Flyers Could Be A Quality Trade Partner For Blackhawks

Last Friday, when the Chicago Blackhawks had the Montreal Canadiens in town, there were a couple of people in the press box acting as “scouts”. One of them was Keith Jones, who is the current President of Hockey Operations for the Philadelphia Flyers. 

Currently, the Flyers are 3-7-3 through 13 games played. That is good for the worst points percentage in the Eastern Conference and 4th-worst in the entire NHL. This comes one year after not only making the playoffs, but also winning a series.

Is Keith Jones out scouting? Are any of his other scouts or executives flying around to take a look at certain players across different leagues? We’ll see how quickly they become aggressive sellers if the losing continues. 

Was Jones there to see the Hawks or the Habs? Well, the Montreal Canadiens are a lot closer to contending. The Flyers have a few pieces that may be worth acquiring for future assets if you’re Montreal and looking to win now. 

With that said, the Flyers may also be a great trade partner for the Blackhawks at this stage. When it comes to executives in Philadelphia, there is no true hot seat right now. However, they may be feeling some heat in Chicago after their 3-8-0 start.

Some teams make changes to the coaching staff whenever these things happen, but would they really fire Jeff Blashill right now? It doesn’t make a ton of sense. Instead, a big trade could help them get back on track. The Flyers have veterans who could help this young Blackhawks group. 

The most notable of the bunch is Travis Konecny. He is a veteran forward who has had 7 seasons in which he scored 20+ goals. In 2 of them, he eclipsed 30. In most of those 20-goal seasons, Konecny has had 50+ points as well. There is also an edge that he plays with, which can be extremely difficult to go up against. If there is any sort of issue going on between the Flyers and this player, he could be moved sooner rather than later. 

Owen Tippett, Cam York, and Rasmus Ristolainen are a few other names that could find themselves in trade rumors down the line as well. As long as those guys get healthy, they make sense for a Blackhawks team looking for a spark. 

Whether it's getting Connor Bedard another linemate at even strength or on the power play, or adding a veteran who can help calm the waters, nothing should be off the table. 

The Hawks are not in a position to be considered a buyer, or even close, but they need something to spark change within their group. They can’t keep getting blown out whenever they play a good team. If one of these guys can help, it’s worth considering. 

What might the Flyers want from the Blackhawks? Well, young players that the Blackhawks don't feel will be part of the long-term future could be in play. Is Kevin Korchinski going to stay in the press box forever? All of the forwards they like on the NHL and AHL roster can't play for Chicago at once. There are plenty of moves that could be made. 

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