The dust has settled in the wake of David Jiricek’s trade from the Columbus Blue Jackets to the Minnesota Wild. When all was said and done, the Wild got Jiricek and a 2025 5th-round pick in exchange for a 2025 1st-round pick, a 2027 2nd-round pick, 2026 3rd- and 4th-round picks, and defenseman Daemon Hunt. The Flyers were reportedly involved in trade talks with Columbus to try and get a deal done, but it never came to fruition–presumably because the Flyers would’ve had to make a significant overpay for an in-division trade.
Passing on Jiricek was the right call.
Look, the Flyers are in a rebuild, and they should be looking for opportunities like this to add young talent–they were in discussions with the Predators for goaltender Yaroslav Askarov over the summer too, after all–but the Flyers don’t need to get every young, high-potential player or prospect that hits the market; they have to be wise about how they spend their assets. Acquiring Jiricek didn’t make sense for three primary reasons: there’s no guarantee Jiricek will become a true Number One defenseman, the Flyers have defensive depth in the pipeline, and the void at center trumps all other positions.
Let’s dive into each of those in a bit more detail.
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