The whole hockey world knows the Philadelphia Flyers are devoid of centers. That was reinforced last week when their most purely talented center, Morgan Frost, was healthy scratched for four games despite none of the other centers on the roster doing much offensively, either.
Is there a rush for them to do something? Probably not. The Flyers are still in a rebuilding season and general manager Daniel Briere has already shown he’s going to be patient and let things play out with his roster a bit.
At the same time, it’s pretty dire down the middle. Frost has responded well to his scratching, but we’ve seen that movie before. Sean Couturier is playing well in many areas but still isn’t doing much on the scoresheet. Scott Laughton has been moved to wing, while Ryan Poehling and Noah Cates only recently scored their first goals of the season.
And then there’s Matvei Michkov. The young rookie seems to be getting more comfortable with every passing game, but there have already been several instances in which Michkov has deftly set up teammates for scoring chances they don’t end up capitalizing on. If the Flyers want to speed up Michkov’s development as much as they can, finding him a skilled center to play with is vital.
So could a move for a center be in the cards for Briere and the Flyers at some point before the March 7 trade deadline? Let’s take an early look at who might be available that could pique their interest either sooner or later.
We went through this last season when Zegras’ name first popped up in trade speculation. The Flyers and Anaheim Ducks did business together recently, of course, and former Ducks GM Bob Murray still works for the Flyers as a senior adviser. Zegras’ friendship with Cam York and Jamie Drysdale only fuels speculation that the Flyers might still be interested in the young forward.
But Zegras is struggling right now with just three goals and eight points in 20 games. He’s not even playing center at the moment either, having shifted to the left wing for an Anaheim team that’s once again among the league’s worst. On the other hand, maybe that brings the price down on him.
The Ducks are thought to have a pretty deep pool of young prospects. They also have just one pick in the first two rounds of the 2025 draft, so perhaps the Flyers could dangle one or two of their three second-rounders in any potential package.
Keep in mind that Zegras is not locked into a long-term contract, signed only through next season at a $5.75 million salary cap hit after which he’s still restricted. Even if the Flyers were to acquire him, they could see how he progresses before committing.
Trevor Zegras’ name has been in trade speculation for a while. (Gary A. Vasquez / Imagn Images)
A first-round pick in 2020, Rossi is No. 15 on Chris Johnston’s trade board. Considering the Minnesota Wild’s emergence this season as a team that could go on a run, perhaps they’re seeking a little more veteran help at that position and would be willing to sacrifice Rossi, who posted 21 goals and 40 points last season.
Laughton could be a player the Wild are interested in here, as a veteran who would be able to help their 27th-ranked penalty kill. It would certainly take more from the Flyers, though, to push this over the line. Perhaps Minnesota native Bobby Brink would be a player of interest for them, and it could be an opportunity for Brink, too, considering he’s now buried behind Michkov and Travis Konecny on the Flyers’ depth chart on the right side. Rossi is a pending restricted free agent at the end of this season, and if the Flyers aren’t interested in keeping Frost around for the long term (which is the way it seems to be going), they could allocate that money to Rossi instead.
If there’s one reason the 23-year-old Rossi wouldn’t be of interest to the Flyers, it’s his size. The Flyers are already among the NHL’s smaller teams, and Rossi is listed at just 5-foot-9 and 182 pounds.
Perhaps the Buffalo Sabres, playing some decent hockey lately as they try to end their playoff drought, aren’t looking to shake things up at the moment. Cozens is currently centering their second line, and according to colleague Matthew Fairburn, has been “trending in the right direction for a few weeks” despite his modest four-goal, four-assist output in 21 games.
But this is also the Sabres. No one has them pegged as a surefire playoff team at the moment. If they fall out, maybe they’d look to move the 23-year-old, who has been in trade speculation in the past.
The Flyers would have to really like Cozens to be interested in him, though. He’s locked into a $7.1 million AAV contract through 2029-30. Still, at 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds, he would give them some needed size that a guy like Rossi doesn’t have.
Pinto, who missed some time this season with an undisclosed injury, isn’t off to a great start with just one goal and two assists in 13 games. The Ottawa Senators haven’t gotten off to a strong start as a team this season either, despite some preseason projections that this might be the year they come together and get into the playoffs.
Pinto is also a guy who would help the Flyers’ size issue, listed at 6-foot-3 and 204 pounds. He’s only one season removed from a 20-goal campaign in 2022-23, his first full NHL season, and can play on both the power play and penalty kill. He’s signed to a reasonable $3.75 million contract through next season and is still a restricted free agent after that.
The Senators just lost defenseman Artem Zub to a long-term injury, leading to speculation from colleague Julian McKenzie that they might be looking for a defenseman. The Flyers have one of those available in Rasmus Ristolainen, who, like Zub, is a physical, right-handed shot.
At 33 years old, Nelson might not be a perfect fit for a rebuilding club. He’s also the most talented player on this list and a perennial 30-goal scorer, though, routinely mentioned as one of the most underrated players in the NHL by incredibly smart and perceptive hockey writers.
If the Flyers are seeking a more veteran guy to pair with Michkov for the next few years, Nelson, a pending unrestricted free agent, could be ideal. As a deceptively fast skater, Nelson can still drive play (he’s fourth among New York Islanders forwards this season in expected goals share) and can still finish, with eight goals in 22 games.
If the aging and scuffling Islanders decide at some point this season they’re ready to rebuild, Nelson is going to be a guy near the top of a lot of contenders’ wish lists. But the Flyers have something the Islanders would covet that many of those other teams do not — an abundance of draft picks. As long as they’re confident they could get Nelson signed to a reasonable extension, and that Nelson can remain healthy into his mid-30s (as he has for much of his career), this could be something the Flyers look at.
(Top photo of Marco Rossi and Owen Tippett: Kyle Ross / Imagn Images)
