1 trade Flyers must make before NHL Olympic break

The Philadelphia Flyers were making quite a bit of progress through the first three months of the season. After failing to make the playoffs during the last five seasons, head coach Rick Tocchet had his team in a position to challenge for one of the top three positions in the Metropolitan Division or an Eastern Conference Wild Card Slot.

However, the month of January was not kind to the Flyers. After starting the month with a pair of victories over the Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks, the Flyers fell apart. They went 2-9-2 in their remaining 13 games. As a result, they are no longer in a strong playoff position.

The Flyers are 24-20-10, and they are tied for 6th place in the Metropolitan Division with the New Jersey Devils. They are 7 points behind the 3rd place New York Islanders. They are also 9 points behind the Buffalo Sabres and Boston Bruins, who hold down the two Wild Card spots in the Eastern Conference.

The Flyers probably have a much better shot at catching the Islanders in the division than they do one of the Wild Card spots. However, getting back in the race will require a hot streak after the Olympic break. The Flyers host the Washington Capitals and Ottawa Senators prior to the Olympic break, and the Flyers need to make key adjustments.

They need to find at least one strong center because they are weak up the middle. The Flyers should be pursuing Nazem Kadri of the Calgary Flames.

Flyers have work to do to get back in the race

A bad month of January has hurt the Flyers, but it does not have to be a fatal blow for their postseason chances.

The Flyers need to get stronger up the middle. This is not a secret and has been the case for multiple seasons. However, the weakness up the middle has become quite obvious in the last month and they are going to need to address this as soon as possible.

Christian Dvorak and Noah Cates man the center positions on Philadelphia’s top two lines, and they have been struggling to this point in the season.

Dvorak has scored 12 goals and 22 assists for 34 points in 53 games, and that’s just not good enough for the top line. Travis Konecny is the right wing on Dvorak’s line and he is the Flyers’ leading scorer with 22 goals and 30 assists, and it seems likely his totals would be significantly higher with more skilled center play.

Cates is now in the middle of the second line and his totals are fairly ordinary with 10 goals and 16 assists in 54 games. Trevor Zegras has been a find for the Flyers as the center on the third line. He is the team’s second-leading scorer as the 24-year-old has been aggressive and effective. He has tallied 20 goals and 27 assists for 47 points and has been consistent for Tocchet.

Kadri would be a great addition

The idea of bringing Kadri in would have to appeal to Tocchet. Kadri is a hard-nosed player who plays to the edge of the rules, and that’s something that Tocchet was known for in his playing days. Kadri is a nasty competitor who won a Stanley Cup during his brief stay with the Colorado Avalanche.

The Calgary center has excellent offensive skills and he plays with a high degree of fearlessness. He also has three years left on his contract, so it’s clear that any team that trades for Kadri is not getting a rental player. The cost will be fairly high.

Kadri is the leading scorer the struggling Flames with 9 goals and 26 assists. However, he was a 35-goal scorer last year, so it’s clear he can still put the puck in the net. He would be a solid fit on one of the top two lines for the Flyers.

Kadri may be the top target for the Flyers, but he is not the only center who would give them a much better chance of getting back to the postseason. Ryan O’Reilly of the Nashville Predators is likely to be available in a trade, as is Calgary center Blake Coleman.

There is little doubt the New York Rangers are willing to trade Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck, but the idea of the Rangers trading one of their elite players to the hated Flyers is very unlikely. The Rangers traded defenseman Carson Soucy to the rival New York Islanders, but Soucy is not a star.

O’Reilly may not like the idea of being traded to a team that is 7 points out of a playoff position, but Coleman may not have the same kind of objection. Coleman has scored 13 goals and 8 assists in 44 games and he also has 29 penalty minutes. He is aggressive and will stand up for himself and his teammates. Coleman scored 30 goals and had 76 penalty minutes two seasons ago for the Flames, and a change of address could bring about a resurgence in his game and for the Flyers.

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