For several weeks, the proverbial elephant in the room had been the looming trade deadline and how the Philadelphia Flyers’ blue line would look after March 8. Some story lines took care of themselves before we even got there.
For instance, Rasmus Ristolainen suffered an upper-body injury on February 10 and still doesn’t have a clear timetable for a return, all but quelling any possibility he’d be traded. Nick Seeler, on the other hand, voiced his strong desire to remain in Philadelphia and inked a multi-year extension to make that a reality.
That left Sean Walker as the likely odd man out, and out he went to Colorado for a cap dump in Ryan Johansen and a first-round pick. General manager Daniel Briere had maintained all along that he’d be selling at the deadline, and John Tortorella echoed that sentiment when he said the team couldn’t afford to “fall in love” with any particular player.
The Flyers ultimately kept their promise regarding Walker, despite some contract extension rumors, which may have been just strategic posturing to speed up the market. A large subset of the fan base’s wishes had been granted, mostly calming concerns that management would prioritize a playoff push over the future. But at what cost?
Continue reading…
