Will the Flyers trade Scott Laughton? Here’s what to expect on deadline day

In professional sports, there’s a cliché that after the All-Star break, a first-year player is no longer a “rookie.” In Danny Brière’s case, the same boilerplate applies to being a general manager.

While Brière has been in the top seat with the Flyers for only a year, initially on an interim basis, he has proved to be a quick study. Brière, 46, has pulled the trigger on seven trades since replacing Chuck Fletcher, including notably complicated deals involving homegrown defenseman Ivan Provorov and top prospect Cutter Gauthier.

On Wednesday, he made another significant move by flipping pending unrestricted free agent Sean Walker to the Colorado Avalanche for a first-round pick and taking on $4 million of veteran center Ryan Johansen’s contract.

» READ MORE: Trade grades: Evaluating the Sean Walker trade as Flyers net first-rounder in return

While Brière didn’t wait until Friday’s deadline to execute the Walker move, he may not be done just yet. Here are four things to watch for on Friday ahead before the 3 p.m. deadline.

The biggest remaining question for the Flyers is if Laughton will still be in the Orange and Black this weekend? Right now, that sounds like a 50/50 proposition as the Flyers are still weighing whether they should trade the popular player.

We know that Laughton is a coveted player around the league, especially in the context of a thin center market. With top center targets Elias Lindholm, Casey Mittelstadt, Sean Monahan, Adam Henrique, and Alexander Wennberg already off the board, you could make an argument that Laughton is the top remaining option.

Lauded in the locker room, Laughton plays hard, is a good penalty killer, and can play up and down a lineup. The Flyers have made it known that they want a first-round pick in return for the versatile veteran and it seems likely they could get one if they do choose to go that route.

» READ MORE: Hayes: The Flyers can’t afford to trade their ‘glue guy,’ Scott Laughton

But the Flyers don’t have to trade the 29-year-old, who has served as an alternate captain since last season. A beloved teammate and locker room leader, Laughton is under contract for two seasons after this one at an affordable $3 million cap hit.

He’s also a key cog in the Flyers “power kill,” which leads the league with an 86.5% success rate, and individually is playing some of his best hockey of late (five goals, 12 points in the last 12 games). Trading Laughton would also take some wind out of the Flyers’ playoff push, as he is such a respected player within the room and has been with the organization since being drafted in the first round in 2012.

Getting another first-round pick from a team like Toronto, Vegas, or Vancouver would represent another good bit of business for a team looking to compile draft picks with an eye toward the future.

Another first could also be valuable if the Flyers wanted to combine mid- to late-first-round picks to move up in the draft in either 2024 or 2025. That said, the Flyers are high on Laughton’s intangibles and character and could elect to stand pat with the veteran past the deadline.

Brière has made it clear the Flyers won’t be major buyers. They don’t want to jeopardize their future.

“We’re not going to do a rental for high-end assets for the future,” he told The Inquirer recently. “We’re protecting those. We realize where we’re at. It’s not just about this year.”

But he also said he is open to making minor deals for depth or to address team needs if it makes sense. One area the organization seems primed to do that is in goal.

While Sam Ersson has had an outstanding rookie year, the Flyers are thin behind him with Carter Hart out of the picture and facing a sexual assault charge. Cal Petersen struggled in his limited opportunities and it is hard to forget current backup Felix Sandström’s struggles last season. For those reasons, the Flyers could look to add an inexpensive backup to Ersson as they push for the playoffs.

Carolina Hurricanes veteran netminder Antti Raanta was placed on waivers Thursday and could fit the bill. The soon-to-be 35-year-old recently returned from injured reserve but has been a reliable No. 2 throughout his career. Raanta boasts an impressive .915 save percentage for his career and would be able to spell Ersson down the stretch for six or seven games.

On the trade front, San Jose’s Kaapo Kähkönen, Montreal’s Jake Allen, Pittsburgh’s Alex Nedeljkovic, and Toronto’s Martin Jones (a former Flyer) are veterans who probably could be had for mid-round draft picks.

» READ MORE: Sam Ersson’s unflappable mindset to be tested as he takes over for Carter Hart in net

After trading Walker and with three other defensemen in Rasmus Ristolainen, Jamie Drysdale, and Nick Seeler on injured reserve, the once deep Flyers are suddenly running out of bodies on the blue line.

That could mean 37-year-old Marc Staal stays past the deadline instead of being flipped to a Cup contender. The Flyers could also beef up their depth with another veteran from the bargain rack. With the timelines for Ristolainen and Drysdale to return unclear, the Flyers probably would be well-served adding a veteran in place of Adam Ginning or Ronnie Attard.

The Flyers shouldn’t give up a top three-round pick for any depth blueliner but trading a fourth- or fifth-round would be justifiable. They could do the same thing at forward, as coach John Tortorella continues to be unimpressed with Bobby Brink and Olle Lycksell.

The Flyers are in the playoff race at this point, so what is the harm in adding some depth if you aren’t mortgaging the future to do it? The counterargument would be getting the younger players experience playing in big games.

» READ MORE: Friday’s trade deadline is a major early test for Danny Brière and the Flyers’ rebuild

The rebuilding Flyers have rightfully weaponized their cap space to facilitate deals and accumulate assets under Brière. They did so in the Provorov trade by taking on Petersen and Walker’s contracts off the cap-strapped Los Angeles Kings, by retaining half of Kevin Hayes’ contract, and taking on Johansen in the Walker trade.

On Wednesday night, they grabbed a fifth-rounder for being the broker in the Noah Hanifan trade for Vegas and Calgary.

The Flyers would be wise to explore more opportunities to do these things on Friday as teams get desperate and the clock ticks closer to the deadline. Most of the teams who want to be buyers this year are up against the cap, so there is potential for the Flyers to be a dance partner and grab a pick for taking on a bad contract or by paying a percentage of a salary.

With Hayes and Hanifan on the books, the Flyers maintain one more retention spot, and according to CapFriendly, have over $4.6 million in cap space.

Considering that Johansen is not in the organization’s plans, the Flyers also could look to move out from some of his contract via trade to create more cap space to take on a contract from a contender. Cap space is valuable in the NHL, and the Flyers could be rewarded with picks and prospects by lending a hand.