The Philadelphia Flyers have officially missed out on one of their notable forward trade targets: Mavrik Bourque.

The Nashville Predators have acquired Bourque and defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin from the Dallas Stars in exchange for a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 third-round pick (from the Vegas Golden Knights).

With Bourque being a young skilled center with good upside, it made sense that the Flyers were among the teams that had him on their radar. However, he is now heading to the Predators with this trade. 

Bourque just had a breakout year for the Stars in 2025-26, as he set career highs with 20 goals, 21 assists, and 41 points in 82 games. This was after he had 11 goals and 25 points in 73 games as a rookie for the Stars during the 2024-25 season.

With the Stars having limited cap space and Bourque being a restricted free agent, it makes sense that they have moved him. Unfortunately, the Flyers are not the lucky team to get him, and they will need to explore their options elsewhere.