EYES ON WALKER AS FLYERS ENTER BREAK

MONTREAL, QC — As the Philadelphia Flyers take a five-game skid into the All Star break, decisions on the futures of some of the team’s players are becoming more pressing as the Trade Deadline draws closer.

Flyers defenceman Sean Walker is front and centre on the Philly trade watch. Once thought to be a candidate to be re-signed the club, the likelihood of a trade seems greater than a month ago.

Based on several conversations I’ve had with those close to the situation, the Jamie Drysdale acquisition all but sealed the fate for Walker and a potential extension with the Flyers. The Flyers and the player’s camp were set to engage in discussions shortly after the holiday break, but those talks with Walker’s agent Cam Stewart never came to fruition following Drysdale’s arrival.

The 29-year-old rearguard is believed to be looking for a contract with an AAV in the $4 million to $5 million neighborhood, something the Flyers have trouble justifying with the bodies they have on the blueline. Speaking with two league executives, both felt that $5 million is “a little high” for Walker, but one did say that “defencemen tend to get a little more” on the open market. Walker will be one of the bigger blueliners on the market this summer, something his camp will certainly try to leverage in negotiations.

The Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs are two teams that have reached out on Walker, with the Tampa Bay Lightning and at least one other Eastern Conference team believed to have him on their radar. Behind Calgary Flames defenceman Chris Tanev, Walker figures to be the top rental defenceman available between now and the deadline.

I’ve been told by a well-placed source that the Flyers are holding firm on a first-round pick in return for Walker. Speaking with those around the league, I was told by one executive that fetching a first will be tough, while another said that is a “fair” ask for Walker. The market for rental defencemen did take a hit after the Flames traded Nikita Zadorov for a third- and fifth-round pick, one NHL executive said to me and that could be affecting what teams are willing to pony up for Walker.

Though a first-round pick is the ideal return, the Flyers are open to bringing back a younger player that carries similar value. One name that was brought up to me – and one the Flyers have been linked to in the past – is Oilers defenceman Philip Broberg. The 22-year-old former first-round pick has fallen down the depth chart in Edmonton and is currently playing in the AHL.

I believe the Flyers are open to taking on reclamation projects – as long as they fit the age timeline as they’re looking for. But Broberg, although he does provide size at 6-foot-3, is a left shot, something the Flyers have an overload of both on their roster and in the system.

There is the possibility that the Flyers could flip a return for Walker for something that better fits the team’s needs. Speculatively speaking, should the Flyers acquire Broberg, perhaps they could look to flip him for a similar type of player but that checks a positional box like Nashville Predators centre Cody Glass, for example.

The Flyers have options with Walker, including on their ability to retain on the contract and weaponize their salary cap space.

According to our friends at CapFriendly, the Flyers only project to have a little more than $900,000 by the deadline; the team being forced to carry three goalies (on paper) because of Carter Hart’s indefinite leave of absence has eaten up a lot of previously disposable space. But this doesn’t tell the full story, as the Flyers can open up an additional $6.25 million by moving Ryan Ellis from IR to LT IR – something they are prepared to do if needed.

Nick Seeler

The other pending UFA defenceman on the roster is Nick Seeler, although it sounds like his future is still in flux.

As previously reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Flyers would like to bring him back in an ideal world. As always, the goal now is to find a price tag that works for both sides. According to several sources, the Flyers and Seeler’s camp have yet to engage in serious contract talks and exchange numbers, but that is expected to change in the coming weeks.

In terms of a contract, the player’s side could being in the range of Luke Schenn’s three-year deal that carries an AAV of $2.75 million. Speaking to one league executive, a $2 million AAV seems high for Seeler and I imagine the Flyers will start around that number.

Term will obviously affect the AAV but it’s still tough to gauge where that ultimately ends up given that the sides have yet formally negotiate. Coming it to the Schenn contract, I imagine the 30-year-old Minnesota native will be looking for at least three years; I’d find it tough to see the Flyers going longer given Seeler’s age.

Scott Laughton

Following the two-year, $3.8 million contract extension of Ryan Poehling, many have wondered if it will have a direct impact on Scott Laughton’s future. While I don’t think this definitively means Laughton is going to be moved, the team is certainly willing to take calls on its Alternate Captain.

Laughton, 29, is in the third year of a five-year, $15 million contract he signed with the team almost three years ago. After a career year last season (18 goals, 43 points), Laughton’s play has dipped significantly this year with just five goals and 20 points through 50 games. He has got into bad penalty trouble as of late and currently finds himself centering the team’s fourth line.

The Flyers took offers for Laughton last summer and even turned down a first-round pick for him. Speaking with a team source, the price tag for Laughton remains a first-round pick despite his struggles this year. Viewed as a “3C who can play the wing,” Laughton’s the type of player that’s true value shows up in the playoffs. Any team acquiring Laughton will be a contending team, meaning that a first-round selection would be in the 20s (or later).

Laughton is also not a rental, given the two-year term he has beyond this season. While a deal isn’t imminent or definite to happen, the Flyers will keep the phone lines open.