It’s been a nice story for the Philadelphia Flyers this season, surprisingly challenging for a playoff spot during what they announced would be a rebuild.
It also puts management in a bit of a pickle ahead of the March 8 trade deadline, pitting bigger-picture rebuilding needs against the exciting, unexpected possibility of a playoff berth.
And that’s absolutely fine with general manager Danny Briere. That’s a so-called good problem to have.
It doesn’t mean he won’t make moves that help the rebuild, but he’s also remaining cognizant of the short- and long-term vision.
“It’s my duty to listen to what’s out there, my duty is to build a team not just for tonight’s game but for years to come,” Briere told The Athletic at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday morning ahead of the Flyers-Maple Leafs game. “So there might be some tough decisions to make. But they’re not going to be taken lightly and we’re going to evaluate everything that comes into play, including this season and the playoffs.
“I think it’s fantastic that we’re in this playoff race, for the development of our team and our players. We haven’t had that year very much in the last few years. So to be going into a trade deadline in a playoff position, I think it’s amazing.”
Still, teams are calling, and the Flyers have to listen. And because of that, Briere, president of hockey operations Keith Jones and head coach John Tortorella have made sure to keep their players as informed as possible to help ease their stress.
“We try to be as honest as possible with our players,” Briere said. “I remember when I played, that’s a tough part when you start to see your name all over the place. As a player, it’s really tough. Whether it’s me or Jonesy or Torts, we try to go and speak to the players and try to be as honest as we can with them.
“Now, there’s obviously some things you can’t share, but you’re trying to keep the lines of communication open with players when they see their name out there. It’s tough as a player concentrating on playing, and you’re always wondering and you have a lot to handle. A lot of the guys have wives or girlfriends and kids. It can be a very stressful time. That’s one thing we’ve tried to do here with our players.”
No name has been more bandied about than Sean Walker, because he’s a pending unrestricted free agent and a right-shot defenseman, which makes him a target for many contenders.
“Teams are calling obviously,” Briere said. “He’s one of the prime targets because he’s a great defenseman. I don’t think, me included, we appreciated enough of his level of play from before. And obviously he had the injury and we didn’t get to see him much the last couple of years. Last year, he was coming back from injury, and that’s always tough. It takes time to get back to that level of play.
“So, this year, Sean was given the opportunity and he really stepped up. The reality is that he’s a free agent, and you know, we’re having talks with his agent, but there’s no guarantee one way or another. But we love what he’s brought to our team. Very competitive guy. He moves the puck extremely well. He’s always jumping in the play. So for us, for a team that going into the season was seen as lacking offense, obviously a lot of guys have stepped up, but a big reason for that is Sean Walker joining the play and providing offense for our team.”
Briere added, on where things will go with Walker: “It’s too early to tell. We’d like to keep him, but at the same time, we have to evaluate everything.”
The Athletic’s Flyers beat writer Kevin Kurz wrote this week about the Walker conundrum ahead of the deadline.
GO DEEPER
Sean Walker, the trade deadline and the unusual state of the Flyers' defense right now
Briere and Jones were actually seen chatting with Walker’s agents, Cam Stewart and Kurt Overhardt, at Thursday’s morning skates. The door’s not closed on a re-signing. But whether that leads to a contract extension remains to be seen.
Personally, I don’t see a world in which a rebuilding team like the Flyers can afford to lose Walker for nothing on July 1, no matter where they are in the standings right now. That’s why I think a trade is more likely than not.
The bigger picture will prevail.
“What we’ve told our fans, what we want to get out of is making the playoffs one year and losing in the first round, then the next year missing the playoffs, making it, missing it,” Briere said. “Our goal is to try and get out of that silo and build a team that’s going to be a contender for years and have shots at winning the Stanley Cup. That’s the ultimate goal.”
For which asset management is so important, regardless of the standings.
“It’s critical. Exactly,” Briere said. “Now, we’re hopeful something can break through with Sean, but it’s too early to tell.”
New, for @TheAthletic: Big decisions are looming with the NHL's trade deadline just 25 days away. More than a dozen new names have been added to the Big Board.https://t.co/GLuS6jJs2Mhttps://t.co/GLuS6jJs2M
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) February 12, 2024
More deadline rumblings from around the NHL:
Leafs’ defense search
I don’t think Morgan Rielly’s suspension has affected Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving’s level of urgency in trying to upgrade his blue line. He’s not suddenly going to be willing to pay a premium to get a deal done based on his No. 1 blueliner being out five games.
However, based on what I hear from sources around the league, there was already a certain level of urgency that existed in Treliving’s calls to teams. I mean, the Leafs’ blue line arguably needs not just one but two upgrades.
Colleague Chris Johnston said something interesting on our Insider Trading segment on TSN on Thursday evening, that he believes the Leafs have tried make up for the fact that they don’t have a second-round pick for the next three years by throwing volume of lower picks at teams in trade talks, which presumably includes the Calgary Flames, for example, in a Chris Tanev trade. But as I’ve reported before, my understanding is that Flames GM Craig Conroy has made it clear to Treliving that it’s going to take Toronto’s first-round pick to get Tanev.
The Leafs have also called on the likes of Walker and the Nashville Predators’ Alexandre Carrier, among others. I can’t imagine there is a defenseman on the market the Leafs haven’t kicked tires on as they do their due diligence.
What could losing arguably their most important player for a crucial stretch of games look like for the Maple Leafs?
Monday's skate provided some answers, writes @joshuakloke.
Examining Toronto sans Morgan Rielly, and a Timothy Liljegren promotion ⤵️https://t.co/SxYfuJMaPr pic.twitter.com/rtfXciOTOL
— The Athletic NHL (@TheAthleticNHL) February 13, 2024
Markstrom, Saros and the quirky goalie market
Despite a failed attempt recently at reeling in Jacob Markstrom from Calgary, I’m told the New Jersey Devils will continue to try to find a way to make a deal work with the Flames before March 8. That doesn’t mean they’ll be able to get it done, of course.
My understanding is that there was disagreement in trade talks between the teams over Calgary retaining salary on Markstrom’s contract, which runs for another two and a half years at $6 million per. And tied to that, I think there was disagreement on what the cost, asset-wise, should be just for salary retention if Calgary did agree to it, in addition to the other parts of a proposed trade.
But New Jersey hasn’t closed the door on Markstrom. The Devils will keep trying. And in the meantime, they have also kicked tires on the likes of Juuse Saros, John Gibson and Jake Allen, among other goalies.
The Predators, as we discussed last month, have been listening on Saros but certainly are not committed to trading him. It would have to be a healthy price paid — a good young NHL player as part of the package — for Nashville to move Saros. So far, my understanding is that no one has come close to making Nashville blink.
And that’s fine. The Predators are fine keeping him if no team steps up.
Mikael Backlund says it’s been a “roller coaster” with all the roster turnover. Rasmus Andersson has read trade rumours about himself. Fans wondering if Jacob Markstrom will be moved.
My latest on the Flames, the team at the centre of the NHL deadline.https://t.co/yt2RczYNIZ
— Julian McKenzie (@jkamckenzie) February 14, 2024
Fleury’s mindset ahead of deadline
Marc-Andre Fleury got the victory on Wednesday night in Arizona as the Minnesota Wild extended their streak to four and now suddenly sit within striking distance of a wild-card spot — a race that’s wide open in the West. Fleury met with his agent, veteran Allan Walsh, this week and discussed the March 8 trade deadline. And where I’m told things stand is that the future Hockey Hall of Fame goalie still believes in the Wild’s chances to make the playoffs and doesn’t want to bail. He’s loyal to his teammates. Always has been.
He would only entertain a trade closer to March 8 if the team falls out of the race. If that were to happen, my sense is he would only consider two or three teams at most — perhaps the likes of the Colorado Avalanche, Maple Leafs or Carolina Hurricanes, if those clubs had interest.
As it stands, it’s status quo for Fleury in Minnesota.
Wild trade tracker: Pat Maroon's back surgery and timetable for return complicates trade deadline
Icymi https://t.co/6bAsq8Lbmd
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) February 8, 2024
Hughes will be patient on Allen trade
The Montreal Canadiens continue to talk to teams trying to find a fit for a Jake Allen trade, but the idea that it must happen before March 8 isn’t reality. Habs GM Kent Hughes joined me and co-host Ryan Rishaug on our “Got Yer Back” podcast Wednesday and agreed when I asked him about being willing to wait until the offseason, if need be, given that Allen still has another year on his deal after this season.
Montreal has been carrying three goalies all season long, Allen sharing the crease with Samuel Montembault and Cayden Primeau. It’s not perfect, but it’s been workable.
So it’s not the end of the world if a trade doesn’t happen before March 8.
If it makes sense now, they’ll do it. If not, they’ll wait until the summer.
“One hundred percent,” Hughes said. “I know it’s not ideal, particularly for Jake and for Primes, but I’ve said multiple times, they’ve been incredibly professional about it. Tough coming out of a break for somebody like Jake, where you have such an extended period of time off. You know, Sam’s played great so it’s that balance between trying to get Sam more games and still keeping everybody ready, prepared, active. And that’s not easy for Jake and for Primes. But I tip my cap to them in terms of their professionalism.
“By and large, our goaltending has been great all season long. It’s not like it’s been a drag on us. I think people want the issue resolved in this market. A lot of times, they want it resolved by the trade deadline, but as it happened last year with different situations that we didn’t get done at the deadline, we did them in the summer. So if it’s there, we’ll do it. If it’s not, I’m confident it’s going to be resolved one way or another before the start of next season.”
The fact that Allen has another year on his deal isn’t ideal for all teams, and my understanding is that some teams have told Montreal they would be in a better position to talk about an Allen trade come June for that reason. Keep in mind that he’s got a modified no-trade clause to navigate, too.
NHL buyer/seller and playoff tiers 3.0: Where each team stands one month ahead of the trade deadline ⤵️https://t.co/SyYeZniTAk
— The Athletic NHL (@TheAthleticNHL) February 11, 2024
(Top photo of Flames goalie Jacob Markstrom making a save on the Devils’ Nico Hischier: Sergei Belski / USA Today)
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LeBrun rumblings: Flyers’ trade plans, Leafs’ defense targets, Devils working on Markstrom and more - The Athletic
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