It’s no secret that the Philadelphia Flyers need to improve down the middle. Their center depth is among the worst in the league with Noah Cates and Sean Couturier leading this group of bottom-six centers.
Acquiring a first-line center is going to be important for Danny Briere & Co. during this rebuild. They want to go big game hunting and a pivot should be at the center of attention — and they have said so much in the past. But that may take some time.
With three weeks until the trade deadline, here are three hypothetical (and hopefully realistic) trades that the Flyers could make to fix their center depth right now.
Scott Laughton for Fraser Minten
The annual Scott Laughton rumors are back again with the Flyers center linked primarily to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Laughton grew up in Ontario and the Leafs have a clear need for a depth center.
The Flyers have made it known that they want at least a first-round pick for Laughton but the Leafs only have two picks in the first two rounds over the next two years, including a 2026 first-round pick. It’s quite possible that the Flyers are after that ’26 first, but Minten could be another target.
Minten, 20, was selected with the 38th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. He put up 38 points in 36 games in his final WHL season last year and has 14 points in 32 games with the Leafs (four points in 15 games) and Marlies in his first full professional campaign.
The youngster has been fine at the NHL level and could very well put up similar numbers to Laughton for the length of the veteran’s contract. However, the experience and intangibles that Laughton bring are clearly valued around not only the Flyers locker room but the entire league.
The Leafs should be wanting to load up for this playoff run given their cap situation. John Tavares and Mitch Marner are both free agents this summer and a few of their restricted free agents need raises. This could be their last chance at a Cup with their core four and they’ll need all the help they can get in a tough Eastern Conference. Laughton may not exactly be the upgrade that the Leafs are hoping for, but there aren’t many centers being sold either.
A 1-for-1 deal would likely be a steal for the Flyers, so I wouldn’t be fussed about adding in some sort of mid-round pick swap or the like.
Minten could slide right into Laughton’s lineup spot for the Flyers. John Tortorella seems to prefer Laughton at wing, so getting a younger player who can stick down the middle would be an easy win.
Rasmus Ristolainen for Mavrik Bourque (and Matt Dumba)
Another team that is in a clear buying position is the Dallas Stars. This is Jamie Benn’s last year under contract, they have to pay a few of their RFAs (including Bourque and Wyatt Johnston), and Jake Oettinger’s cap hit more than doubles next season.
Dallas went out and got Chris Tanev last year, and although the Stars already made a deal for a right-handed defenseman in Cody Ceci, they’re reportedly still in the market for an upgrade — and who can blame them?
Enter Rasmus Ristolainen.
Ristolainen has revitalized his career in Philadelphia to the point where they might be able to get a first-round pick (or similar value) for him without retaining any salary.
The Stars have the forward depth to soften the blow of potentially losing Bourque, especially after acquiring Mikael Granlund from San Jose, but their blue line still has some questions. Miro Heiskanen and Nils Lundkvist are on injured reserve, Ilya Lyubushkin was banged up recently, and their depth is questionable. They’re running Esa Lindell, Matt Dumba, and Ceci on the right side.
Ristolainen would be a clear upgrade over Dumba, who is on the downside of his career. I have the Flyers taking back Dumba and his $3.75M cap hit through next season instead of tying up a retention slot for an extra year. They can always flip Dumba right away or in the offseason if needed.
So what would the Flyers be getting in Bourque?
He’s a little bit older than Minten as he was drafted 30th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft. The 23-year-old forward has 16 points in 49 games this season and has taken over 200 faceoffs, so he’s been at center a lot.
Bourque has yet to really find his offensive game at the NHL level but that could just be due to his usage. He had 77 points (26 goals, 51 assists) in 71 AHL games last year after putting up 47 points (20 goals, 27 assists) in his first full professional season. He’s playing more of a checking role for Dallas on the third line.
A draft pick for Trevor Zegras
This idea is admittedly a little half-baked but I don’t know if it’d be a piece on potential center targets if we didn’t include Trevor Zegras.
The Flyers have reportedly kicked the tires on Zegras and he was usually mentioned with Joel Farabee as a possible part of the package. Although Farabee is now in Calgary, it may be worth it for Briere to take a flier on the polarizing center.
Zegras does carry a $5.75M cap hit of his own through next season so the Flyers may need to move out some money first — perhaps a Laughton or Ristolainen trade. This trade idea is a clear third option and would probably only happen if they were able to move one of their two main trade chips for a young roster player or another draft pick.
I’m not exactly sure which draft pick Zegras is worth at this point or which one Briere would be comfortable giving up, but the Flyers currently hold seven picks in the first two rounds of the upcoming draft. I wouldn’t mind trading at least one of them to give Zegras a fresh start in Philadelphia.
Zegras has battled through injuries the past two seasons with just 30 points in 63 games. However, he had 23 goals and 60-plus points in each of his first two full NHL seasons. The talent is in there and perhaps playing with a Matvei Mickhov or Travis Konecny could help unlock it again.