An online firestorm was created as soon as the Columbus Blue Jackets traded David Jiricek not to the Philadelphia Flyers (or any other team of a fan base that wanted the young defenseman), but to the Minnesota Wild on Saturday. Hellish waves of criticism were vomited on the internet, coming from every single angle of why my team didn’t trade all of those draft picks that the Wild did, to get the former sixth-overall pick.
Now that the dust has settled, more reports are coming out about the Flyers’ involvement in the trade talks and just how likely it was that Jiricek could have ended up in Philadelphia — and what kind of transaction would have to go down to make that happen. It isn’t as simple as the Flyers making the exact same trade that would have included a decent young defenseman, a first-round pick, a second-round pick, and a couple mid-round draft picks. Context is needed, we guess.
In the aftermath, the Flyers have been unveiled as one of the true contenders to get Jiricek, but according to a report, it was the Blue Jackets’ preference to not trade within the Metropolitan Division.
“I think Philadelphia was one,” Elliotte Friedman said on Monday’s episode of 32 Thoughts, speaking about potential landing spots for Jiricek before the trade was made. “And those are two teams that are also in Columbus’ own division. And I think there were some teams in the East who felt that it was Columbus’ preference to send him elsewhere.”
The Blue Jackets just simply did not want to get burned if Jiricek fulfilled his potential elsewhere and then proceeded to absolutely dominate them for the next decade. So, instead of having to face a Jiricek in Orange and Black, they sent him to Minnesota and now just have to see his face twice a year. A little silly, but fair.
This report from Monday morning also makes sense in congruence with an earlier report that the Flyers were simply unwilling to give up one of their top three prospects. And when looking at what the Wild gave up, there isn’t a top prospect or even potentially a top prospect in that package. Sure, maybe the Blue Jackets can eventually squeeze someone solid out of the 2025 first-round pick or one of the later selections, but it’s no guarantee and certainly not of the caliber with what the Flyers would have had to trade away.
Our assumption is that in the Flyers’ eyes, it is Jett Luchanko, Oliver Bonk, and one of Yegor Zavragin or Denver Barkey to round out the top of their prospect pool. Fans can debate back and forth whether or not trading one of those guys would have been worth it to get Jiricek, but it would be a massive move to make and maybe that is just not something that this front office is comfortable with where they are.
The Flyers are still rebuilding. They have six draft picks this season that should end up in the first 50 selections. There is a timeline to going back to the playoffs consistently (and deserving it, without a first-round bounce) and the Flyers are still multiple years away. To put your foot down and trade one of the first prospects drafted by this management group, because a shiny new former top pick is available could be seen as a real risky move.
These prospects have not even come close to revealing what their potential is, so it is understandable that the Flyers are just going to wait and see what next former top prospect is unhappy with the team that drafted him, and then could pounce on it. Maybe, when Matvei Michkov is dominating the NHL with his buddy Luchanko, Briere will trade some future assets away for a splash. Just not now, and especially when a team wanted so much more just because you play in the same division.
