Flyers' Top Players to Target and Avoid at 2024 NHL Trade Deadline

The Philadelphia Flyers are currently exceeding preseason expectations by sitting in third place in the Metropolitan division of the Eastern Conference but the team remains very much amid a rebuild and as a result, are expected to be sellers at the trade deadline on March 8.

Insider reports have the team being very busy, with key contributors potentially moving on from the franchise.

Which players should teams competing for the postseason and a Stanley Cup target and who should they avoid?

Find out with this preview of what will likely be a formative time for hockey in the City of Brotherly Love.

SportsNet's Elliotte Friedman and The Fourth Period's Anthony Di Marco both reported that the Flyers have listened to calls on center Scott Laughton and have set the asking price at a first-round draft pick.

Di Marco reported that the team received several calls and "the Flyers have not wavered off that ask and are in no rush to trade the 29-year-old."

Laughton has two years at $3 million each left on his contract, meaning teams do not have to worry about giving up a valuable first-rounder for a guy who will ultimately be a rental. He is also one of the foundational pieces of the Flyers locker room, a legitimate leader both on the ice and off of it.

He has been a significant part of the organization's attempts to change its culture but from a production standpoint, he is playing his fewest minutes per game since the 2019-20 season and has scored just nine goals to this point. His shooting percentage is down three points, too.

Trading him would allow him to see the ice more often and potentially play for a legitimate contender rather than spend the next couple of seasons amid another rebuild. It would be a fresh start for someone who has meant so much to Philadelphia, but may not have much of a future there as he sees his playing time diminish.

Oddly enough, it is divisional foe, the first-place New York Rangers, who are interested in acquiring Laughton, per Arthur Staple and Kevin Kurz of The Athletic.

"His style of play is conducive to playoff hockey, and considering Laughton is signed through 2025-26, he could help the Rangers for multiple seasons when the games count the most," Kurz wrote.

Whether the Rangers want to give up their first-rounder with the NHL Draft occurring in Madison Square Garden this year, or if the Flyers will take a 2025 first-rounder, and if they expect a player in return from their hated rival, would be the big hangup on the deal.

The Flyers do not necessarily have to move Laughton at all but given the weak center market and contending teams like the Rangers, Maple Leafs, and Red Wings need one, it appears as though he could be the most valuable asset the Flyers have as the deadline approaches.

Sean Walker is a defenseman on an expiring contract in Philadelphia and David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported the team is more likely to trade him than re-sign or extend him, while also adding the possibility of a package deal will fellow defender Nick Seeler.

Walker is having one of the best seasons of his career. His six goals are the most he has ever scored in a single season and his shooting percentage of 6.0 is a career high as well. He is averaging 19:29 on the ice per game, also a career mark, and he has contributed 3.6 goals due to his defense, per Hockey-Reference.com.

He is a coveted right-hand shot, too, making him that much more appealing for potential suitors.

The Athletic's Kurz wrote, "Walker has helped the Flyers play that fast transition game they've displayed on many nights, while Seeler still leads the league in blocked shots, recklessly and effectively throwing his body in front of anything that moves."

The Flyers may be playing the long game but moving Walker instantaneously hurts the team, especially considering how well he has played this season. He brings stability to a defense that does not have much of it, even with the depth that exists beyond Walker, at least on paper.

That depth is made up of youth and inexperience and while Walker and the Flyers may not agree on the numbers to get a new deal done, there is little denying the impact he has had on the ice, where he and fellow defenseman Seeler have been paired up for 25 of the Flyers goals and just 21 of the goals against.

Toronto, Tampa, and Dallas are all teams that could benefit from an upgrade on the right side of their defense, and Walker, arguably, would be the best option available.

As a pending unrestricted free agent with no sign of a new deal coming, Philly will likely be more willing to deal him than watch him walk away while receiving nothing in return. That will be beneficial for those teams looking to add Walker's skills and experience.

Inconsistency has been the story of former first-round pick Morgan Frost in Philadelphia.

He has yet to live up to his draft status and after being benched 11 times earlier this season by coach John Tortorella, and then seeking him out for a one-on-one conversation, it certainly feels like Frost's future with the Flyers may be cloudy, at best.

Frost has played significantly better after the All-Star break, with 18 points since January, but one has to wonder whether this is another one of the 24-year-old's hot streaks or a legitimate turning of the proverbial corner.

Either way, Frost could be considered a trade candidate, especially if the organization thinks it can capitalize on his recent play and get a player or pick of value in return.

Teams should not give them the opportunity.

That inconsistency as mentioned above has been a defining characteristic of the young player. While some teams may reach for him, with the understanding that they can fix his issues with coaching, they should resist the urge.

His youth will make him an appealing asset for Philadelphia, with the Flyers believing they can get a team to bite on his upside and potentially give up more than he is worth.

Frost has tallied 29 points (9 goals, 20 assists) this season and while he has seen his ice time increase as his playing has improved, there is no proof that any of it is sustainable. Even after the heart-to-heart with Frost, Tortorella admitted there was inconsistency with his play that the young player has to work on.

Laughton is a better, more experienced player with an upside that extends into the locker room for teams looking for a center at the deadline. Dealing for him and letting Philadelphia retain Frost, and either sink or swim with the too-often hot-and-cold center is the best play.