The Philadelphia Flyers have a big offseason ahead. With Rick Tocchet now the head coach and the team getting closer and closer to contention, each offseason until they reach that point will be crucial.

The Flyers may not make the big splash yet, but you never know. If the right player becomes available, whether via trade or a UFA signing, GM Danny Briere and company could make the move.

A few things are standing in the way of the Flyers making that big splash this offseason. One of which is their cap situation. It opens up a ton for the Flyers this season, but with he four RFAs expected to take up roughly half of their ~$25 million in cap, the Flyers may not have as much to spend on a big name.

The other problem the Flyers have is depth, and I am not talking about a lack thereof. The Flyers need centers, which is an issue because most of the direction-changing players available in this class are wingers and some defensemen. Not to mention, the Flyers also have a wave of young players ready to make the jump to the NHL, and no spot to put them.

The Flyers could solve both problems with one solution: a trade. Could the Flyers make any trades this offseason to help free up roster spots and cap space?

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Rasmus Ristolainen, RD, 2 Years Remaining, $5.1 mil AAV

Rasmus Ristolainen is a name that could be floated around in trade conversations this offseason. He was a popular name before the trade deadline, but things ultimately went quiet around the day of.

The Flyers could revisit the Ristolainen trade conversation, which could help in two ways. First, he carries a $5.1 million cap hit for the next two seasons. Getting that off the books would allow the Flyers to be much more flexible in their offseason acquisitions. Second, top-defensive prospect Oliver Bonk is ready, or at least close to it. He will need a spot in the NHL when that time comes.

Bonk is an RHD that can check all the boxes Ristolainen checks, with added physicality. He won’t be a top-line guy, at least not right away, which is why I think moving on from Ristolainen could benefit the Flyers.

Let’s also not forget that the Flyers still need a top-pair defender to play with Travis Sanheim, who also plays the right side. The Flyers can’t be paying Ristolainen $5.1 million to play bottom-pair minutes. If they trade Ristolainen, it would open up the cap space to go find that top-pair LD.

There are two issues with trading Ristolainen. First of all, he is hurt, again. Taking a $10.2 million contract for a player who has had each of his last two seasons ended by surgery on the same tricep is risky. Maybe the Flyers can sell teams on the fact that the problem is finally solved. Maybe he’ll be at 100% when he returns to play.

If the injury concern does not deter teams, salary could. Most of the deadline interest in Ristolainen was at 50% retention. The Flyers do have a retention spot open after July 1st, but I am sure they’d prefer to trade the whole salary. Trading Ristolainen would be beneficial, but also very tricky.

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Ivan Fedotov, G, 1 Year Left, $3.275 mil AAV

The Philadelphia Flyers will almost certainly address their goaltending situation this offseason. The trio of Sam Ersson, Ivan Fedotov, and Aleksei Kolosov was nothing shy of a massive disappointment. Changes should, and likely will be made.

Kolosov’s NHL future still hangs in the balance, and the Flyers very clearly see Ersson as the team’s best option and a tandem goaltender for the future. Fedotov started the year horribly and slowly improved, becoming the No. 2 goalie and earning starts down the stretch.

Fedotov is not awful, and if it were not for his AAV, it might just be worth giving him another shot. However, he fleeced the Flyers by getting a salary that more than doubles that of the team’s starter. If the Flyers are looking to open up cap space, this one should be obvious.

I see two ways that this could happen. The Flyers could retain half of his salary and send him somewhere that needs a backup–probably a non-contender. However, retaining would defeat the purpose of trading Fedotov. Instead, the Flyers could find that same non-contender and look to package Fedotov’s full salary and a draft pick to help clear cap space.

This is a move I only expect Briere to make if they want to be aggressive. If there is no intent on rapidly improving the roster right now, there is no need to rush trading Fedotov. However, if the Flyers want to start bringing in talent this offseason, clearing that $3.275 million off the books is crucial.

Owen Tippett, RW/LW, 7 Years Remaining, $6.25 mil AAV

Of this group, Owen Tippett is the hardest player to trade. He is still very young, has shown so much potential, and has stepped up as an in-house leader in the absence of Scott Laughton.

Trading Tippett would not be the easiest decision to make. However, it just makes too much sense. Let’s break it down.

While the Flyers forward group lacks centers, it has a surplus of top-six wingers. Already, the Flyers have Travis Konecny, Matvei Michkov, Tyson Foerster, and Owen Tippett. You also have Bobby Brink and Jakob Pelletier when you expand to the top nine, and centers like Noah Cates and Karsen Dorwart that could move to the wing if the center depth ever improves.

The Flyers are also looking to improve the team, if not this offseason, then next, and an upgrade at wing is bound to come. So let’s talk about why Tippett may just be the odd man out.

Matvei Michkov is not being traded. Travis Konecny has a full no-movement clause and a cap hit of $8.75 million–he’s not getting traded. The next wave is Tippett and Foerster, and of the two, Foerster seems to be the more favorable option to keep.

Foerster is younger, scored more goals last season, will likely be paid less, and has a higher ceiling.

Trading Tippett would allow the Flyers to free up his AAV and spend those dollars elsewhere. It would also open up another forward spot for Alex Bump and or Nikita Grebenkin, who will both be fighting for a roster spot come training camp (on ELC salaries).

Trading Tippett would be a difficult move for the Flyers, but one they should consider.

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