After yet another disappointing – and downright maddening – season, we are entering another very important offseason for the Philadelphia Flyers.
The good news is that there seems to be a clear direction. Or clearer, at the very least.
Interim general manager Daniel Briere should get the interim tag removed at some point this offseason as he and the Flyers’ next President of Hockey Operations will look to overhaul the team.
Two key names are already being talked about as potential trade chips.
DailyFaceoff’s Frank Seravalli released his first Trade Targets list of the offseason and had both Kevin Hayes (2nd) and Ivan Provorov (18th) on the list of 20.
Here’s what Seravalli had to say about Hayes:
Previous Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher made Hayes available prior to the deadline, but it was too complicated of a transaction to pull off in a short period of time. There was definitely interest though. The Hurricanes, Stars, Wild, Red Wings and Blue Jackets were among those to kick tires. He’d be an ideal fit with his hometown Bruins. The Flyers seemed willing to retain salary if need be. Expect them to help facilitate a deal for Hayes.
The main issue with Hayes is his contract.
Hayes was signed to fill a much-needed hole at center for the Flyers. He did just that during his first year in Philadelphia with 41 points and strong two-way play across 69 games in the COVID-shortened season.
That one strong year of Hayes was enough to win the Flyers their first playoff series since 2012, but now he’s in the way of their next one.
Hayes carries a cap hit north of $7 million through 2026. A buyout would save the Flyers in the short term but cost them $1.6 million in the three seasons after the contract is set to expire. That’s no good.
However, as Seravalli suggested, the Flyers could retain up to 50% of Hayes’ cap hit to make it manageable for both sides.
The other issue holding up a potential Hayes trade is his modified no-trade clause, which allows him to submit a list of 12 teams that he wouldn’t accept a trade to. The good news, though, is that those teams would likely be teams in the basement – like the Flyers – not teams like the Hurricanes, Stars, Wild, Red Wings, and even Blue Jackets that Seravalli mentioned. You’d also have to think that Boston would be in play and Hayes would love to return to his hometown team.
Ultimately, it makes complete sense that Hayes is No. 2 on this list. It’s become increasingly apparent that he’s worn out his welcome in Philadelphia and he has the experience to be a decent depth center that playoff teams crave.
Thomas Williams
Moving Hayes in the summer will also be a lot easier than any conversations the Flyers had prior to the deadline because they now have a clear direction with Briere & Co. in charge, and teams are more willing to revamp their roster in the long offseason.
Seravalli on Provorov:
The Flyers will be fielding calls on Provorov this summer, as it has become apparent that there is frustration on both sides – Provorov with his situation, the Flyers with his play. The question is: What is Provorov’s stature in the league? Can he be a No. 1 defenseman? And how do the Flyers view him relative to the rest of the league? Five years ago, Provorov was trending toward being an elite blueliner, numbers right in line with Zach Werenski and others in his same age cohort. That hope has faded a bit, but Provorov has also played on some poor Flyers teams with little support. No guarantee the Flyers move him, but they’re open to the conversation.
Much like with Hayes, Provorov has worn out his welcome in Philadelphia – and not just off the ice.
As Seravalli outlined, the seventh overall pick from the 2015 NHL Draft has not quite lived up to the hype. He’s been up and down for his entire career and quite frankly hasn’t played well without a better defenseman by his side. Matt Niskanen brought the best out of Provorov before skating into the sunset after the 2020 playoffs.
The good news is that we know general managers will overpay for former first-round picks that average well over 20 minutes a night. A change of scenery could certainly help him as well, right?
Obviously, the Flyers traded their first-round pick (14th overall) in 2021 as well as their second-rounder in this year’s draft for Rasmus Ristolainen two years ago. They then gave up three more draft picks for Tony DeAngelo, someone who had known issues with previous organizations.
Even if the Flyers overpaid for those defensemen, there are executives out there that will look at Provorov’s career average of 24:05 of ice time per game and his durability – he was one of three Flyers to play in all 82 games this season, even if he only took warmups 81 times.
Trading Provorov will be long overdue and it might be a safe bet this summer. He has a manageable $6.75 million cap hit through the 2024-25 season. The Flyers aren’t going to be competitive by then anyway, and you can’t imagine he’d want to return to Philadelphia, so why not pick up some assets to help the rebuild?
