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Ristolainen, Laughton reportedly getting plenty of trade interest

© Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The NHL trade rumor mill will not stop churning. We are just in the second month of the season and it has been relentless since the beginning, with transactions keeping interest afloat and not forcing us to wait until the trade deadline to think about some trades and listen to some reports about some potential trades.

The Philadelphia Flyers have been somewhat in the middle of it all. They have reportedly been interested in some young available players like David Jiricek, but also have a bevy of players who could find themselves playing on a different team by the end of the season. Morgan Frost’s name has already been mentioned countless times and someone like Joel Farabee has been involved in rumors. But instead of younger players getting the early boot for not fitting in, there are some older skaters reportedly getting interest.

Defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen and forward Scott Laughton are getting plenty of trade interest according to TSN’s Darren Dreger. On Tuesday night’s edition of “Insider Trading”, Dreger sure made it seem like several teams are circling around the veteran Flyers.

“The Philadelphia Flyers are still in the building process for building a long-term foundation. Danny Briere is one of the more active general managers and he’s taken a lot of calls,” Dreger said Tuesday. “There’s a ton of interest as we know, in veteran defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. I mean, he’s a top-four defenseman and he’s got a couple years after this year on term, so that also checks the box in his favor.

“Here’s another interesting name that has been out there on and off the last couple of years, but back on, not that Philadelphia wants to get rid of him, but Scott Laughton is a centerman that is drawing a crowd — lots of interest in him. But again, not eager to move him so if they have to listen closer to the deadline, it’s going to take a premium draft pick or likely a top young prospect or NHL player.”

While nothing appears to be imminent, the Flyers being incredibly active and receiving calls for not only their young players, but their older veterans, are two good signs.

Ristolainen feels like the easiest deduction from this roster. While he has been playing incredibly well and has really found his potential in Philadelphia with the wizard coaching staff behind the bench, fixing his entire game, both his age and contract does not make sense to keep for the Flyers. He almost certainly will not be under contract when this team wants to be good again, and with so many young blueliners like Emil Andrae and Helge Grans impressing with their opportunities, Ristolainen’s spot can be handed over to someone who just might be part of the next good Flyers team.

What could we expect the Flyers to get back for Ristolainen? It isn’t wild to think that a first-round pick could be on the table. He is under contract for two more years after this one at a $5.1-million AAV and holds the reputation of a top-four defenseman — those kind of players get first-rounders as just pure rentals.

Now, the more interesting player — and certainly less straightforward — is Laughton. The forward that appears to be the glue of this team on and off the ice, and could have even been named captain realistically, could find himself on a different team. Of course, we have heard those reports of the Flyers turning down first-round picks for his services years prior, but now with the team certainly going nowhere until some prospects develop, the 30-year-old might welcome a new team to try and find some glory.

And teams would certainly welcome a player of his ilk. Could play on either the wing or at center in the bottom-six of a team that has plenty of skill up top — Laughton is the prototypical depth forward addition that could make some noise in the playoffs. We could imagine a team desperate to find some success in the postseason, would be drooling at the chance to get Laughton. With just one more season under contract, if the Flyers aren’t thinking of re-signing him, getting more from a team because of multiple playoff runs out of the player, could make sense.

It would be a seismic shift for the Flyers’ locker room, so as Dreger reports, it would take a seismic return for the Flyers to make the trade.

We could envision both of these players being traded before the March 7 trade deadline, but again, would be a true sign that the Flyers are willing to take the long road (depending on what the trade return is) and sees that some members of this current team will age and decline before they get to the playoffs again.

We’ll keep our eyes peeled.


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