The NHL trade deadline is next week, March 3rd to be exact and the Philadelphia Flyers have some work to do. The question is, what kind of moves will they make in an attempt to upgrade their roster going forward.

In what seems like forever ago, the Flyers were a “faux” number one seed on the playoffs in 2020, and ever since have been quite frankly, bottom dwellers in the NHL. They have switched coaches, traded core members of their team, and honestly have failed a loyal fan base. For years we clamored for a goaltender, and now that the team finally has one in Carter Hart they haven’t put the right pieces around him.

Having some higher draft picks over the last few years, and most likely getting another one this year, one would think that the Flyers aren’t too far away from having some of their younger players making an impact with the big club soon. Something has to give, right? But the Flyers have a chance to add more picks or perhaps younger talent to their arsenal with the trade deadline looming. They have an opportunity to shed some salary and dead weight from their current roster, and here I’ll take a look at some options.

Number one on the list is trying to find a suitor for James Van Reimsdyk. The 33-year old has been a major disappointment since coming back to the Flyers a few years ago with his highest point total being 48 back in 2018-19. In order to move him, the Flyers would more than likely have to eat some of the seven million dollar cap hit, but it would probably be worth it. He would end up walking after the season anyway, so getting something for him is a plus. According to an article from Sam Carchidi, there are four teams who have interest in JVR; Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, Winnipeg Jets, and Vegas Golden Knights. Those teams would most likely view him as a rental player, but hope he can add something for them in the playoffs.

Kevin Hayes is another player who hasn’t exactly lived up to expectations when he signed here in 2019. His contract may be tougher to move than JVR’s, however. He is under contract until the 2025-25 season, and also carries a seven million dollar cap hit. He was an All-Star this year which could intrigue some teams. Moving him would probably make John Tortorella a little happy as he hasn’t been his biggest fan. Winnipeg has been linked to Hayes, as well as his hometown of Boston.

Perhaps the Flyers part ways with some defenders? Ivan Provorov, once viewed as one of the top young defenseman in the league has fallen off a bit the last two seasons and could be a good piece to move if the Flyers want to get the most out of a trade. Justin Braun’s name has also come up in trade rumors, and some teams are expressing interest in 29 year-old Nick Seeler. I am personally hesitant on giving up on Provorov who is only 25 years of age, but if the Flyers think they can get some earlier picks or a potentially promising prospect for him, it’s probably worth a shot on pulling off a deal.

Travis Konechy may be the sexiest of the names on this list and could definitely give a playoff contender a nice boost in a playoff stretch. After starting the year off hot, TK has cooled off immensely, only scoring two goals since January 11th (both were in the same game last week against the Kraken.) As we have seen before, when he’s on, he’s awesome to watch, but the inconsistencies have been frustrating. He’s also only 25 years old. Making a base of 3.7 million (going up to 6 next year) and a hit of 5.5 million, a team would still be getting decent value for someone of Konechy’s talent. Not sure a move like this would bode well in the locker room however, and TK is one of the more well liked guys for his work ethic.

The bottom line is, the Flyers have quite a few potential moves that they can make if they look to continue to build their foundation. Tortorella has hopes that the team will be ready to contend in two years, and getting rid of some of the bigger contracts on older players would be a good way for them to hopefully add some free agents by that time. Plus, they hope to get Sean Couturier back this season and veteran defenseman Ryan Ellis next season. Both are question marks if they will be a part of the future plans based on their recent injury histories. All things considered, if GM Chuck Fletcher is able to pull some strings, the Flyers may not be too far off of that “two years away” plan.