If the Philadelphia Flyers are still looking to trade up in the 2025 NHL Draft, they could potentially have more than one trade partner willing to strike a deal.
By now, we’ve all hypothesized and speculated on the rumors that the San Jose Sharks could move down from the No. 2 overall pick, and we know the Flyers were exploring trading up for a player like Cayden Lindstrom or Ivan Demidov in the 2024 draft.
Recently, it has been reported that the Utah Mammoth, holders of the fourth overall pick in 2025, could be open to trading their top draft selection for a young top-six forward that has proven himself at the NHL level.
“The Utah Mammoth are believed to be open to moving the fourth-overall pick,” David Pagnotta of NHL Network and The Fourth Period reported Friday. “Some believe Utah GM Bill Armstrong will consider trading the pick for a young top-six, NHL-proven forward.”
That’s a cost that won’t strike the Flyers lightly, but it is one they could easily pay if the price is right.
Tyson Foerster, coming off his second consecutive 20-goal season at the NHL level, has the 6-foot-2 frame that fits the bill for Utah and just signed a two-year contract extension with the Flyers that comes without trade protection and without a significant price tag.
The Flyers love Foerster, yes, but if trades were always one-sided, everyone would make them. Would Philadelphia prefer two years of Foerster to the fourth and sixth picks in the 2025 draft with the potential to land, say, Caleb Desnoyers and Porter Martone?
Another player who fits the bill, as mentioned almost ad nauseam, is Owen Tippett. At the age of 26, Tippett is a bit older than the 23-year-old Foerster, but he has some qualities that would make him equally appealing.
NHL Trade Rumors: Flyers Can Get Their Own ‘Star’ in Jason RobertsonIf the Philadelphia Flyers are truly looking to swing the big trade this offseason, they need not look further than the Dallas Stars, who might have a former 100-point winger hitting the NHL trade market in short order.
The former No. 10 overall pick possesses blazing speed and a menacing shot, but inconsistency and a lack of progression sometimes leave Flyers fans frustrated.
Still, Tippett has 20, 27, and 28-goal seasons under his belt, including his breakout 53-point campaign just a year ago. There’s reason to believe the Flyers talisman can still become a 30-goal, 60-point player, and the Mammoth are ready to take the leap that the Flyers are not quite ready for yet.
Another item to consider: Tippett has finished each of the last three seasons with 115 hits or more, and his 115 hits this season placed fourth on the Flyers behind only Nick Seeler, Garnet Hathaway, and Scott Laughton. His game of speed, physicality, and power makes him a perfect fit for what Utah is trying to do.
Plus, Tippett will have a 10-team no-trade list come into effect in his contract next July, so the Flyers must quickly decide if the pacey sniper is staying in Philadelphia for the long haul.
And if Foerster or Tippett were hypothetically deemed insufficient on their own, the Flyers could always pony up the Oilers’ first-round pick – 31st or 32nd – or a second-round pick to get the deal over the line.
The Flyers are looking to quickly accelerate the rebuild to start winning games, and with a lack of star power at the center and defense positions, acquiring the Mammoth’s No. 4 pick in addition to their own No. 6 pick could open some possibilities previously thought to be impossible.
Now, the only question is, is the 2025 draft the stage the Flyers are looking for to execute this type of move?
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