NHL Trade Rumors: Flyers Interested in Top Blackhawks Forward

Although they have suffered from an initial lack of success pursuing deals, the Philadelphia Flyers have not given up in their chase to find one, or perhaps multiple, top-six centers to upgrade their roster.

The Leo Carlsson offer sheet saga obviously was what it was, with the Anaheim Ducks matching the record-breaking $90 million offer sheet and putting an authoritative end to a brief period of excitement for the Flyers and Flyers fans.

It has also been rumored for a long time now that the Flyers have held interest in Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin, whose trade request becoming public cost him his captaincy in Motor City.

The difference, though, is that Larkin (30) is nine years older than Carlsson (21), and isn't willing to come join the Flyers by way of waiving his no-trade clause. At least Carlsson chose the Flyers, even if it was about chasing a historic pool of money at the end of the day.

So, through the first month of the 2026-27 season, the Flyers haven't added anyone meaningful at the forward position while dealing with a myriad of injuries up and down the lineup.

An unexpected power play resurgence aside, offense is still a pain point for the Flyers, and according to a new report, the Flyers are keeping their options open around the league.

Flyers have interest in Frank Nazar

Flyers president Keith Jones has taken in a lot of games recently, including New Jersey-Ottawa, Chicago-Montreal, and New York Rangers-Los Angeles. What's the deal?

Of note, all of these games featured centers the Flyers could hypothetically be interested in, from Ottawa's Dylan Cozens, Shane Pinto, and Ridly Greig, to L.A.'s Quinton Byfield, to Chicago's Frank Nazar.

According to NHL insider Anthony Di Marco, Nazar, 22, is indeed on the Flyers' radar, though it'll take some work to pry him out of the Windy City.

"Frank Nazar is one name that came up while in discussion with Flyers sources Monday. The Flyers do like the 13th-overall pick from 2022 and view him with top-six upside long term; that said, the Blackhawks don’t seem in the market to trade him right now, DFO was told. Nazar, 22, is in the first season of a seven-year, $46.2-million contract," Di Marco wrote in his latest report for Daily Faceoff.

Flyers fans may recall that Nazar was one of the exciting American forwards drafted in 2022, having been selected 13th overall by the Blackhawks in the first round.

Logan Cooley and Cutter Gauthier, of course, were off the board first that year, and Nazar, Rutger McGroarty, and Jimmy Snuggerud followed.

Last year, in his first full season in the NHL, Nazar produced 15 goals, 26 assists, and 41 points for a lowly Blackhawks team that struggled badly defensively and had next to nothing in terms of depth scoring.

Now, with the incorporation of top 2025 draft pick Anton Frondell, Nazar finds himself centering the third line, with players like Frondell, Patrick Kane, Connor Bedard, Tyler Bertuzzi, and newcomer Roman Kantserov earning featured roles ahead of him.

Di Marco noted, "If the Flyers and Blackhawks were to make a deal, it would be safe to assume that one of the Flyers’ wingers would be the central piece going back the other way," while mentioning "With the likes of 2024 draft picks Jack Berglund and Jett Luchanko in their pipeline, the Flyers have the market cornered on third-line centers internally in the long term."

If the Flyers were to send a center back to Chicago to take Nazar's place, Noah Cates is the only one without trade protection, while Tyson Foerster (none) and Owen Tippett (10 teams) are far more likely to be on the table than someone like Travis Konecny (full no-move).

With Trevor Zegras moving to wing and producing, players like Foerster and Tippett are more expendable, especially with a potential top-six center in Nazar on the table.

Nazar is as close to a top-six center as the Flyers are going to find even remotely available, especially at this time of the year, and with his best days presumably still very much ahead of him, the Blackhawks pivot is certainly worth the trade investment.