The Stanley Cup Final is still in full swing, but that hasn’t stopped several NHL teams from stealing the spotlight over the last several days. The Washington Capitals traded Darcy Kuemper and acquired Pierre-Luc Dubois from the Los Angeles Kings for some reason, and the New Jersey Devils finally added a respectable goalie to their roster by landing former Calgary Flames backstop Jacob Markstrom in exchange for Kevin Bahl and a 2025 first-round pick.
The Philadelphia Flyers and general manager Daniel Briere have yet to get in on the action, but that may change soon enough. TSN’s Travis Yost — who broke the Markstrom trade — reported Wednesday that the Flyers and Ottawa Senators “have the framework of a trade in place.”
What “the framework of a trade” entails is anyone’s guess. It could be as simple as a swap of mid-round draft picks. Or, better yet, there could be no trade at all. But if the Flyers and Senators agree to a deal involving players, there are a few names to keep an eye on.
Shane Pinto
The Flyers have a major dearth of talent at center, and adding Pinto may help shore up their depth down the middle of the ice.
Pinto has been linked to the Flyers in the past. In a September episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast, Elliotte Friedman reported the Flyers were “in the middle” of possible trade talks with the Senators regarding Pinto’s availability.
That, of course, was before Pinto was assessed a half-season suspension.
Pinto missed 41 games of the 2023-24 campaign after violating the NHL’s sports gambling policy. Ironically, his first game of the season came against the Flyers on January 21. He logged a total of nine goals and 27 points in 41 games — a 54-point pace over a full 82-game season.
The Flyers have been adamant about building for the future. Pinto is just 23 years old and ended the season as one of Ottawa’s best play-driving forwards. He’s far from a finished product, but may be worth consideration as the Flyers continue their rebuild.
Mathieu Joseph
Of the Ottawa players the Flyers could target in a trade, Joseph is probably the least exciting of the bunch. However, at 27, he’s still relatively young and is coming off a strong campaign that saw him log a career-high 35 points in 72 games.
Joseph would join the Flyers’ already crowded group of wingers, but that apparently hasn’t dispelled the club’s interest. Last September, Friedman reported the Flyers “see a fit” with Joseph.
Joseph doesn’t play a flashy game, but would likely earn the good graces of head coach John Tortorella thanks to his physicality, willingness to block shots and solid play away from the puck. Per Natural Stat Trick, he led all Senators players with 69 takeaways last season despite missing a considerable chunk of time due to a lower-body injury.
He probably wouldn’t move the needle much offensively, but Joseph would be a decent enough addition to the bottom six.
Jakob Chychrun
This is where things get spicy — and perhaps a bit unrealistic.
Chychrun is a natural fit with the Flyers. At 26 years old, he’s a relatively young top-pair defenseman with a history of taking on big minutes and quarterbacking a power play. In 82 games, he logged 14 goals and led all Ottawa defensemen with 41 points on the season. He also has familial ties to the Flyers. His father, Jeff Chychrun, spent parts of five seasons playing for the Flyers from 1986 to 1991.
He’s been linked to the Flyers in the past as well. In March, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen reported the Flyers expressed interest in Chychrun prior to the trade deadline.
There are some major factors to consider, though. For one, Chychrun has just one year remaining on his contract, carrying a cap hit of $4.6 million, per CapFriendly. If the Flyers were to trade for him, he would likely command a significant raise on his next contract. There is also a 10-team no-trade clause included in the final year of his contract, so even if the Flyers and Senators had mutual interest in a Chychrun trade, it could be all for naught if he included Philadelphia on his no-trade list. Additionally, given the demand for young, top-pair defensemen across the NHL, the Flyers would likely have to part with several high-value assets to acquire him, which directly contradicts Briere’s aim to build for the future.
Chychrun would be a shiny new toy, but would it be worth it in the long run?
Thomas Chabot
This would be something of a dream-like scenario. Chabot is a no-doubt-about-it, 27-year-old No. 1 defenseman capable of taking on massive minutes. The 2019 NHL All-Star posted nine goals and 30 points in 51 games this season while averaging over 23 minutes of ice time per night. And according to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, the Senators may actually prefer moving Chabot over Chychrun.
Chabot has four years remaining on his contract, which carries an annual cap hit of $8 million. His 10-team no-trade clause will also kick in on July 1.
Like Chychrun, though, Chabot wouldn’t come without some red flags. Aside from the boatload of assets the Flyers would be forced to sacrifice to acquire him, Chabot also has a lengthy injury history since becoming a full-time NHLer in 2017. He has yet to play a full season in the NHL, and this season alone, he missed 31 games due to a slew of injuries, including a fracture to his right hand. He also underwent offseason surgery to repair a years-long wrist injury.
When healthy, Chabot is a game-changing defenseman — something the Flyers are absolutely hoping to find on the market.
Statistics courtesy of Natural Stat Trick and NHL.com.
