The March 6th NHL trade deadline is looming, and the Philadelphia Flyers’ playoff aspirations look bleak. Philadelphia needed to come out of the Olympic break on a red-hot surge to solidify the team’s conservative stance during trade season, but the opening 3-1 loss to the Washington Capitals worsened its chances.

Now, what once seemed like a difficult decision should be clearer than ever. The Flyers need to be sellers at the deadline.

Selling assets by the deadline will be more impactful for the team’s future than staying put and trying to end a postseason-less drought. It provides the team with an opportunity to acquire additional assets to benefit the future. Gaining additional draft picks and adding to the team’s growing prospect pool will directly benefit the team’s future.

One thing should be very clear here. This is not about bottoming out and trying to get a high draft pick. Even with a generational fallout, it seems unlikely that the Flyers finish any better than 7th in the pre-lottery draft order.

Selling at the deadline should be about continuing the youth movement, and giving an opportunity to the players in the AHL, or even some NCAA players who could join the team towards the end of the season, and provide valuable NHL experience. It should be about giving the current young talent on the NHL roster a bigger role.

I truly believe that this team is very close to being in a position where the playoffs are the expectation. Adding prospects and draft picks not only adds more for the future, but it also gives the Flyers more to work with when looking to add NHL talent in the offseason.

Read More: Flyers Postgame Blog: Team Wastes a Great Vladar Start as Playoff Hopes Quickly Fade

Why now the time for the Flyers to shift to sellers at the NHL trade deadline

There has been plenty of time for this shift to occur. So, why is now the time?

As mentioned earlier, the loss to the Capitals was very damaging to the team’s playoff hopes. After the loss, the team’s percentage chance at making the playoffs fell to just 6.8% per MoneyPuck.com. That is the 8th lowest in the league.

The Flyers (61) are now 8th in the Eastern Conference wild card race. They are 8 points behind the Boston Bruins (69), who hold the last wild-card spot, and 11 points behind the Red Wings (72), who hold the first spot.

In the Metropolitan Division, the Flyers are 8 points behind the New York Islanders (69), who hold the third-place spot. Philly is currently 6th in the division standings, and holds just a 3-point lead over the New Jersey Devils (58), who are in 7th, one spot away from the basement.

The Flyers have four games before the NHL trade deadline: Rangers, Bruins, Maple Leafs, and Mammoth. Two games against two teams in the dog fight, one game against a current Western Conference playoff team, and the Rangers.

The point is that the road does not get any easier for the Flyers.

So, with the future in mind, the current trade market favors teams with right-handed defensemen and middle-six scoring forwards. Reading between the lines, it seems favorable for the Flyers, especially with Rasmus Ristolainen reminding everyone that he is a good NHL defenseman.

The Flyers should capitalize on this trade market, load up one more time, and turn this into a legitimate playoff team next season, because they’re really right on the doorstep.

There is a plethora of young talent already on the team and in the organization. They are just missing one or two key pieces. Gathering more assets at the deadline will give them more to work with when trying to acquire those players.

A loss against the Rangers on Thursday would be the nail in the coffin and further solidify the case for selling.

So, is it time for the Flyers to shift gears and sell before the deadline?

Read More: PhHN Daily: Michkov Speaks; More Trade Talk; Barkov’s Donation