The Philadelphia Flyers’ miserable start has turned Danny Briere’s phone into one of the busiest lines in the league.
After Tuesday night’s shootout loss to the Seattle Kraken, the Flyers fell to 0-5-3, and other NHL teams have clearly taken notice. According to Pierre LeBrun on TSN’s Insider Trading, rival general managers are already circling the Flyers’ roster while the team searches for answers.
“Yeah, Danny Briere, the GM of the Flyers, my understanding is his phone is getting all kinds of love from other GMs around the league, but not the kind of attention you wanna get,” LeBrun said on TSN’s Insider Trading Tuesday night.
LeBrun also made it clear he doesn’t see some huge fix coming anytime soon.
“There is no easy fix here. There is no blockbuster trade that the Flyers are gonna pull off to get themselves out of this brutal start.
I know some fans are chanting, “Fire Rick Tocchet.” That’s not even a thought for Flyers management right now.
The answer lies within. This is a collective letdown from the start of the year.
There’s a belief inside that management group that this is a group of young players who, after getting a taste of success last year, maybe took a lot for granted here entering this year. It’s a wake-up call.
They gotta fix it themselves.”
That leaves the Flyers in a familiar spot for a struggling team: other clubs are calling, trying to see who might be available, while Philadelphia is trying to sort out how bad this start can still get.
The one thing that does seem clear is that the Flyers won’t be shopping the obvious core pieces. Porter Martone, Matvei Michkov, and somewhat Tyson Foerster are viewed as untouchable. Even with the season off the rails and a top-five pick next June suddenly looking realistic, moving that young talent would make little sense.
Beyond that, though, the list opens up.
Defensemen Nick Seeler and Rasmus Ristolainen figure to draw strong interest. Teams looking for toughness and stability on the blue line could come calling, especially with injuries piling up around the league and contenders hunting for help without having to make a major hockey trade.
Cam York is another name that could surface if the Flyers’ slide continues. If his poor play carries on once he gets healthy again, other teams could see a young, controllable defenseman who can fill a No. 4 or No. 5 role on a strong club.
Up front, there are even more possible conversations. Owen Tippett would fit the profile of a middle-six winger who can chip in the occasional big play.
Noah Cates looks like the kind of bottom-six center contenders want. Trevor Zegras could also end up in the rumor mill, especially since he has struggled to open his second Flyers season and doesn’t have trade protection for a couple more years.
For now, the Flyers have options - and rival GMs know it. If the losses keep coming, Briere may have a harder and harder time ignoring those calls. Nick Seeler and Rasmus Ristolainen might be the easiest pieces to move, but the bigger question is whether this slow start eventually pushes Philadelphia into a deal that actually stings.
In Other News...
Flyers Hit A Franchise Low And The Frustration Keeps Growing
The early-season slide for the Flyers kept getting heavier in Seattle, where they came away with a 3-2 shootout loss that pushed their winless start to a franchise-record eight games. Philadelphia got another solid effort in net from Dan Vladar, who stopped 29 shots, but it was not enough to overcome a Kraken team that found ways to hang around and then finish.
Bobby McMann was central to the outcome for Seattle, with his goal in regulation helping force extra time and his shootout winner sealing it in the fifth round. Philipp Grubauer turned aside 24 shots for the Kraken, and the latest missed opportunity leaves the Flyers still searching for something to turn the mood after a stretch that has already become part of team history. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Blue Line Still Has A Problem As Injuries Keep Lingering
The Flyers blue line is still carrying a heavy injury load as they head into their meeting with the Detroit Red Wings, with the club again preparing to be without key defensemen Rasmus Ristolainen and Cameron York. Philadelphia has already spent plenty of time juggling its back end, and the latest availability report suggests the group is still far from full strength as it tries to steady itself on a night-to-night basis.
Ristolainens situation is particularly notable because he had recently returned to practice after missing the last five games with a hand injury, but there is still no indication he is ready to suit up. York remains in the same uncertain lane, leaving the Flyers with more questions than answers on defense while injuries continue to ripple around the league, including Buffalos absence of Rasmus Dahlin and other notable sidelined players. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Showed Fight Again But One Problem Still Wont Go Away
The Flyers found another way to keep themselves in a game at Xfinity Mobile Arena, but the result still looked all too familiar. Philadelphia fell 3-2 to the Seattle Kraken in a shootout, stretching its losing streak to eight, even after Christian Dvorak and Trevor Zegras pushed the game into the third period with timely goals and Dan Vladar turned aside 29 shots to keep the Flyers within reach.
For stretches, it felt like the kind of response this team has been searching for, with pressure from the Flyers eventually forcing extra drama and another chance to steal points late. Instead, Seattle held firm when it mattered most, with Philipp Grubauer finishing with 24 saves and the Kraken cashing in in the shootout, leaving Philadelphia to sort through another night of effort without the payoff that would have mattered most. [Read more 🡒]