might be where he can find success. Philadelphia is going to need an impact player there anyway, and they have right-handed players like Jamie Drysdale, Oliver Bonk, and Carter Sotheran who could all be paired with him on the right side.
As for the left side, Cam York seems to have a first-line role locked up, but aside from him, only Emil Andrae and Hunter McDonald are there—having Sanheim wouldn’t force these two into playing a role above their potential. This would give the Flyers some depth down the line.
Sanheim has the offensive and transitional upside to make those around him better. He has graded out well most of his career, so it is still worthwhile to have him on the team. He hasn’t shown signs of massive decline and doesn’t play a physical game despite being 6-foot-4—his game could age rather well. He can play on either the left or right side if necessary, so his flexibility is also a plus.
What Else Would the Flyers Need?
The Flyers’ defensive core as it is currently is still not good enough. While they added Drysdale in the middle of this season and have prospects like Bonk, Sotheran, Andrae, and McDonald, they can’t rely on that alone. Some of those players could make seriously great defensive partners for York in the future, but the odds aren’t necessarily in their favor—a huge step would be needed to be a Stanley Cup-caliber first-pairing defenseman.
Related: 3 Flyers Prospects Who Could Take a Major Step in 2024-25
If a top-end defenseman falls in the 2024 NHL Draft, that’s when the Flyers might be able to solidify their defensive core for good. If that’s not the path they go, they can also trade for that type of player or even sign one in free agency. It’s not usually an effective method to hope you come across one of those players a bit later in the draft, but it still happens.
If the Flyers can acquire a legitimate first-pairing player, they’d have some incredible depth on their defense. With elite goaltending prospects like Alexei Kolosov and Yegor Zavragin, the Orange and Black could be a strong shutdown team with Sanheim on the roster.
If Sanheim doesn’t allow himself to be traded from the Flyers, he can still be effective for them for the next seven seasons. If he can find a good spot with Philadelphia in the long term, this could all work out in the end.