The case for and against the Flyers’ trading for high-scoring Blackhawks winger Alex DeBrincat

Stop if you’ve heard this before, but Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher has said he envisions an “aggressive retool” this offseason.

So far, Fletcher isn’t backing off his words, as he has hired a coach with a resumé of turning teams around quickly in John Tortorella and declared that the club would entertain a significant trade if that player fell within the age range to help the Flyers win now and in the long term.

Chicago Blackhawks right winger Alex DeBrincat (41 goals, 78 points) would check both boxes as a significant trade acquisition who at 24 years old could be around for the long haul. With Chicago looking to compile assets and rebuild, DeBrincat has been a hot name in predraft trade talks and is ranked No. 1 on Daily Faceoff’s trade target list. DeBrincat has twice scored 40 goals in his five NHL seasons, and has amassed 160 during that span, the eighth-highest total in the NHL.

» READ MORE: Five years after selecting Nolan Patrick at No. 2, the Flyers must get it right in the 2022 draft

Trade rumors turned into concrete interest when Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said in his latest column that the Flyers have done “more than just tire-kicking” on DeBrincat. On Tuesday, Friedman said on his podcast that the Flyers seem unwilling to give up the No. 5 pick in Thursday’s draft in exchange for the high-scoring Blackhawks winger.

Should the Flyers make a play for DeBrincat and go all on the “aggressive retool”? We analyze the pros and cons of making a deal for the sniper.

First and foremost, DeBrincat is really, really good.

Since entering the league in 2017-18, he has established himself as one of the league’s elite goal scorers. The right winger’s 160 goals match Steven Stamkos in that time frame and rank ahead of players like Brad Marchand, Mika Zibanejad, Patrick Kane, and even Johnny Gaudreau.

DeBrincat is one of only eight players to post multiple 40-goal seasons over the last five years, while he scored 32 in just 52 games in 2020-21 (a 51-goal pace). DeBrincat’s goals would be especially welcome given that the Flyers ranked second to the last in the NHL in 2021-22 with 210 goals. James van Riemsdyk led the Flyers with 24 goals last season, a total tied for 84th in the NHL. Only the Montréal Canadiens had a top goal scorer with fewer (Cole Caufield with 23), while the Stanley Cup-winning Colorado Avalanche had six players with more goals than van Riemsdyk’s 24.

DeBrincat would also give the Flyers something resembling a star. The team badly lacks high-end offensive talent, and DeBrincat, an All-Star in 2022, would instantly become the team’s biggest name alongside center Sean Couturier, who missed most of last season after back surgery. The Michigan native’s ability to score from almost anywhere on the ice is uncanny, and his release is among the quickest in the entire NHL.

While without the name brand or the local appeal of a Gaudreau, DeBrincat is a top player in his own right and is four years younger. With Claude Giroux gone, the Flyers badly need to add game-changers and DeBrincat would certainly qualify with his elite shot and ability to push the pace of play.

He also is a player who plays in all situations. DeBrincat’s quick release and ability to utilize the one-timer from the faceoff dots would make him a weapon the Flyers currently don’t possess on the power play. He scored 14 goals last year with the man advantage and also saw significant time on the penalty kill, a rarity for an elite goal scorer. Meanwhile, the Flyers ranked dead last on the power play (12.6%) and 26th out of 32 teams on the penalty kill ( 75.7%) last season, both areas where he could help.

DeBrincat’s game also would seem to be tailor-made for him to play under Tortorella. He is an aggressive forechecker, plays with a bit of a chip on his shoulder at 5-foot-7, and is ultra-competitive. Known almost solely as a goal scorer earlier in his career, he has become a much more well-rounded player in recent seasons and, given his age, still has room to grow and improve.

The Flyers have said they want to compete next season, and in a draft with very few NHL-ready players, trading future assets and draft picks for a 40-goal scorer would clearly make them a better team on the ice in 2022-23. The bigger questions will be: What would it cost to acquire DeBrincat, and is it realistic for the Flyers to view themselves as contenders next season in the first place?

The Flyers (25-46-11) are coming off the second-worst season in franchise history and a second straight losing season. The team features only two players who have ever made an All-Star team in Cam Atkinson and Travis Konecny, and outside of maybe Couturier, does not have any obvious All-Star candidates for the future.

Would DeBrincat make all the difference? Even given the misfortune with injuries last season to Couturier, Kevin Hayes, Joel Farabee, and Ryan Ellis, whose status is still very much uncertain, it’s nearly impossible to consider the Flyers — as they are currently constructed at least — as legitimate contenders. If everything went right, could they sneak into the playoffs? Sure, but being a Stanley Cup contender is a much different conversation.

The team ill-advisedly traded away a first- and two second-round picks last summer in deals for Rasmus Ristolainen and to shed Shayne Gostisbehere’s contract, so the Flyers need to be protective of their draft capital, even after recouping a future first-rounder in the Giroux trade.

The Blackhawks are asking for a young player, high draft picks, and prospects for DeBrincat. That would seem a costly price for a team to pay given that DeBrincat, who currently holds a $6.4 million salary-cap hit, is one year away from becoming a restricted free agent. With another season at his current production, DeBrincat would likely command between $8 million and 10 million per year — a steep price indeed.

» READ MORE: John Tortorella on his first impressions of the Flyers locker room, X’s and O’s, and that Trevor Zegras play

Even if Chicago’s request seems unreasonable, a trade for DeBrincat probably starts with a high-end first-round pick and a top prospect. Last week, the Los Angeles Kings acquired a comparable player in Kevin Fiala (33 goals, 85 points and a pending restricted free agent) from the Minnesota Wild for a first-rounder and highly regarded collegiate defenseman Brock Faber (a 2020 second-round pick).

Would a team that needs to start building up its prospect pool for the future trade away the No. 5 overall pick for a player who could potentially walk in one or two more seasons? And with the 2023 draft expected to be a much deeper class, future picks are also incredibly valuable. Chicago, which does not own a first-rounder in 2022, seems hell-bent on getting back into this draft and probably will hold out for a pick this year, meaning Philly would likely have to budge on No. 5.

Outside of questions surrounding cost and how the Flyers should proceed as an organization, the final question would be: What is DeBrincat’s ceiling and how would he fare playing without one of the top playmakers of this generation in Kane? That is not to say DeBrincat isn’t a good player, just that he has had the benefit of playing alongside an elite passer and future Hall of Famer throughout his entire career. As a shooter, DeBrincat relies on someone getting him the puck and the Flyers will have to take that into account before they pull the strings on any potential deal or commit to paying him long-term as a franchise player.

The Flyers are at a pivotal moment for their future and have just 48 hours to make what could be a franchise-altering decision. The clock is ticking ...