Although the Philadelphia Flyers are currently in a playoff spot, they will be sellers at the trade deadline. We already knew this, but head coach John Tortorella also made it abundantly clear that this is the team’s reality. He is hoping the Flyers will continue to have a solid campaign after the deadline, but his recent comments suggest that looking “big picture” and understanding his squad is rebuilding will make it tough.
So, with players like Sean Walker, Nick Seeler, and Scott Laughton, among others, likely to be of interest to other clubs, these buyers have picks and prospects that they will part with if the price is right. What should the Flyers look for from the squads looking to bulk up before the March 8 trade deadline?
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning have already been linked to Walker once before, so it would make sense for them and the Flyers to be in active talks. Now, the asking price for the right-handed defenseman is reportedly a first-round pick, but the Lightning don’t have one of those until 2026.
If Walker (or anyone else) is on Tampa Bay’s radar, what other assets might interest the Flyers? Even though they’ve done quite a bit of trading over the last few seasons, which has taken away their trading power, they still have good pieces.
They have one of the weaker prospect pools in the league, but they do have some good players. Below are a few of their forwards and defensemen under the age of 24. In parenthesis is their NHL equivalency (NHLe), a system developed earlier this century and kept alive by many, including DobberProspects. It’ll help us calculate their adjusted 82-game point pace for this season.
While points aren’t the ultimate decider in which players are good, they are immensely helpful in showing the upside of players in some instances, while pointing out the obvious in others. For the skaters already in the NHL at this moment, their 82-game point pace is included and italicized:
| Forwards | Defensemen |
| Niko Huuhtanen (72) | Jack Thompson (55) |
| Dylan Duke (61) | Eamon Powell (37) |
| Ethan Gauthier (51) | Dyllan Gill (36) |
| Isaac Howard (46) | Maxwell Crozier (23) |
| Gage Goncalves (39) | Emil Martinsen Lilleberg (16) |
One prospect that might be of interest to the Flyers is 20-year-old winger Niko Huuhtanen, who has 43 points in 46 games in Liiga this season and has risen from a relatively unknown seventh-round pick to having legitimate star potential. But is he a player Tampa Bay would be willing to give up? Probably not, but he’s worth mentioning.
Also, 2022 first-round pick Isaac Howard is another great (but perhaps too great) player. He had an excellent showing at the 2024 World Junior Championship just a month ago, so he won’t be easy to pry away from the Lightning. It might be possible in a multiple-player package, but he and Huuhtanen seem like untouchables.
Aside from those two, everyone else seems to be fair game. The Bolts might consider parting ways with forward Ethan Gauthier if they think a player like Walker is worthy enough, plus their two second-round picks in 2025 and 2026, respectively, could be in the picture. It’s hard to tell exactly what the Flyers could get from the Lightning, but the two clubs could make something big happen.
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers and Flyers should have plenty of conversations over the next month. With a particular need to upgrade defenseman Cody Ceci, players like Walker or even Seeler might be on their radar. But they will both likely get a lot of interest from across the league, so Edmonton could be in a pickle.
Related: Oilers Linked to Flyers’ Walker But Have Competition for Him
If they have to settle, Marc Staal wouldn’t be a terrible option as a seventh defender. With an expected goal share of 54.9 percent at 5-on-5, he is quite serviceable in limited minutes, ranked in the 86th percentile among defenders with 200 minutes of ice time. Again, the Oilers probably want a true difference-maker, but it’s not like this would be the worst player to target.
Whichever defenseman the Oilers might be after, it’ll cost them. Here is a look at the NHLe among their players under the age of 24 with those in the NHL italicized, again:
| Forwards | Defensemen |
| Matt Copponi (59) | Beau Akey (38) |
| Shane Lachance (33) | Nikita Yevseyev (23) |
| Maxim Beryozkin (32) | Maximus Wanner (17) |
| Raphael Lavoie (31) | Luca Munzenbeger (10) |
| Xavier Bourgault (26) | Philip Broberg (0) |
Edmonton doesn’t have much to work with, and that’s an issue if they’re looking to make a deal — hence the Staal suggestion. They have three first- and two second-round picks from 2024 to 2026, which is their saving grace.
It’s unlikely the Flyers will trade one of their more coveted assets, like Walker, to the Oilers if there’s a bidding war for him. Instead, there could be some reclamation projects the Orange and Black might want to try out, but it will come down to who or what will maximize their return.
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars have a 30-13-6 record and are looking to make a return to the Stanley Cup Final to avenge their loss there in 2020. To do that, they might want to add some grit and a player who excels in the defensive zone. Could Seeler be on their wish list?
The two parties haven’t been linked, but Dallas might be looking for another defenseman. In their run to the Western Conference Final last season, they used seven defenders, all of whom played in 10 or more contests. That’s abnormal, so having another option wouldn’t hurt. Whether he is a roster regular or a seventh defender, he’d help their backend tremendously.
The Stars have all of their first-round draft picks through 2026. Now, Seeler isn’t worth that much, but general manager (GM) Daniel Briere could get them up to a second-round pick if the Stars really want to get the deal done. But what about Dallas’ prospects if they want to make things interesting?
| Forwards | Defensemen |
| Logan Stankoven (81) | Lian Bichsel (54) |
| Mavrik Bourque (60) | Tristan Berucci (45) |
| Angus MacDonell (44) | Christan Kyrou (43) |
| Ayrton Martino (35) | Gavin White (26) |
| Brad Gardiner (33) | Aram Minnetian (26) |
Dallas has a crazy assortment of prospects for buyers to look at, and this doesn’t even include core pieces like Wyatt Johnston and Thomas Harley, but there is no chance the Flyers will land any of them, as they have been pivotal to the Stars’ success to this point. For a contender, Dallas is loaded with top-end prospects.
Even if the Stars are after a player better than Seeler, neither Logan Stankoven nor Mavrik Bourque will be on the table unless, of course, we were talking about Travis Sanheim — even that seems like a lot for Dallas to give up. If Lian Bichsel and maybe Christian Kyrou are set aside, the Flyers could ask about the rest since there are some good players to choose from if the Stars are on their radar.
Vegas Golden Knights
There aren’t any rumors linking the Flyers to the Vegas Golden Knights, but these teams would make interesting partners for a middle-six forward like Laughton. Considering Vegas’ injury situation – Jack Eichel, William Karlsson, and William Carrier are all facing injury trouble of some sort – having a long-term depth option who can slot into the lineup in times like these wouldn’t hurt.
Laughton’s $3 million cap hit (with three seasons left) is a bit pricey for a cap-strapped team, but it’s not out of the Golden Knights’ reach if they really want to make it happen. He’s the type of player that would fit Vegas’ heavy-hitting style, so what could the Flyers get in return?
Unfortunately, this season has been miserable for Laughton – he is among the NHL’s worst goal-share leaders at 5-on-5 and sitting on just five goals in 50 games. With that being said, he has more offensive upside than that and would fit in perfectly on a team that loves to hit opponents as much as possible and block loads of shots. He’s both experienced and has seen second- to fourth-line minutes this season and throughout his career. Whatever might be asked of him, he has already done it — even on special teams.
Despite his poor season, the trade market suggests that Laughton is still worth quite a bit. If Sean Monahan can fetch a first- and conditional third-round pick despite having just one season left on his contract, Laughton could, too. He isn’t quite worth that in terms of his value to the Flyers this season, but that’s what centers are going for — plus, he can play on the wing.
Vegas’ prospect pool is about what you’d expect from a team that won the Stanley Cup last June. The good news is that they have all their draft picks, other than a 2024 fourth-rounder and 2025 seventh-rounder from 2024 to 2026, so that’s great trade bait. But here’s a look at their players under 24 and their NHLe:
| Forwards | Defensemen |
| Mathieu Cataford (65) | Arttu Karki (50) |
| Ivan Morozov (54) | Lukas Cormier (36) |
| Ben Hemmerling (50) | Kaedan Korczak (30) |
| David Edstrom (46) | Christoffer Sedoff (17) |
| Pavel Dorofeyev (39) | Noah Ellis (13) |
The 23-year-old Pavel Dorofeyev is probably the most intriguing of this bunch, as he is putting up those numbers in the NHL. He’s likely the last player Vegas will be willing to give up, as he is valuable for them now and has a good upside.
The Golden Knights would likely be a bit boring to trade with, given all their draft picks, but they could be a good partner. If Philadelphia were to part ways with Laughton, not only would he be on a contender, but his game matches up well with what they do. Again, there’s no real rumor here, but it seems like it could work.
There will be other teams that emerge as the deadline gets closer, but these four appear to be good starting points, as there are some mutual interests they share. Someone we don’t expect, like Travis Konecny, could see himself being shipped out, but more likely, it will be a relatively predictable deadline for the Orange and Black and could be a big boost for their future nonetheless.