November 10, 2024 | 7:04pm ET
TheFourthPeriod.com

FLYERS HAVE PIECES TO DANGLE THIS SEASON

Scott Laughton, forward

The Philadelphia Flyers sit second-last in the Eastern Conference with a 5-8-2 record. As they continue down the path of their rebuild, teams are beginning to eye some of their veteran pieces for potential moves later in the season.

On Friday’s edition of “The Latest” on TFP with Kate Pettersen, David Pagnotta reported the Flyers have three players with some term remaining on their contracts that could draw the attention of contenders at some point this season, all of whom are no stranger to trade speculation.

“Scott Laughton’s got another year on his deal. Nic Deslauriers has another year on his deal. And Rasmus Ristolainen has a few more years left on his contract. These are three players that we’re going to look at as we get closer to the trade deadline in March that teams are going to circle in on and see, hey, how can we pounce on one of these guys, not just for this playoff run, but for next year as well,” Pagnotta said.

“Laughton and Ristolainen’s names have been in and around the trade market and the rumour mill for the last couple of seasons. They don’t have no-trade protection, so it’s going to be a little bit easier for Philadelphia to make those types of moves as they continue their rebuild process.

“(The Flyers) kind of overachieved a little bit last season, which was nice to see for some guys, but this year a little bit more down to earth.”

Laughton comes with a $3 million cap hit, Deslauriers has $1.75 million cap hit, and Ristolainen owns a $5.1 million cap hit.

The Flyers have two remaining salary retention slots open this season and Philly GM Danny Briere could eat some money on a deal to maximize a return, if the right deal presents itself.