Trade candidates, asking prices for Sean Walker and Nick Seeler, and more from Jackie Spiegel’s Reddit AMA

We discussed the Flyers’ trade deadline plans during our Reddit Q&A

Flyers defenseman Sean Walker skates against the New York Rangers on Saturday, February 24, 2024 in Philadelphia.Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer

Published March 1, 2024, 12:07 p.m. ET

The NHL trade deadline is fast approaching, and with it, a slate of hard decisions for the Flyers. The team currently sits at third in the Metro division in Danny Brière and Keith Jones’ first full season at the helm of the organization. With the team in playoff position, fans had questions about what the Flyers plan to do and what they can do at the deadline, so The Inquirer’s Flyers beat writer Jackie Spiegel took to Reddit to answer them.

You can find the full thread here, but here are some highlights...

Q: Are GMs around the league viewing the Flyers’ asking prices for our players as exorbitant or mostly reasonable in the context of other past and present deadline exchanges?

Spiegel: I think we’ve always seen teams will overpay when they get desperate. Probably half will say exorbitant, like the teams that aren’t expected to make the playoffs, and the other half — the teams needing final pieces — will say it’s reasonable, especially if they end up overpaying. Based on what has already gone down in terms of trades, the market is a weird one.

Elias Lindholm hauled in a lot for the Calgary Flames but Chris Tanev didn’t get them a first-rounder. Asking for a first-rounder for some of the guys may need to drop down a smidge if they want to move guys, especially the ones set to become UFAs, by the deadline.

Q: We’ve heard a lot of trade rumors circling around [Scott] Laughton, [Sean] Walker, [Nick] Seeler, [Cam] Atkinson, and [Rasmus] Ristolainen, but are there other players we may not be expecting that have a chance to be traded?

Spiegel: There have been some rumors about Morgan Frost but it will only happen if it’s the right move. I also wouldn’t be surprised if Marc Staal is moved, just as an older player and time winding down on the opportunity to lift Lord Stanley’s Cup. Reminder, he did play all 82 regular-season games and all 21 playoff games last season for the Florida Panthers.

Q: Given the success they’ve had this season, and assuming the rebuild is still on, do you feel the flyers are more likely to target high value picks, or high upside prospects, such as Easton Cowan from Toronto or Mavrik Bourque from Dallas?

Spiegel: Imagine those two on the Flyers. Easton Cowan is having a dominating year for London and Mavrik Bourque is a stud. But just because they’re prospects doesn’t mean they won’t come with a high price too.

The question is more: How much do other teams want to pay for a guy they want from the Flyers? Prospects, especially like those two, may be more valuable as they are more ready than a guy getting drafted in June and would definitely keep the rebuild moving at a fast pace — by the way, the rebuild is still on. Cowan was a name I brought up a while ago on “Snow The Goalie” as someone that would be a good fit. But, as someone else asked about what Danny Brière will do at the draft, the thing is, there is no history book on how he runs trade deadlines so it is hard to determine what he will do next week.

Q: Is there any way the Flyers keep both Walker and Seeler and let Ristolainen and Staal go once they have enough blueliners back from injury?

Spiegel: Rasmus Ristolainen is out week-to-week and I doubt he’ll be back before the trade deadline. If they do move him, expect it to be over the summer. Marc Staal is not signed beyond this year but I wouldn’t be surprised if he is moved as a depth defenseman to a Cup contender. Could the Flyers keep Sean Walker and Nick Seeler? Sure. They are definitely the most solid pairing the Flyers have. But it sounds like insiders have their prices pretty high and it may not be possible to re-sign both this offseason.

Q: How committed do you think the front office is to an actual rebuild vs the retooling that has haunted the franchise for years?

Spiegel: Every time I have spoken to either Danny Brière or Keith Jones I come away thinking they are very committed to the rebuild. Do they feel pressure right now with the team being in the playoffs? I would lean toward yes, but they also seem to have their eye on the prize — many playoff appearances, not just this season.

For more on this, check out Part I of our Q&A with Brière.

Q: What’s your caffeine intake these days?

Spiegel: Right now I’m around one large cup a day. I cut back to zero in December but have ramped it up in the last few weeks — especially after having Tim Hortons cold brew in Toronto during the All-Star weekend. And for the record, cold brew 365.