3 early Flyers trade targets after 2nd-round sweep vs. Hurricanes

The Philadelphia Flyers returned to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2020. While the team took care of business in the first round against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Flyers were swept by the Carolina Hurricanes.

As the team was eliminated from the playoffs, some flaws were exposed. The Flyers struggled to score in their final seven games of the playoffs, scoring just 10 goals and losing 6 times. Meanwhile, scoring depth has been an issue most of the season, and something the team needs to address in order to improve for next season. The Flyers finished 23rd in the NHL in goals per game, with just 2.93 goals per contest. They were also 32nd on the powerplay.

Meanwhile, the defense was solid this season, sitting ninth in the NHL in goals against per game. Dan Vladar was a major reason for that, as the Flyers brought him in ahead of this season. The netminder led the way for the Flyers, but the team is in need of depth at that position as well. There are multiple targets for the Flyers to go after, and these are the top three.

The Flyers swing for another netminder

The Flyers made an upgrade at goal in the offseason, signing Dan Vladar in free agency. Vladar was great for the team in 2025-26. He went 29-14 with a 2.42 goals against average and a .906 save percentage. The netminder continued his solid play in the playoffs, going 4-6 with a 2.18 goals agaisnt average and a .922 save percetnage. He did have some games of struggle, though, but the Flyers had nowhere to turn.

Samuel Ersson was the backup netminder this past season and is not the answer for the Flyers. He went 14-11 with a 3.12 goals agaisnt average and a .870 save percentage. Ersson was replaced by Vladar as the primary netminder because of his poor play, and now the Flyers need to upgrade at the backup position.

Joseph Woll from the Toronto Maple Leafs should be the answer. The Maple Leafs have a logjam in the net right now. Anthony Stolarz is heading into his first year of a four-year extension that he signed with the team in September 2025. Meanwhile, Dennis Hildeby has shown he is ready to be an NHL goaltender. With the experience he has, Hildeby also no longer has waiver protection and needs an NHL spot. This means the Leafs need to move on from one netminder, and that will be Woll.

Woll has been solid in his NHL career, going 63-43-9 with a 2.94 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage. Woll had a down season for his standards this past year, which could make it so the asking price may be lower. The Flyers need a backup goaltender, and Woll would be the best on the market.

More depth at center is needed

The Flyers need to add more depth at center. The team was expected to go after Charlie Coyle in free agency. The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed Coyle to a six-year extension, taking him off the market. Trevor Zegras is a restricted free agent and likely to be back with the team. Meanwhile, Sean Couturier and Christian Dvorak are the other two centers, and while both are under contract for the coming years, they are also aging. The Flyers could use a young center with high upside and a low-cap number to compete for that final center spot, or allow Zegras to move to the wing.

The Boston Bruins have plenty of young prospects, with James Hagens, Dean Letourneau, Fraser Minten, and Matthew Poitras. The Flyers need to go after Poitras. He was the 54th overall selection of the 2022 NHL Draft and joined the Bruins in 2023-24. That year, he played 33 games with five goals and ten assists. Still, he played just 36 games with the NHL club over the next two seasons, primarily playing in the AHL. During that time, he has shown his playmaking ability, racking up 85 points in 109 games.

He may come at a low cost, and could contend to be the fourth-line center for the Flyers. With his upside, Poitras could not only help in 2026-27, but be a major part of the future for the Flyers.

The Flyers go big for a forward

The Flyers do not have many top-end scoring options. Only five players finished with 50 or more points on the season. Owen Tippett led the way in goals, scoring 28 times, and finishing with 51 points. Travis Konecny and Zegras tied for the team lead in assists, both with 41. They were also the only two players over 60 points. Meanwhile, Dvorak and Matvei Michkov were the other two players over 50 points, both finishing with 51.

Michkov was once seen as untouchable, but the forward has fallen out of favor with coach Rick Tocchet. He was benched during the playoffs, and now it is being reported that Michkov is no longer untouchable. If Michkov is moved, the Flyers will need to replace his production, and adding more production, even if Michkov stays, would be huge for the team.

That person should be Matty Beniers. He is coming off a solid year, finding the back of the net 20 times while adding 30 assists. It was the second time in his career that he had 50 or more points. While the 50 points are an improvement on both 2023-24 and 2024-25, when he tallied 37 and 43 points respectively, it does not reach the heights he had in 2022-23. That year, he lit the lamp 24 times while adding 33 assists. At 23 years old, Beniers still has a long career ahead of him. Still, a change of scenery may be needed, and Philadelphia would be a perfect spot for him.

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