Evaluating the Flyers defenseman trade rumors
The NHL trade deadline is almost a month away, which means it’s trade rumor season! The rumor mill has been bustling for the Flyers this season, and there have been many reports that they’re looking to add a veteran defenseman to bolster the struggling blue line for the playoffs. If the Flyers were to trade for a defenseman, they would most likely be trying to fill the hole on the first line left by Matt Niskanen retiring in the offseason. The biggest thing that the Flyers are missing on defense right now is a veteran leader who can hold his weight on the first line with Provorov. The following options have been rumored to be on the trading block and have a buzzed connection to the Flyers.
Keith Yandle
The Flyers trading for Yandle would make the most sense on paper because he checks many boxes. Keith Yandle is a 15-year veteran with a handful of teams and currently holds the NHL ironman record for consecutive games played as he hasn’t missed an NHL game since March 2009. Although he is 34-years old, Yandle has shown that he still has some good hockey left in him as he currently has 13 points in 19 games this season. For the past 10-years, Yandle has been one of the premier offensive defensemen in the NHL as he’s put up 40+ points every non-lockout season since 2009-10. There is also a widely held thought that Keith Yandle is one of the NHL’s best teammates and an absolute standup guy. There is also a connection with AV, as he played on the Rangers for 2 seasons while Alain was head coach.
The Florida Panthers have made it clear that Yandle is not in their future plans, which means they’re very motivated to move him. The biggest issue they’d essentially be acquiring a more expensive, older, and slightly better defense version of Erik Gustafsson. In the friendliest terms possible, the contract that Keith Yandle has stinks as his cap hit is $6.35 million for this season and the next two seasons. Any team that would look to acquire him would almost certainly require that the Panthers eat a good chunk of his salary for the next couple of years. The Flyers would most likely need to trade a couple picks for Yandle, although I’ve seen a straight-out trade with Shayne Gostisbehere thrown around. The biggest asset you’d be acquiring with Yandle is his leadership, offensive skills, and defensive competency.
Mattias Ekholm
In the past couple of days before writing this article, there have been many trade rumors swirling around involving Ekholm. The biggest box that Ekholm would check is his defensive skills as he’s a defense-first defenseman, although he has underrated offensive skills. There has been some decline in Ekholm’s game in the past couple of years which is a bit of a concern, but a lot of that has to do with Nashville’s circumstances and the role he’s had to assume. The Predators seem to be ready to move on from Ekholm, but they hold some leverage with him as he’s not super pricey at $3.75 million and only one more year left on his deal. The biggest problem with acquiring Ekholm is there are other teams also reportedly in pursuit of him, and a 1st-round pick plus other assets seem to be a popular asking price. Ekholm is a 10-year NHL veteran and has been to the playoffs man times, including a Stanley Cup run, so he would provide that veteran leadership that Nisky provided.
Marc Staal
It’s honestly easy to forget that Marc Staal is now a Red Wing, which sounds really odd because he was in a Rangers uniform for 13 years. Marc Staal would be the easiest defenseman to acquire as he’s on a tanking Red Wings team. Detroit will just be happy to get any positive assets in return as he’s a UFA in 2021, and they received a 2nd-round pick to take him and his $5.7 million cap hit from the Rangers. The best years of Marc Staal are past him, and he hasn’t exactly been stellar this year, but basically, no one on Detroit has been either, though. If Fletcher isn’t ready to sell the farm to make a cup run, Staal would be an acceptable option as he could probably be acquired for a couple late-round picks or a lower-tier prospect at the most. A change of scenery would do Staal a lot of good, and he wouldn’t be a defensive liability. Although he wouldn’t provide a ton on offense, his veteran leadership and previous experience with AV in New York is attractive.
Vince Dunn
Now at only 24 years old, Dunn is not precisely the face of “veteran leadership” in the NHL. Although the 4 year NHL veteran lifted the Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues in 2018-19 and knows what it takes to win it all. Throughout his career, Dunn has been a darling of the advanced stats community and has never had a CF% below 55% in his career, which is a rare number to see. Dunn’s biggest defensive problem is he’s consistently struggled in one-on-one situations throughout his career, which is something a majority of the Flyer’s defense also struggles with. He won’t be a liability on defense, which is the biggest reason why he is an attractive option for the Flyers to patch a hole on defense, although his game isn’t flawless. He isn’t the most offensive-defenseman in the NHL, but he’s put up a 20+ point season every year he’s been in the league. The Blues are reportedly looking for a 1st round pick for Dunn, although I doubt they get one and will most likely settle for a 2nd/3rd round pick and a prospect.
Featured image – Broad Street Hockey
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Categorized:Flyers