Flyers Need Big Simon Edvinsson Trade to Shake Up Slumping Roster

If anything has become clear from the team's first three games of the season, it's that the Philadelphia Flyers are nowhere near ready to begin their ascent to the status of perennial playoff team.

In three consecutive games - all losses - the Flyers have been handily outplayed and out-shot by divisional opponents, and they generally look like a team that met each other for the first time right before puck drop.

It hasn't been all doom and gloom, of course, as Joseph Woll has been a real bright spot for the Flyers, and Matvei Michkov looked more like his usual self on Saturday night against Carolina after being reunited with Travis Konecny.

The talent remains in place, but the Flyers have objectively regressed and look completely overmatched. That falls on the coaching staff, but it's up to the players, too, to get ready and stay ready. By now, that should be a given for anyone who isn't a rookie.

"Other teams are going through the same thing," Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet said of the shortened training camp and lack of practice time after Saturday's 3-2 overtime loss to Carolina.

"Developing your game doesn't start, like September, and ends in June. It's through the summer. Hopefully, we had some guys working on their game, because the execution is really bad. It really is."

The Flyers are a young team with playoff aspirations, but all the good will they built last year with a fanbase that has been more than patient could quickly evaporate entirely if this skid continues.

The slumping roster would benefit from an infusion of talent that never came in the offseason, and perhaps more importantly, a kick in the pants to get the season going in the right direction after dropping cheap points to division rivals early on.

Flyers' opportunity for Simon Edvinsson trade

On Saturday, while the Flyers were playing the Hurricanes, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reported that RFA Detroit Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson now prefers a trade away from the team with his contract situation lingering into the start of the 2026-27 campaign.

"The team and the agents are not talking, but there is word today around the league that unsigned Detroit defenseman Simon Edvinsson prefers a trade from the Red Wings. He went to camp with no contract. On the eve of the season, he went back to Sweden, where's skating now," Friedman said on Sportsnet's "Saturday Headlines" segment.

"Now, I understand the Red Wings have made it clear to other teams that their priority is still to sign him. That is their No. 1 goal, but apparently his frustration at the entire situation has led him to indicate he would prefer a trade."

With all their struggles, this should be music to the Flyers' ears.

Before and during the offseason, the Flyers made clear their desire to make an upgrade on defense, though nothing ultimately came to fruition.

The Leo Carlsson offer sheet saga came and went to no avail, and that was it for the Flyers' offseason.

Now, though, the Flyers have an opportunity to take advantage of the Red Wings' plight, upgrade their defense, and take the big swing all in one go, proving to concerned Flyers fans that they won't stand idle amid a dreary start.

Edvinsson, 23, is a 6-foot-6 former No. 6 overall pick who has scored 16 goals and 56 points over the last two seasons, emerging as a top-pair complement to Moritz Seider on the Red Wings.

The hulking Swede can do a bit of everything in the vein of someone like Travis Sanheim, and his combination of size, youth, and ability makes him everything the Flyers would want in an addition to their defense.

Throughout their first three games, the Flyers have been bleeding scoring chances, and the injury to Rasmus Ristolainen may motivate the front office to bolster their defense before things get even uglier on the backend.

Players like Noah Cates, Tyson Foerster, Cam York, and Jamie Drysdale are all without trade protection, and the Flyers have plenty of draft picks and prospects they can use in a deal, too, even though the Red Wings have reportedly been looking for assets that can benefit them now.

The Flyers have a myriad of options available to them, in any case, and this is the perfect opportunity to shake the complacency label and take action while sending a strong message to the rest of the group.