With the trade deadline quickly approaching, we will be profiling several players in the weeks ahead that are likely to be dealt by March 1st.
Coming off an injury-plagued 2015-16 season, Flyers defenseman Michael Del Zotto was looking to not only stay healthy but show more offensive consistency as he headed into the walk year of his contract. Neither of those have happened which is why he’s a candidate to be traded by the deadline even though Philadelphia currently finds themselves in a playoff spot.
Contract
One year, $3.875MM cap hit, $4MM salary – Will be a UFA in July.
2016-17
Things couldn’t have gotten off to much worse of a start for Del Zotto who suffered a lower body injury late in training camp that resulted in him being placed on LTIR to start the season, where he missed 12 games. Once he returned to the lineup, he made an early strong impression at the offensive end, picking up nine points in his first 15 games.
Unfortunately for him and the Flyers, it hasn’t been anywhere near as rosy since then. In his last 15 outings, he has just a single assist and has spent time as a healthy scratch while the team has floundered in the standings.
Overall, his role has decreased compared to last year as well. He’s averaging nearly four minutes less per game and instead of being a top pairing player regularly, he has spent a lot of time on the third pairing.
Season Stats
30 GP, 4 goals, 6 assists, 10 points, -10 rating, 16 PIMS, 19:35 ATOI, 49.2 CF%
Potential Suitors
Although Del Zotto is not having a great season, there should still be several teams with some interest in him as quality puck moving blueliners are typically something a lot of squads will be looking to add for a stretch run. That said, his play will have those teams viewing him as more of a depth option than a sure fire top four player.
The Senators are a team that could have a use for the 26 year old in a third pairing spot and they do have the cap space to make a move. However, they are one of the lower spending teams by design and may not have the budgetary space to take on his salary. Columbus may also be a team that could have some interest as they don’t have the deepest back and head coach John Tortorella doesn’t play his bottom pairing blueliners too much; adding someone like Del Zotto who can eat some minutes while lengthening out their back end would be a prudent move. They also have the cap space to take him on.
Out West, Chicago has a definite need to add defensive depth but their cap situation would make a trade a considerable challenge. If St. Louis decides to move out pending UFA Kevin Shattenkirk for help up front or in goal, they could be a potential dark horse candidate as well as there are some similar characteristics between the two; he would give them a mobile replacement that can take a shift on the power play as well.
Likelihood Of A Trade
A lot will be determined by how the Flyers fare in the next month. If they remain firmly in the playoff hunt, they may opt to hold onto Del Zotto. It doesn’t seem likely at this point that he will be back with the team given his struggles this season so they could opt to move him anyways to ensure they get something now rather than lose him for nothing in July. If Philly drops out of the playoff picture though, he becomes a player that would be very likely to move.
I think you are omitting two major factors here. The Flyers have 3 NHL ready defenseman in the AHL and Hextall’s affinity for draft picks. I believe his being traded is a foregone conclusion. I’d be shocked if any more than one of Del Zotto, Streit or Schultz remains here after the deadline.
Flyers don’t have 3 NHL ready defenseman in the system from what I seen about 10 times Mike. Your honestly lucky if 1 is ready now, Sanheim MAYBE. Morin,Sanheim,Hagg and others are, IMO, a couple years from ready.
I’m not like others as far as Morin goes, I don’t think he’s close to ready, even tho he has ability. I’d trade any of the players you mentioned if I got fair value simply because I don’t think that caliber is all that hard to replace. Streit I never been a big fan of defensively but he can help someone on a 2nd unit PP, or even a 1st if they need one.
All reports I’ve seen have said Hagg is about as NHL ready as you’d want to move him up. Morin and Sanheim also look like they would be fine on a bottom pair.
DelZaster
You need to learn the game more if you think he’s a “DelZaster” !
I don’t think Hexy does anything to the current team. He likes having “depth” on D (i.e. having one or two healthy scratched D-men each game), and will not bring up any prospects from the AHL because the Phantoms are having a great season and are primed for a deep playoff run. He won’t disturb that, because he thinks bringing up a prospect mid-season would be inhibit their development and he really likes the current composition of the team. Hexy has been, and will be, one of the most inactive GM’s, partly as an overreaction to the Flyers past history of making too many trades and acquisitions, partly due to his insistence of letting prospects develop at the lower levels, and an overriding fear of ruining a prospect by bringing him up too early. It’s a shame, because we are seeing a lot of young players in the NHL (ages 19, 20, 21, 22) having enormous impacts at this level (Sebastian Aho, Zack Werenski, Brandon Carlo, Rasmus Ristolainen, Mitch Marner, William Nylander…and the obvious McDavid, Matthews, to a lesser extent Jimmy Vesey, Sam Reinhart).
What Hexy does depends on other gm’s. I think Hexy would be willing to trade several players if someone wants them bad enough. I don’t see any current defenseman, except Provorov, being safe from a trade. IMO, they have way too many role players, 3rd or 4th line guy’s. Some of them need to go, one way or another. These guy’s I’m talking. Not all are terrible but when on the same team, too much mediocrity.
1) Matt Read
2) Raffl
3) Bellemare
4) Weise
5) Lyubimov
6) VandeVelde