The Flyers found a way to acquire Massimo Rizzo after all.
Last month, the Philadelphia Flyers were rumored to be acquiring forward prospect Massimo Rizzo as part of a trade that would have sent defenseman Tony DeAngelo to the Carolina Hurricanes.
That trade never ended up happening due to potential cap circumvention reasons, but the Flyers still found a way to add Rizzo to their prospect pipeline.
Wednesday afternoon, the Flyers traded the rights of 26-year-old forward David Kase to Carolina in exchange for Rizzo’s rights and a fifth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.
Kase has spent the last two seasons playing in Czechia for HC Sparta Praha. He registered one goal and no assists in seven total appearances with the Flyers.
Rizzo, 22, was selected by the Hurricanes in the seventh round (No. 216) of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. He logged 43 goals and 123 points in 132 games in the British Columbia Hockey League from 2017 to 2020, but sat out the entire 2020-21 season to prepare for his college hockey career during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rizzo has been productive in his two seasons at the University of Denver. In 77 games, he’s posted 29 goals and 82 points and helped guide the Pioneers to a national championship in 2022. He's coming off a stellar 46-point season and was named to the All-NCHC First Team.
It should be noted that Rizzo played with fellow Flyers prospect Bobby Brink at Denver during the 2021-22 season.