It could take years for the Philadelphia Flyers to rebuild into a contender. Will their key players turn into trade assets before they're past their primes?

The start of the NHL’s 2023-24 season is drawing nearer, and THN.com’s series on the pressures felt by the league’s players, coaches, GMs and team owners is moving along, continuing with the Philadelphia Flyers.

Moving through the NHL’s teams in alphabetical order, we’re labelling one player, GM, coach or team owner per team as someone on the hot seat, dealing with major pressure to post great results in 2023-24, or find themselves moved to the franchise’s doghouse. A second person will be placed on the warm seat as someone not about to be imminently fired or traded but could be moved on from sometime in the next year. A third individual will be put on the cold seat, identifying them as someone highly likely to stay with their current team for the foreseeable future. Occasionally, we’ll have four or five players per team file, with ties in one or two categories.

Flyers’ Hot Seat: Carter Hart, G

As the Flyers embark on a full rebuild, numerous current Philly players likely won’t be around until the team rises through the ranks of the Metropolitan Division. 

New GM Daniel Briere has many more moves in his pocket, and it’s but a matter of time before he makes them. Briere has approximately $3.8 million in salary cap space, but much of that will go to RFA forward Morgan Frost, so the Flyers are, in essence, capped out.

That said, Briere has just started the machinations of roster change, and one of his biggest chips to play will be Hart, his No. 1 goaltender. The problem isn’t necessarily with Hart’s play. It’s more about his age – he’s 25 years old, and if Flyers management feels like he’ll be in his early 30s by the time the team around him is a legitimate Stanley Cup threat, why not deal him now and reap the rewards that would come in return with any trade?

Hart had an improved season in 2022-23, reducing his goals-against average to 2.94 and improving his save percentage to .907. That’s a minor miracle, considering the shoddy team Hart played behind. Hart made a career-best 55 appearances last year, and he’d be a terrific addition to any number of teams.

Hart has a $3.979-million cap hit, but he’s in the final season of a contract that will make him an RFA upon expiry. This is another reason he’s an attractive commodity for many GMs – you can acquire him as a tryout and pay the man what he’s asking for if he delivers as hoped. Briere could get a whole lot for Hart, and we believe there’s a good chance he’ll be moved. 

Flyers’ Warm Seat: (tie) Scott Laughton, C/LW, and Garnet Hathaway, RW

Laughton is a 29-year-old who had career highs in goals (18), assists (25) and points (43) last season. Hathaway comes over to the Flyers as a UFA who last year posted 13 goals and 22 points in 84 games split between the Washington Capitals and Boston Bruins.

At age 31, Hathaway signed a two-year, $4.75-million contract on the first day of July, and he’s pencilled in as Philadelphia’s fourth-line winger. His annual $2.375-million payday is a little bit pricey for a fourth-liner who averaged only 11:48 of ice time last season, but this year, a Cup contender could take a chance on him the way Boston did at the most recent trade deadline. And Laughton is in the middle of a five-year, $15-million contract that makes him very affordable for a team seeking veteran help up front.

Laughton and Hathaway are too old to be at their prime when the Flyers are completely rebuilt, and Briere knows he can get draft picks and prospects in return for the duo. The better they play to kick off the year, the bigger the haul they’ll get in trades. They’re both depth additions, but they’re going to be coveted by above-average teams looking for support help. 

Flyers’ Cold Seat: Sean Couturier, C

This cold-seat pick is a tricky one. We’re not suggesting Couturier is adored by Flyers management, although Briere’s predecessor Chuck Fletcher certainly did, signing him to an eight-year, $62-million contract extension in 2021. Couturier is entering the second season of that extension, and he carries a $7.75-million cap hit. Very risky to take a chance on. 

That wouldn’t be all that bad if Couturier hadn’t missed the entire 2022-23 campaign with not one but two back surgeries. He’s rumored to be healthy and ready to go this coming year, but at age 30 – 31 in December – there probably aren’t many teams interested in picking him up. 

If Briere retains some of Couturier’s salary, he would make him more attractive to potential suitors. But that term length is a doozy – he’s locked up for six more seasons after 2023-24, which is an eternity in the NHL world. It likely scares away most teams who would otherwise be interested in him.

Also a doozy is the fact Couturier has a full no-move clause through 2028-29. Couturier might waive his no-trade clause to go to a playoff contender of his choice, but he also can shoot down any proposed deal and remain settled in Philly. We certainly don’t see Briere buying Couturier out anytime soon, and even if Couturier returns to action and returns to a nearly point-per-game pace, fears about his long-term health could prevent him from being moved. For better or worse, that makes Couturier the most secure Flyer of anyone on the team.