The Philadelphia Flyers already addressed one of their needs, trading for goaltender Joseph Woll from the Toronto Maple Leafs to play behind Dan Vladar in the crease. That’s just one of a few positions of need this offseason for the Flyers, though.
We can talk about top-line centers all day long, but they don’t become available very often. Danny Briere will surely be working the phones trying to find a good deal, potentially with the Ottawa Senators after the Brady Tkachuk trade.
But it appeared that the Flyers may have been able to boost their power play via free agency this offseason. We identified John Carlson as the perfect fit for the Flyers over a month ago. He may no longer be available, with the Tampa Bay Lightning circling the wagons after dealing Darren Raddysh to free agency.
Defenseman options dwindling after flurry of NHL trades
Elliotte Friedman said on this week’s 32 Thoughts podcast that people would be surprised if Carlson didn’t end up in Tampa Bay. And it makes sense. Carlson gets to come back to the East Coast and play for a team with a legitimate chance to win the Stanley Cup.
The Flyers may be able to outbid the Lightning, and the defenseman could still choose to reunite with Todd Rierden in Philadelphia. Still, there’s an increasing possibility that Briere & Co. will have to look elsewhere if they want to add a defenseman who can quarterback a power play this offseason.
If Carlson does, in fact, sign in Tampa Bay, though, the options for the Flyers to legitimately improve their blue line without giving up too many assets are dwindling, especially after Tuesday’s flurry of moves.
The Buffalo Sabres finally traded Bowen Byram, and they received quite a haul from the Chicago Blackhawks. The Sabres received the 4th overall pick and a second-round pick (No. 45) in this year’s draft, along with defenseman Louis Crevier for Byram (and Jordan Greenway).
trade alert 🔔 pic.twitter.com/ZpL5eOx0cI
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) June 24, 2026
The Flyers were linked to Byram earlier this week, but trading for the defenseman wouldn’t have made sense for Philadelphia. And at that price? Absolutely not.
It’s still another defenseman off the market, and it may show why Briere & Co. haven’t pulled the trigger on anything else yet.
If the Flyers are kicking the tires on guys like Darnell Nurse (once again, no, thank you, but his name is out there) or Morgan Rielly, the prices may be higher than anyone wants to pay.
Who could Flyers look to add to boost blue line?
Rielly would theoretically fit better than Nurse as he’s at a lower cap hit, but the Leafs defenseman reportedly wants to play in the Western Conference, submitting a list of four teams he’d accept a trade to.
Morgan Rielly’s agent J.P Barry has submitted a list of 4 Western based teams Rielly is willing to go to. This will be a team by team assessment and depending on the fit, there could be some flexibility to add teams to the list.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) June 24, 2026
The options were already slim, and not many were appealing. Things are looking even worse now.
Dougie Hamilton could be an interesting option. However, there are a few issues. The Devils just traded Simon Nemec on Tuesday, theoretically opening up more playing time for Hamitlson, and New Jersey may not want to trade within the division.
If you’re looking for an apples-to-apples comparison for Carlson, it probably is Hamilton. He’s a veteran right-handed defenseman who can quarterback a power play.
So, while acknowledging that it’s unlikely to happen, perhaps that is where Flyers fans can turn their attention to for hope on the blue line. Nurse is a no-go. Likewise for Rielly. There are always names being talked about under the radar, especially with this front office, but no one on the trade boards is particularly exciting.
The free-agent pool is looking more like a bathtub, especially on defense. With Raddysh signed and Carlson likely signing in Tampa Bay, you then have Rasmus Andersson, Jacob Trouba, and John Klingberg headlining the class.
The Flyers don’t need to add anyone on defense. They have Travis Sanheim, Cam York, Ristolainen, Seeler, and Drysdale returning. David Jiricek has to make the roster out of camp. Simon Benoit can be penciled in as a depth guy. That’s seven NHL defensemen.
There is room to improve, though, and that’s what Briere is going to try to do this offseason.
