Wednesday, March 4th is this year’s NHL Trade Deadline. Often it is the day when the Flyers end up making minor moves to bolster their playoff odds. This is usually because the Flyers are buyers and not sellers due their regular season success season after season. While many are hoping for the Flyers to acquire a stud defenseman or a consistent netminder it may not be in the cards. While they made plenty of moves after the season that everyone wants to forget, if you look at it that was the trade deadline that built this team. Acquisitions of Coburn, Biron, Upshall, and Parent that year have turned this team into what it has become. The first rounder received from Nashville for Peter Forsberg was traded back to the Predators that offseason for the rights to Scott Hartnell and Kimmo Timonen both of which were re-signed here in Philadelphia.
Then as the Flyers teetered on the edge of the playoff picture going into the 2008 Trade Deadline they made minor moves to secure their team. None of these moves have panned out into long term success for the Flyers, but they were never meant to. Philadelphia had their season of big moves. That doesn’t mean that many fans out there shouldn’t still be drooling at the thought of Jay Bouwmeester coming to anchor the Flyers’ blueline, it just means that whatever Paul Holmgren does it will be with the team’s best interest in mind.
Currently many believe that Danny Briere, who is expected to return as soon as Friday’s game at home against Montreal, is going to be the Flyers’ “big move” this season. It’s entirely possible. While he doesn’t necessarily play a Philly style of hockey no one can argue with his point-per-game results. Adding Briere to a lineup stacked with Gagne, Carter, Richards, Hartnell, Knuble, Lupul, Giroux, and Upshall will only benefit the Flyers despite allegations that he is defensively suspect at times. The good news is that mathematical calculations leave the organization only around $1.5m in the hole against the salary cap upon his return. $1.5m is generally easy to find and is far easier to work with than the previously suspected $2.5m. The bad news is that Briere’s $6.5m salary cap hit seems to be the brick wall preventing the Flyers from making any huge moves at the deadline.
Still, the Panthers’ GM has made comments all year about Jay Bouwmeester’s contract situation. While he claims he is not willing to accept “salary dumps” in any deal involving JayBo he has mentioned often that should the star blueliner not declare his willingness to return to Florida under contract at the end of the season by the trade deadline he will be moved. That’s good news for the Flyers who want to give up roster players as opposed to prospects/picks at the deadline. The Panthers also want NHL ready players that can help them into the postseason now since they now sit in a good position. While JayBo being traded would mean a hit to their playoff chances, a return of players that can keep them in the hunt as the season draws to a close would make the loss of the blueliner bearable.
Should a deal involving Lupul + Carle + mid-high level prospect + mid round draft pick + conditional 1st should JayBo be signed by Philly in the offseason ever happen it would mean that the Flyers not only acquire JayBo’s services, but also have more room to bring Briere back into the lineup. With Giroux’s play Lupul has become expendable and though Carle has played well in Philly Bouwmeester would put the Flyers defense on a whole new level. That of course is best case scenario. While many still claim that the Flyers #1 prospect James van Riemsdyk or even Claude Giroux would have to be going back to Florida to make this deal happen it is very doubtful. If Florida would demand either of the two it’s far more likely that the Flyers find minor pieces to their playoff puzzle somewhere else. Read More: Dispelling Flyers Trade Deadline Rumors.
This intriguing scenario may have been made even more juicy by the appearance of the Panthers GM at the Flyers Kings game on Wednesday night. While nobody knows for sure what he was watching many speculate he was scouting players on the Flyers. With the trade deadline less than a week away every word can get blown out of proportion, but the Panthers GM showing up at a Flyers game right before Briere’s return does send off some red flags that something may be coming.
If it’s not JayBo then don’t be upset. The Flyers are perfectly fine without him. This is the same team that is 4th in the east while battling injury after injury along with what seems to be a neverending flu epidemic (Timonen being it’s latest victim) all while Briere has been sitting on the sideline nursing his groin. The offense with Briere is as deadly as ever and a top nine consisting of 7 proven 20+ goal scorers, a rookie absolutely tearing up NHL competition in Claude Giroux, and full of various gritty defensively sound players is nothing to scoff at come playoff time. Do not think Holmgren has abandoned you should he not swing for the fences. This team has the chance at a dynasty. Van Riemsdyk, the top rated prospect still not in the NHL, is waiting in the wings for his moment to shine. Giving up major pieces when not receiving a sure bet is not something winning teams do. Briere on the other hand is relatively free for Philadelphia. The Flyers have never been in it for rentals. That’s likely a reason they stay in the thick of it year in and year out.
Either way get ready. The Flyers will make a move. They always do. Whatever happens, rejoice. The Flyers are soaring. They are 7-2-0 in the last nine and are getting a star player back into the lineup. The skies right now are cloudless.
Trade Deadline Recent History:
2007-2008 Season:
- To Philadelphia: Jaroslav Modry – To Los Angeles: 3rd Round Pick 2008
- To Philadelphia: 3rd Round Pick 2009 – To Calgary: Jim Vandermeer
- To Philadelphia: Patrick Thoresen – To Edmonton: N/A (claimed off Waivers)
- To Philadelphia: Vaclav Prospal – To Tampa Bay: Alexandre Picard, Conditional Pick 2009
2006-2007 Season:
- To Philadelphia: Scottie Upshall, Ryan Parent, 1st Round Pick 2007, 3rd Round Pick 2007 – To Nashville: Peter Forsberg
- To Philadelphia: N/A (claimed off Waivers) – To Dallas: Nolan Baumgartner
- To Philadelphia: Braydon Coburn – To Atlanta: Alexei Zhitnik
- To Philadelphia: Lasse Kukkonen, 3rd Round Pick 2007 – To Chicago: Kyle Calder
- To Philadelphia: N/A (claimed off Waivers) – To Montreal: Michael Leighton
- To Philadelphia: N/A (claimed off Waivers) – To Atlanta: Dennis Hamel
- To Philadelphia: Martin Biron – To Buffalo: 2nd Round Pick 2007
2005-2006 Season:
- To Philadelphia: Denis Gauthier – To Phoenix: Josh Gratton, 2nd Round Pick 2006, 2nd Round Pick 2006
- To Philadelphia: Niko Dimitrakos – To San Jose: 3rd Round Pick 2006
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