February 17, 2023 | 12:10pm ET
By Anthony Di Marco, TheFourthPeriod.com
FLYERS LOOKING FOR UPGRADE AT CENTRE
Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher
As the NHL trade deadline looms in two weeks, the Philadelphia Flyers are preparing to sell off some pieces.
Forward James van Riemsdyk is expected to move, while defenceman Justin Braun should draw some moderate interest once teams exhaust all other defensive options. Blueliner Nick Seeler has attracted interest recently though, as I mentioned Monday, will need to receive an overpayment to consider moving him.
While the Flyers will primarily be sellers, they have been keeping their eye out for available centres.
As mentioned in his 32 Thoughts column this week, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman noted that the Flyers are looking for centres.
As I mentioned last week, the Flyers have internally discussed Dylan Larkin as a target should he make it to free agency in the summer. Checking back in on this Thursday evening, those around the league don’t feel like the Detroit Red Wings have an appetite to trade Larkin at the moment. As TFP’s David Pagnotta has reported the last several weeks, the Wings and Larkin are trying to make an extension work.
Per Pagnotta, the Larkin camp has been pushing for an AAV north of $9 million, while General Manager Steve Yzerman prefers something that starts with an “8.” For what it’s worth, I don’t think the Flyers would have a problem going north of $9 million for the player given their desperate need for a top line/six pivot.
Bo Horvat, who recently just signed an eight-year extension with the New York Islanders upon being traded there, was another name I’ve heard the Flyers had on their radar. The common trend here? The Flyers are actively keeping their eyes open for an impact centre.
Should Larkin re-up in Detroit – based on league sources I’ve spoken with it’s believed that he will – the Flyers’ options to add a top-six centre between now and the start of the 2023-24 campaign will be few and far between. In terms of trading for Larkin, it appears it isn’t something that would work at this juncture, as it’s believed the Wings would be asking for players the Flyers prefer to keep.
Aside from Larkin, Ryan O’Reilly, Jonathan Toews and Jordan Staal headline the UFA class. Given their advanced ages and/or regressing play, none really move the needle. Pierre-Luc Dubois is set to become an RFA and would certainly fit the bill talent wise but, given his history with John Tortorella, I can’t imagine that would be an option, along with the player’s presumed desire to play in Montreal.
On the trade front, it isn’t often that top-six centres are made available – especially those under the age of 30, which I’d assume is what the Flyers are looking for given their interest in Horvat and Larkin.
The only name that comes to mind is Vancouver Canucks centreman Elias Pettersson, who has proven to be one of the league’s best pivots despite being surrounded with such dysfunction in British Columbia.
To the best of my knowledge, there is no sense the Canucks have any kind of appetite to even consider moving the 2017 fifth-overall pick, despite President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford saying that his roster is in need of “major surgery.”
Options to add an impact centre do not seem to be presenting themselves in droves, so it will take some high-powered leg work by the Flyers should they wish to add one between now and the beginning of next season.
