While not officially announced, it seems a trade involving the Philadelphia Flyers and the Ottawa Senators is already in place and set to go through before or on draft day.
Travis Yost of TSN sparked significant speculation with his latest report dropping on June 19. He suggested that the Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers are close to finalizing a trade.
“Believe the Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers have the framework of a trade in place as well, though this one may go closer to the Draft,” Yost wrote.
The NHL draft is scheduled for June 28-29 in Las Vegas. Yost did not provide specifics on the potential players or picks involved. That, consequently, only added to the speculation and fostered conversations.
Both franchises will seek to explore all potential avenues to improve after disappointing seasons. The Senators and the Flyers fell short of making the playoffs. The former not getting close and the latter dropping out late.
Flyers beat writer Charlie O’Connor was asked by a fan about potential players involved in the trade, and he made his best guess on X.
I’ve heard the Sens still like Laughton even w/DJ Smith gone. I’ve heard PHI likes Pinto. Friedman reported they at least discussed Chychrun at the deadline. I heard Chabot was brought up. Then there’s the draft picks,” O’Connor wrote.
Draft Picks Believed to Be Central to Trade Framework
As O’Connor mentioned at the end of his message, the trade discussions between the Senators and Flyers seem to revolve heavily around draft picks.The Senators hold the No. 7 and No. 25 picks in the 2024 draft. The Flyers have the No. 12 pick overall.
There is a belief that a swap of Ottawa’s No. 7 overall selection with Philadelphia’s No. 12 pick could be part of the trade, on top of any players added from one or the two sides to make up for the difference in draft capital.
Such a move should allow the Senators to gain an additional asset while moving down slightly in the draft order.
Potential Flyers Players Involved in the Trade
Several Flyers players have been mentioned in different trade rumors of late, including Travis Konecny, Scott Laughton, and Cam Atkinson.Ariel Melendez of Broad Street Buzz discussed Yost’s report on June 19, touching on Konecny’s situation. Konecny is entering the final year of his contract and recently achieved a career-high 68 points. His cap hit is $5.5 million, with a total salary of $7 million due to bonuses.
Konecny played for the Ottawa 67s and his connection with former teammate Claude Giroux makes him a potential fit for the Senators. However, the lack of potential for an extension might deter Ottawa from pursuing him.
Scott Laughton was also mentioned by Melendez. Despite his fluctuating performance, Laughton appeared in all 82 games in 2024.
Steve Warne of The Hockey News brought Cam Atkinson’s name to the table. He surfaced due to his significant cap hit of nearly $5.9 million, despite scoring only 28 points in 70 games last season.
Warne thinks offloading his contract could benefit the Flyers, but his no-trade clause could pose a challenge. As the author points out in his story, Flyers GM Daniel Briere previously stated, “Everything is on the table,” indicating a willingness to consider all sorts of trade packages sent his way.
Potential Senators Players Getting Moved
On the Senators’ side, several names have been mentioned too, including Jakob Chychrun, Thomas Chabot, and Shane Pinto.Chychrun was mentioned by O’Connor. The defenseman played all 82 games last season and tied a career-high with 41 points. However, Philadelphia has a surplus of defensemen, which means they might not entertain landing him in the trade.
Thomas Chabot is another top defenseman whose name has come up in discussions, but he might find himself in the same situation if landing in Philadelphia. Chabot, who missed time due to injuries in 2024, scored 30 points in 51 games.
Finally, Shane Pinto is a young forward with his own woes (he missed part of the season due to a suspension for gambling). He comes with the biggest upside. Pinto scored 27 points in 41 games and should keep developing his game still aged 23 years old.
