The quarter mark of the 2025-26 season is rapidly approaching, which means NHL trade rumors are going to be picking up soon. As for the current rumor mill, the Philadelphia Flyers are said to be looking for an important young defenseman to slot into their lineup.

The Flyers' reported interest in middle-aged NHL-caliber defensemen dates back to the offseason, when reports suggested Philadelphia was interested in players like Nicolas Hague, who was ultimately traded, and Alexander Romanov.

Ultimately, though, the Flyers made no further additions to their group on defense apart from free agent additions Noah Juulsen and Dennis Gilbert, with the latter already playing in the AHL with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

That said, the Flyers don't seem to have taken themselves out of the chase just yet.

According to The Fourth Period, the Flyers "would like to add someone in his mid-20s that fits the rest of the core of the team."

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As for a potential trade package, The Fourth Period mentioned the Flyers' wealth at the forward position - presumably a winger - and draft picks or prospects. That's rather vague, but just looking at the team and how it's constructed, we can confidently lean towards a roster player in this case.

A lot of talk has been centered around Buffalo Sabres defenders Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, and Bowen Byram as the team frantically tries to insert itself into the playoff conversation, but those aren't the only ones out there.

Staying with Buffalo, few people talk about defenseman Mattias Samuelsson, whose father, Kjell, played for the Flyers. Samuelsson, 25, was also born and raised in the area, and as a 6-foot-4, 225-pound, left-shot rearguard, he fits the mold of what the Flyers are trying to do defensively.

Going West, The Fourth Period also named Mario Ferraro (27) and Timothy Liljegren (26) as two players the San Jose Sharks would be willing to trade this season as pending UFAs.

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Neither player, to me, would be a fit with the Flyers, but I could see a situation where the Flyers move one of their young players mired in trade rumors - Emil Andrae or Egor Zamula - to San Jose for Liljegren, and then send Liljegren to Buffalo - a right-shot needy team, for someone like Samuelsson or Byram.

There are lots of moving parts to a situation like this given the heightened value of such young, established defensemen, and Owen Tippett is seemingly playing himself out of trade talks for the time being.

If history tells us anything, though, it's that the Flyers and GM Danny Briere can and will strike out of nowhere when they find the right deal for them.