The Philadelphia Flyers' playoff run came to an end on Saturday night with their 3-2 overtime loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 4. While the Flyers were swept by the Hurricanes, the 2025-26 season undoubtedly was a big success for Philadelphia. The Flyers took a significant step in the right direction with their rebuild by making the playoffs and winning their first-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Now, they should be looking to strengthen their roster this summer. The Flyers' biggest need heading into the 2026 NHL off-season is a legitimate first-line center. Due to this, they would be wise to kick tires on St. Louis Blues star Robert Thomas. Thomas was one of the most notable trade candidates leading up to the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline, and he should continue to generate interest around the league this summer. With the Flyers needing a first-line center, there may not be a better option for them to pursue than Thomas right now. Thomas is not only a star center, but the 26-year-old is also signed until the end of the 2030-31 season. With this, he would give the Flyers a long-term answer for their first-line center spot, which would be huge. While the price to land Thomas would be very high, he is the kind of player that the Flyers should be looking to add as they aim to aim to take another step forward in 2026-27. In 64 games this season with St. Louis, he had 25 goals, 39 assists, and 64 points.
