The Flyers’ rough start to the 2026-27 season has already pushed them into a familiar place: looking for a move that can shake things up. When a team is sitting well out of contention, trade chatter usually follows, and Flyers GM Danny Briere figures to hear plenty of it as the season goes on, especially around veteran players.
If the Flyers do start shopping, the Chicago Blackhawks look like a natural fit. NHL insider Elliotte Friedman said on the 11/9 edition of 3 2 Thoughts: The Podcast that Chicago is hunting for help.
“It’s very clear to me, based on what I’ve heard, that they want to upgrade their roster, and I think they feel that one thing that Bedard absolutely needs is offensive help.”
That lines up with Friedman’s earlier reporting that the Blackhawks are expected to be active on the trade market. Chicago has some attractive chips, including the Edmonton Oilers’ and Florida Panthers’ 2027 first-round picks, plus veteran forwards Jordan Greenway and Teuvo Teravainen.
The Flyers probably wouldn’t have much interest in Greenway or Teravainen as players, though they could make sense if Chicago wanted to clear salary. More importantly, the Blackhawks have the kind of assets Philadelphia could actually want.
The biggest reason this pairing makes sense is simple: the Flyers need centers, and Chicago has a pile of them. That shortage is true at the NHL level and in the pipeline.
Anthony Di Marco of the Daily Faceoff has already pointed to possible Flyers interest in Blackhawks centers Frank Nazar and Oliver Moore. Another name not mentioned there is Sacha Boisvert, the former North Dakota and Boston University standout who is now in the AHL.
Chicago also used a first-round pick on Mason West, the two-sport star who is taking the hockey route to college. At 6’6″, West is a center with real boom-or-bust appeal. Then there’s Anton Frondell, though Chicago would likely shut down any conversation if his name came up.
The Blackhawks’ center depth doesn’t stop there. Ryan Roobroeck, Jiri Felcman, and John Mustartd are also forwards with center experience in the pipeline.
That gives Chicago a lot to work with, whether the Flyers want someone close to NHL-ready or a prospect with upside. It also helps that the Blackhawks have three first-round picks and are willing to move two of them in the upcoming draft.
On Philadelphia’s side, the most obvious piece is Owen Tippett. The Flyers still have a logjam on the wing, and Tippett brings the kind of offensive pop Chicago could use.
Tyson Foerster could also draw interest in this kind of deal. Still, with the Flyers’ previous reluctance to move young forwards and his new 8-year contract, he looks like a long shot.
Another path would be a younger piece such as Alex Bump or Denver Barkey, especially if Chicago is talking about someone like Nazar or Moore. The age and position match up in a way that makes sense for both sides.
In the end, the fit is clear enough. Chicago has the centers the Flyers need, and Philadelphia has the scoring help the Blackhawks want. That makes them, on paper, perfect trade partners.
In Other News...
Flyers Frustrations Are Starting To Force Bigger Roster Questions
The Flyers latest stretch has only sharpened the sense that the roster is still searching for the right mix. A road loss to the Rangers was followed by an overtime defeat against the Flames after Philadelphia let three leads slip away, a frustrating sequence that has put discipline and chemistry under the microscope. The coaching staff has already started shuffling lines in an effort to settle things down, while Matvei Michkov remains a central figure in the noise around the club.
Even with some encouraging signs from Jamie Drysdale and Denver Barkey, the bigger question is whether the current group is enough to steady the season. Around the team, there is already speculation about potential roster movement as the Flyers try to find a cleaner fit and more stability up the middle, and the recent results have only added urgency to those conversations. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Still Have One Problem Threatening This Early-Season Slide
Through the first 19 games of the 2026-27 season, the Flyers have been trying to find any kind of rhythm at both ends of the ice. The offense has been too inconsistent, the defensive group has been stretched thin, and a 4-10-5 start has left little margin for error in a Metropolitan Division that rarely gives teams much breathing room. Even with Travis Konecny and Owen Tippett back in the lineup after injury absences, Philadelphia still has not found the steadier version of itself coach Rick Tocchet needs.
One lingering issue is the blue line, where the Flyers have had to keep adjusting their mix while waiting for more stability. Rasmus Ristolainen is still on injured reserve with an upper-body injury, and his absence has only added to the challenge of building depth on defense. The Flyers are working to correct the slide as the schedule moves on, but until that side of the roster settles in, the pressure on the rest of the group will keep growing. [Read more 🡒]
Cutter Gauthier Is Making The Ducks Rebuild Look Way Ahead Of Schedule
Cutter Gauthier keeps turning Anaheims rebuild into something much more immediate. He scored another hat trick in the Ducks win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, helping stretch the clubs winning streak to five games and further validating the kind of long-term bet Anaheim made when it committed major money to its young core. Leo Carlsson is also off to a strong start, and together the two have given the Ducks a much faster timeline than many expected.
Gauthiers production has been the loudest part of it, with the winger sitting at the top of the league scoring race and piling up milestones at a pace that is starting to feel historic. For Flyers fans still watching the other side of that trade, it is hard not to notice how quickly Anaheim is building around him, and how much more dangerous the Ducks look when their young stars are driving results instead of just projecting them. [Read more 🡒]