At the Olympic break, the Philadelphia Flyers find themselves in a precarious spot. Sitting at 25-20-11, they’re eight points out of both a wild card spot and third place in the division.
That’s not an impossible mountain to climb, but the recent slide heading into the break has made the climb a whole lot steeper. With just five games left before the March 6 trade deadline, the Flyers are on the clock-and the pressure is squarely on GM Danny Brière and President Keith Jones to make some big decisions.
From the start, Brière and Jones have maintained that the players would dictate the direction of this season. But with five wins in their last 17 games, and a troubling trend of defensive breakdowns-allowing four or more goals in nine of those 12 losses-it’s hard to argue that the current group has made a convincing case to stand pat. If the Flyers are still insisting the players will decide the path forward, well, the numbers are talking loud and clear: it might be time to sell.
Still, inside the locker room, there’s no shortage of belief.
“We’ll need to get red-hot, I think that that’s kind of it,” Jamie Drysdale said after a tough loss to Ottawa. “I think we’re capable of it. Everyone just take this break and reset… But we’ve got to come out swinging right away, not waste a game.”
That kind of mindset is what you want to hear from a young team, but belief alone won’t cut it. The Flyers are on the verge of missing the playoffs for a sixth straight season, and the front office has to weigh the long-term vision against the short-term hope.
Brière’s no stranger to tough calls. A few years back, he moved Sean Walker while the team was still in the playoff mix.
The aftermath? A 6-10-3 slide that knocked them out of contention.
It’s not definitive proof that the trade caused the collapse, but it’s a cautionary tale. This time, though, the slump started well before the deadline.
That changes the calculus.
The Flyers have a few assets they could put on the market-names like Bobby Brink and Rasmus Ristolainen are already circulating in trade chatter. Brink, in particular, is a player who could be moved to make room for a wave of young talent.
Denver Barkey has shown flashes during his brief NHL stint. Nikita Grebenkin has looked increasingly comfortable higher in the lineup.
Alex Bump is knocking on the door, and Porter Martone could be ready to make the leap after this season. There’s a logjam coming on the wing, and Brink may be the odd man out.
Then there’s Ristolainen. He’s been playing on the top pair recently and holding his own, but health is always the asterisk.
He’s only played in 19 games this season due to offseason surgery and a mid-January setback. Still, a strong showing at the Olympics could boost his value.
If there was ever a time to move him, this might be it.
The bigger names in the rumor mill-Owen Tippett and Travis Konecny-are a different story. Tippett has been mentioned in trade talks before, and while he could bring in a significant return, it would likely take a blockbuster offer to pry him away. He’s a young, skilled forward with upside, and those don’t grow on trees.
Konecny? That one feels like a long shot.
Unless he’s made it clear behind closed doors that he wants out-which there’s no indication of-moving him would be a massive shift. He’s the Flyers’ best player, plain and simple.
He’s vocal about the frustration of missing the playoffs year after year, but that’s not a trade request. If anything, it’s a sign he wants to be part of the solution.
So where does that leave Brière?
The Flyers have five games after the break to show they’re worth investing in for a stretch run. But their recent play has already painted a pretty clear picture. The defense has struggled, the offense hasn’t been consistent enough to make up for it, and the team’s overall trajectory feels more like a rebuild in progress than a playoff charge.
Drysdale said it best: they need to come out swinging. But even if they do, the question remains-will it be enough to change the minds of the decision-makers upstairs?
The clock is ticking, and the Flyers are at a crossroads. Stay the course and hope for a miracle run? Or start moving pieces to build for a future that’s starting to take shape?
Either way, the next few weeks will define the direction of this franchise-not just for the rest of this season, but for the years ahead.