3 Flyers Placed on Trade Bait List
'Tis the season for endless trade speculation!
Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports - 3 Flyers Placed on Trade Bait ListTSN put out its first trade bait list of the year, listing 40 players with the highest potential to be traded before the March deadline. Three Flyers players appeared on the list—two defensemen and a center—all whose names have frequently popped up in trade conversations long before this list came out.
Sean Walker
Walker was the highest-listed player from the Flyers, coming in at No. 4. This won't shock Flyers fans in the least, as his name has arguably been brought up the most when it comes to who the Flyers can afford to let go of in this trade window.
For all intents and purposes, the right-handed defenseman has done well in his short time in Philadelphia. However, he will be a free agent after this season is over, and, at 29 years old, doesn't quite fit in with the "all sights on the future" culture that the Flyers have said they want to build. Jamie Drysdale's addition to the team in early January further pushed Walker to the outskirts. It seems as though Walker's most useful service could come in getting the Flyers a first-round pick rather than anything he could do on the ice.
Morgan Frost
Frost is the second-highest Flyers player appearing on the list, coming in at No. 20. He's certainly the most compelling Flyers player on this list, given his recent drastic uptick in performance and production since "The Talk" with head coach John Tortorella.
He's had a hot and cold career since officially turning pro in 2019—a rollercoaster of starting out seasons slowly before turning it around and finishing relatively strongly in the second half. Because of this, his name has often appeared in trade conversations of years past (and almost did get traded to the Ottawa Senators last summer), but if he can sustain the quality he's shown since being freed from healthy scratch jail, there's a strong argument as to why the Flyers should keep him. It becomes a question of whether they should show faith in a long-serving player who finally looks to be finding his footing, or trade a solid young player while his value is high.
Nick Seeler
Seeler is the last Flyers player to appear on the list, coming in at No. 22. The defenseman, like Walker, is also in the final year of his current deal, with a cap hit of $775,000. This makes him a great inexpensive player who can add some defensive experience and leadership to whichever team signs him.
While there has been speculation that the Flyers are at least considering re-signing Seeler, he's another player that just wouldn't make sense for the future plans the Flyers have. He'll be turning 31 this year, which doesn't make him the best fit for the young core the front office wants to build a team around.
There's still over a month before the trade deadline, and Flyers GM Danny Briere has stated that the team would not be making trades unless they were purposeful and contributed to the culture the organization is trying to build. But given how the front office has already shook the league with one blockbuster deal in 2024, who's to say another one might not be on the horizon?