Trade grades: Evaluating each of the Flyers’ moves and non-moves leading up to the deadline

Another trade deadline has passed, and this year, the Flyers were defined more by their inaction than the moves they managed to pull off.

General manager Chuck Fletcher made three trades ahead of the 3 p.m. Friday deadline, shipping out winger Zack MacEwen, center Patrick Brown, and prospect Isaac Ratcliffe for a total of two draft picks, a player, and “future considerations.” But he also failed to make a couple of potential trades involving rental players, namely winger James van Riemsdyk.

How did the Flyers fare at the deadline overall? Here are our grades and analysis of each Flyers trade — and each of their missed opportunities.

» READ MORE: The Flyers have major problems (duh), and neither Sam Hinkie’s advice nor John Tortorella’s honesty will solve them

After plenty of buzz surrounding top short-term rental chip van Riemsdyk heading into the trade deadline, Fletcher was ultimately unable to move the 33-year-old winger. Fletcher said that he spoke to teams for three weeks, 16 of which he considered “true buyers,” about his available players leading up to the deadline. Ultimately, he said he received only one real offer for van Riemsdyk (from the Detroit Red Wings, a source confirmed).

However, the offer was conditional on the team’s being able to move a forward from its roster. Just 25 minutes before the deadline, Fletcher said, the deal fell through. He added that he didn’t think his asking price was too high for van Riemsdyk, which TSN reported on Friday morning was a third-round pick.

“We would probably rather have a good pick and allow JVR the opportunity to play in the playoffs,” Fletcher said. “But the market spoke. And it wasn’t to be.”

Van Riemsdyk is in the final year of his five-year deal that carries a hefty $7 million cap hit this season. Fletcher said that he was willing to retain half of van Riemsdyk’s salary and take back a contract, adding that he even discussed different scenarios involving prospects and draft picks. But he could not find a home — and a draft pick — for van Riemsdyk, who has nine goals and 14 assists in 41 games this season.

Verdict: 👎. Any pick, in any round and any year, would have been better than keeping van Riemsdyk and letting him hit free agency for nothing. The Flyers want to get younger, and the least expensive way of doing so is to acquire draft picks. Fletcher missed out on an opportunity to help the team in the long run.

Roughly three hours before the trade deadline, Fletcher made his first move of the day when he sent fourth-line winger MacEwen to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for 26-year-old winger Brendan Lemieux and a 2024 fifth-round pick. MacEwen, 26, is set to become a restricted free agent at the end of the season and was activated off injured reserve on Thursday (broken jaw).

» READ MORE: Flyers swap fourth-liners, trade Zack MacEwen for Brendan Lemieux and a pick

Lemieux is a fourth-line pest who has been suspended three times in his NHL career, most recently for biting Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk on Nov. 27, 2021. Kings general manager Rob Blake and Fletcher had initially agreed to trade MacEwen for the fifth-round pick, but Blake said he needed to first find a trade partner for Lemieux. Fletcher agreed to take on Lemieux, a pending unrestricted free agent, as part of the deal.

Over his six-year NHL career, Lemieux has played for three NHL teams, the Winnipeg Jets (2017-2019), the New York Rangers (2019-2021), and the Kings. Lemieux was part of the Feb. 25, 2019, trade that sent current Flyers forward and then-Ranger Kevin Hayes to the Jets.

In 257 career games, Lemieux has 31 goals, 32 assists, 463 penalty minutes, and 30 fights, according to Hockey Fights. One of his fights was against former Flyers defenseman Sam Morin on March 25, 2021.

Verdict: 👍. Fletcher claimed MacEwen off waivers last year from the Vancouver Canucks, so he essentially turned nothing into a draft pick and a player on a tryout for the rest of the season. If the Flyers are unimpressed with reclamation-project Lemieux, they can let him hit free agency. MacEwen wasn’t going to be a part of the Flyers’ core, so it doesn’t hurt to flip him for a draft pick.

Right before the 3 p.m. deadline, the Flyers traded Brown to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for a 2023 sixth-round pick. Brown, 30, is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. He was claimed off waivers from the Vegas Golden Knights last year and played 87 games for the Flyers over two seasons (six goals, 10 assists in that span).

While Brown is a fourth-line center, he has some value as a face-off specialist (53.8% win rate this season) on the right side and as a penalty-killer. He also has 22 games of playoff experience between the Golden Knights (three goals in 14 games) and the Carolina Hurricanes.

Another team aside from the Senators was willing to trade a minor-league player for Brown, but Fletcher said they would have kept Brown in that case.

Verdict: 👍. Again, Fletcher turned a waiver claim into a draft pick, just as he did in the MacEwen trade. Brown was a fine pickup, but he wasn’t going to be a part of the Flyers’ future.

» READ MORE: Flyers trade Patrick Brown to Ottawa for sixth-round pick

Van Riemsdyk isn’t the only rental staying in Philadelphia through the end of the season — 36-year-old defenseman Justin Braun will also remain a Flyer and play out the remainder of his one-year, $1 million deal. Fletcher’s inaction on Braun is less surprising than his inability to move van Riemsdyk, however. Braun has played just 40 games this season, sitting out the remaining 22 as a healthy scratch.

He has also played in a limited role this season primarily on the third pairing, averaging 15:20 minutes of ice time, which is down roughly five minutes from his average last season. At last year’s trade deadline, Fletcher was able to trade Braun to the New York Rangers in exchange for a 2023 third-round pick.

Verdict: 🤷🏻‍♀️. Ideally, Fletcher would have been able to move every single one of his short-term rentals (van Riemsdyk, Braun, and Brown) for draft picks. Braun may have been a tough sell, given his age and his declining capabilities. But at a marginal cost, it’s somewhat surprising that Fletcher couldn’t move Braun for anything.

On Sunday night, the Flyers sent the 6-foot-6 Ratcliffe to the Nashville Predators in exchange for future considerations. Ratcliffe, 24, was the Flyers’ No. 35 selection in the 2017 draft. He played 10 games for the Flyers last season and registered a goal and three assists, playing primarily on the fourth line in late January through February.

Ratcliffe played just 26 games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms this season (two goals, two assists) and was a healthy scratch the entire month of January. In 162 career AHL games, Ratcliffe had 23 goals and 37 assists.

Verdict: 🤷🏻‍♀️. Unfortunately for the Flyers, Ratcliffe wasn’t shaping up to be the player they expected him to become when they drafted him, so Fletcher decided it was time to move on.