Latest On Morgan Frost Contract Talks
With fewer and fewer of the top unrestricted free agents still left on the open market, the focus in some markets has shifted from who teams will be bringing in this offseason to what sort of contracts their restricted free agents might receive. The Philadelphia Flyers are one of those teams, and The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reported today on Twitter that contract talks with restricted free agent center Morgan Frost “are ‘positive’ and progressing.”
Frost, 24, set himself up extremely well for this summer’s negotiations with a breakout 2022-23 campaign. He flew past his career-highs to post 19 goals and 46 points in 81 games, and he could end up a long-term middle-six center for Philadelphia. The Flyers still have more than enough cap space to entertain all possible forms of a Frost extension, whether bridge contract or long-term pact, so the main issue will likely be how the Flyers evaluate Frost’s long-term future and how comfortable they are making a long-term financial commitment to that future.
Flyers Sign Garnet Hathaway
The Flyers have added some more grit to their forward group, announcing the signing of winger Garnet Hathaway to a two-year contract. The deal will carry an AAV of $2.375MM.
Hathaway’s garnered a well-deserved reputation as one of the more effective fourth-line players in the league, backing up being an annoyance on the ice with some offensive production and solid all-around play. The cap hit on this deal is perfectly fair, although it’s fair to wonder if the acquisition blocks a young player from making an impact in the Philadelphia lineup next year.
Nevertheless, he and Nicolas Deslauriers on the same line should help the latter become more effective too, actually providing a positive offensive impact via a heavy forecheck. After scoring 13 goals last year, Hathaway’s shown he can put the puck in the net with some frequency, and he’ll be an underrated offensive boost to the Flyers’ bottom six. They’ll likely be centered by Ryan Poehling, another UFA signing by the Flyers today.
Hathaway joins Cam Atkinson, Travis Konecny, and Calvin Petersen as notable members of the Flyers’ UFA class in 2025. He’ll be 33 years old at the end of the deal, and this was likely his best option to cash in on a $2MM-plus cap hit.
Philadelphia Flyers Sign Ryan Poehling, Rhett Gardner
The Philadelphia Flyers have signed center Ryan Poehling to a one-year deal worth $1.4MM per season, reports Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek. They’ve also signed forward Rhett Gardner to a two-year, two-way $775k AAV deal.
For Poehling, this represents another change of scenery opportunity for the young forward. In 53 games played for the Penguins last year, he only managed seven goals and seven assists, not exactly great numbers for a former-25th overall selection. Unfortunately for Poehling, whether it be in Pittsburgh or with the Montreal Canadiens, no team has given him adequate ice time to grow. In Philadelphia, however, Poehling should get the chance to play in the 13-14 minute range on average, growing his offensive game under head coach John Tortorella.
The Gardner signing represents a good piece of organizational offensive depth if nothing else. Gardner hasn’t played much at the NHL level so far, only managing 40 total games in the last three seasons. At the AHL level, Gardner has been much better, scoring 10 goals and 30 assists for the Texas Stars, showing that he can hold his own at the minor league level. In Philadelphia, Gardner should be considered primarily an AHL player but may see a callup in case of an injury to the NHL roster.
Briere Unfazed By Michkov's Contract Situation, Unlikely To Move Konecny Before 2023-24
- Philadelphia Flyers general manager Daniel Briere was exuding confidence last night after his decision to draft Matvei Michkov with the seventh overall pick, revealing that he didn’t believe the Russian winger would fall and attempted to trade up. He wasn’t the only one – brand-new Nashville Predators GM Barry Trotz was also reportedly trying to leverage assets to move into the top five of last night’s first round. Briere emphasized that the Flyers’ focus on rebuilding allows them to patiently await Michkov’s potential NHL debut, which could come as late as the 2026-27 season after his three-year contract with KHL team SKA St. Petersburg expires.
- Staying with the Flyers, LeBrun also mentioned in his midnight column they’ve been receptive to trade offers for winger Travis Konecny, but Briere is inclined to retain him for the upcoming season unless an overwhelming offer emerges. Philadelphia has been the most active team on the trade market thus far in the offseason, already moving Kevin Hayes and Ivan Provorov while still aggressively shopping defenseman Travis Sanheim. The 26-year-old winger matched a career-high in 2022-23 with 61 points and provides high-end contract value at $5.5MM per season through 2025.
Philadelphia Flyers Select Matvei Michkov Seventh Overall
The Philadelphia Flyers have taken one of the most electrifying talents in this draft class. Matvei Michkov is a Flyer, although the team might have to wait a few years before he actually steps onto the ice for them.
There’s no doubt – the Flyers just nabbed the second-highest upside prospect in the entire draft outside of the top five. There are some very understandable reasons for that, which have been covered at length, but Michkov is well worth the contractual gamble at seventh overall.
Best-case scenario, Philadelphia has a generational scoring winger slated to etch his name among the legends of Flyers lore. Michkov was far and away the best player on his KHL team this season, HK Sochi, which finished at the bottom of the league – which is to say he didn’t have much help. Recording 20 points in 27 games with them, he owns the best draft-year scoring rate of any KHL player.
At the draft, Michkov seemed to show a great deal of enthusiasm for the selection and could aim to head over to the Flyers before his three-year deal with KHL side SKA St. Petersburg expires, but it’s not something anyone should expect. With the Flyers seemingly content to enter an extensive and complete rebuild, Michkov not joining the NHL squad until 2026 isn’t a huge issue.
Latest On Travis Sanheim
The Philadelphia Flyers will be one of the hottest names in trade talks all offseason long, and the second domino fell earlier today with Kevin Hayes getting shipped to St. Louis. One name supposed to be included in that trade was defenseman Travis Sanheim, who remains a Flyer thanks to Blues defenseman Torey Krug‘s no-trade clause eliminating all the ancillary parts of the proposed deal.
It remains clear, though, that Sanheim is a highly sought-after asset – he was expected to fetch Krug and a first-round pick from St. Louis (either 25th or 29th overall) in return. Teams are still calling on him, namely the Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets, says The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta.
Sanheim, a former first-round pick (17th overall) in the 2014 NHL Draft, is Philadelphia’s most competent all-around defenseman and has been for the past few seasons. His stock took a small hit in 2022-23, seeing his offense dip to 23 points in 81 games and his defensive play falter at times, and it certainly wasn’t the best timing with an eight-year, $50MM extension with trade protection set to kick in on July 1. It seems at least a few teams are attributing that to the team around him, though, and they believe the 27-year-old is still a high-end top-four defender.
Despite having many holes to fill among their forward group, the Maple Leafs seem to keep popping up in conversations surrounding marquee defenders on the trade market. While they were already linked to Erik Karlsson earlier today, acquiring Sanheim would be a more financially sensible and palatable move for their needs. Sanheim would slot behind Morgan Rielly on the team’s depth chart of left-shot defenders, likely kicking Jake McCabe over to the right side and keeping 39-year-old Mark Giordano in a bottom-pairing role. Toronto’s been reported to have their first-round pick, 28th overall, on the block for more immediate boosts to their lineup.
The Winnipeg Jets are scouring the trade market for talent, looking to retool on the fly and keep their team competitive despite the impending departures (via trade or buyout) of Blake Wheeler, Connor Hellebuyck, and Pierre-Luc Dubois. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of roster room for Sanheim with the Jets, so a potential trade could involve the final season of Brenden Dillon‘s contract at a $3.9MM cap hit heading to the Flyers. The 32-year-old Jets defender does not carry trade protection.
St. Louis Blues Acquire Kevin Hayes
The wait is over, and it’s a bit of a letdown. The long-winded trade between the Philadelphia Flyers and St. Louis Blues is complete, and center Kevin Hayes will be heading to the Blues for a 2024 sixth-round pick, the teams announced.
Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports the Flyers, as expected, will be retaining half of Hayes’ salary for the life of his contract. For the next three seasons, both the Flyers and Blues will be on the hook for $3.57MM in cap space for Hayes.
Fans of both teams were expecting a much larger deal to come through, but with Blues defenseman Torey Krug reportedly opting not to waive his no-trade clause, the additional pieces in the trade, expected to be Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim and one of St. Louis’ late first-round picks in this week’s draft, were removed.
While most would agree Hayes was overpaid on his deal, earning him more than $7MM, a 50 percent discount is an extremely appealing acquisition for the retooling Blues. He’s still a capable middle-six center, and his acquisition will alleviate Pavel Buchnevich, allowing him to return to his natural spot on the wing after shifting to center at the end of 2022-23.
St. Louis will be Hayes’ fourth team in his nine-year, 634-game NHL career. He’s had consistent offensive production throughout his career, routinely scoring between 40 and 55 points (at least in full seasons), but he was given far too lofty expectations when he signed in Philadelphia.
The messaging is clear here from the Flyers’ side: a rebuild is here, and it’s massive. Opting to retain a decent chunk of change on Hayes for three seasons – with essentially no compensation – signals they don’t anticipate spending to the cap ceiling anytime soon.
While moving on from Hayes doesn’t free up cap space that the Flyers need to use, it does free up some needed roster spots down the middle of the ice. Both Morgan Frost and Noah Cates are in line for more ice time after strong campaigns in 2022-23, and with Sean Couturier slated to return to play next season, Hayes could have pushed one (or both) of Cates and Frost into a bottom-six role.
Hayes’ 54 points in 81 games last season would have ranked fifth on the Blues. He’ll likely slot into a third-line center spot there behind Robert Thomas and Brayden Schenn, although he could overtake Schenn on the depth chart if things go well.
ESPN’s Kevin Weekes was first to report the trade.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Latest On Tony DeAngelo
Two days later and no trade in sight. The Philadelphia Flyers were closing in on a deal that would send Tony DeAngelo back to the Carolina Hurricanes over the weekend, but things have hit a snag.
Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that it is likely because of some hesitation from the NHL, over potential cap circumvention. DeAngelo was meant to go to Carolina with the Flyers retaining some salary, but since he was traded from the Hurricanes less than a year ago, it raised some red flags.
As LeBrun explains, this isn’t exactly a regular situation. The Hurricanes traded him as an RFA, meaning they didn’t sign this contract, and Daniel Briere, the Flyers’ GM, wasn’t in place yet when Philadelphia inked this deal. There’s no real circumvention here, just a player that has worn out his welcome and a team looking to create cap space.
The league is expected to meet with both teams in Nashville this week for the draft, where they will have to decide. Either sign off on it early, or force the teams to wait until July 9, when the calendar year since last summer’s trade would be up.
It does still seem like things are headed in that direction, though a two-week delay can change things considerably at this time of year.
Poll: What Has Been The Most Impactful Pre-Draft Trade?
The 2023 NHL Draft is now only three days away, and there has already been a flurry of activity in the NHL trade market. Yesterday, we saw the Colorado Avalanche acquire Ryan Johansen from the Nashville Predators, and the Arizona Coyotes acquire Sean Durzi from the Los Angeles Kings. Following up on those deals, there is heavy expectation that the St. Louis Blues will acquire Kevin Hayes from the Philadelphia Flyers, and the Carolina Hurricanes will add back Anthony DeAngelo to their lineup. If yesterday didn’t bring enough action, it’s also expected that the Kings are close to acquiring Pierre-Luc Dubois from the Winnipeg Jets.
After losing Nazem Kadri to the Calgary Flames last offseason, the Avalanche had a very difficult time replacing the void left by Kadri on the team’s second forward line. Throughout this past season, Colorado originally tried to patrol Alex Newhook in that role, but after failing to live up to expectations, J.T. Compher was thrust into that role. Compher did excel, scoring 17 goals and 35 assists this season, the best statistical performance of his career. Unfortunately for the Avalanche, Compher is set to enter unrestricted free agency, and Colorado may not have the cap space to retain him.
By acquiring Johansen from the Predators, the Avalanche clearly wanted to make an outside move to complete their second line. This past season, Johansen did not play particularly well, scoring 12 goals and 16 assists in 55 games, having his season ended by a foot injury in February. However, the year prior, Johansen was a proficient offensive player in Nashville, scoring 26 goals and 37 assists.
Sticking in the Central Division, the expected acquisition of Hayes for the Blues should fill the void left behind by Ryan O’Reilly last season. Hayes has very much had an up-and-down career, having much of his time spent in Philadelphia hampered by injuries. This past season, he did have the best offensive output so far with the Flyers, scoring 18 goals and 36 assists in 81 games. It was well known that Hayes and head coach John Tortorella sparred quite consistently, and it was becoming more and more clear that his time in Philadelphia would be coming to an end.
In Los Angeles, the Kings’ trade of Durzi largely indicated that the team was trying to move out money to acquire better talent. In Durzi, Los Angeles largely had a defenseman that was exceptional at moving the puck but was not as responsible on the defensive side of the game. He did score 38 points last year for the Kings, but the underlying defensive metrics were not positive. Opening up $1.7MM with that trade, it has now been reported that the Kings are expected to acquire Dubois, as well as sign him to an extension. Not only will this move allow the Kings to strengthen their second line, but by being able to move Phillip Danault to the third-line center position, Los Angeles may be one of the deepest teams in the Western Conference.
Lastly, the Hurricanes are bringing back a familiar face, as reports indicate that Carolina and Philadelphia are working on a trade. Last offseason, the Hurricanes felt that DeAngelo’s asking price on his next contract was too rich for their blood, and moved him to the Flyers for three draft picks. By acquiring DeAngelo, Carolina now has four defensemen set to hit unrestricted free agency next season, even though it does strengthen their blue line for next year.
After all the moves up to this point, which player do you think will have the biggest impact on their next team?
What Has Been The Most Impactful Pre-Draft Trade?
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Pierre-Luc Dubois (Los Angeles) 41% (476)
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Ryan Johansen (Colorado) 30% (349)
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Kevin Hayes (St. Louis) 16% (182)
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Sean Durzi (Arizona) 7% (79)
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Anthony DeAngelo (Carolina) 6% (71)
Total votes: 1,157
Latest On Travis Sanheim
Although it seemed yesterday that Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim was headed to St. Louis as part of one version of the blockbuster Kevin Hayes trade that is still yet to be fully ironed out, new details have emerged on Hayes’ status. Defenseman Torey Krug is reportedly not waiving his no-trade clause to be part of the Hayes deal, likely eliminating the possibility of Sanheim getting included in the trade. That doesn’t mean Sanheim won’t be on the move this summer, though.
The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports that “a few teams spoke with Philly about Sanheim, including the Toronto Maple Leafs.” While Sanheim’s $6.25MM cap hit expiring in the early 2030’s might seem difficult for Toronto to fit on their books, Sanheim would certainly be an intriguing addition to the left side of their defense. Worth noting is a conflicting report from Crossing Broad’s Anthony SanFilippo, who tweets that Toronto has not yet spoken to the Flyers about a possible Sanheim deal.