Flyers Lifting Off The Runway

The Flyers made one deal at the 2024 TUFHL trade deadline, and it was one that was a bit perplexing given the state of the team and their current path of a rebuilding franchise. It left many fans to wonder the intention of why the brass went out and acquired Alexander Ovechkin, not that they were complaining of course as Philadelphia now boasts an elite superstar in their arsenal. It will sure get fans back in the seat as the rest of the team rebuilds.

"Not a deal you make everyday." Wolf quipped, when accosted by media. The Flyers made arguably the biggest splash on deadline day moving Filip Forsberg and Alexander Edler to the Carolina Hurricanes for Alexander Ovechkin and Colton Parayko. On paper, this hardly appears to be a move meant for rebuilds.

"We are still rebuilding for the future, and I feel this move helps in that regard. Edler was going to be retiring at seasons end, and we didn't want to realize that asset as lost in the off-season. So instead of losing a defenseman, we are gaining a top 4 defenseman back in the deal who's still young(ish) and is under term. Any rebuild you have to build from the blueline out and if we hadn't made this move, we'd have one less NHL calibre defenseman. Not only is a rebuild about picks and prospects, but you have to start sprinkling the pro roster with good veterans in order to build that culture and respect back in the line-up." Wolf said at his press conference.

Getting Parayko, a solid top 4 defenseman came with a bit of a price. "We gave up Forsberg, who is Parayko's age, but in doing so we also got back one of the games greats Alexander Ovechkin. He's 37, not only does he replace Forsberg's offensive output in the line-up, he's also one of the games best leaders, and we thought who else would be better to lead us out of the rebuild than Ovechkin? We immediately made him the team captain and we're excited to have him in the organization for the next 2 years, or even more. He'll help build our culture and be someone our young guys look to. We couldn't be more excited." 

It's clear the Flyers main focus is to go into the summer with a rebuilding mindset, but it's also evident with this move that rebuilding may also not be a linear path for the team. "I'm compeitive by nature. And I would not be surprised if you saw us buying a little more and selling a little less heading into the summer." Wolf admitted. "We want to start clearing the runway for lift off."