The Philadelphia Flyers have long been in trade talks with the Ottawa Senators, and DFO’s Anthony Di Marco believes that won’t be any different this summer with Daniel Brière looking for centre help.
The Flyers – like so many teams around the NHL – are reportedly scouring the market for a top-6 centre and they have zeroed in on a trio of players from the Senators in Shane Pinto, Dylan Cozens, and Ridly Greig, in that particular order.
Interest in Pinto is not new as the Flyers were reportedly hoping to strike a deal with the Senators in 2023 before he signed a 1-year contract after serving his 41-game suspension for violating the league’s rules on sports gambling.
After the conclusion of the 2023-24 season, Pinto then signed a 2-year deal at $3.75 million per season, before a 4-year extension worth $7.5 million kicks in at the start of the 2026-27 season.
Di Marco mentions that the Flyers and Senators have had on-and-off trade discussions dating back to the 2024-25 season, where the latter were pushing to move Josh Norris instead of Pinto, much to the chagrin of the Flyers’ front office.
The Flyers were concerned with Norris’ injury history, which was a legitimate gripe considering the 26-year-old appeared in just 44 games this year for the Buffalo Sabres, while also playing a high of just 56 games dating back to the 2022-23 season.
Alongside Pinto, the Flyers are very keen on Cozens, who just potted 28 goals and 59 points this past season. Cozens carries a cap hit of $7.1 million until the end of the 2029-30 season, similarly to Pinto, and neither of their trade protections kick in ahead of the 2026-27 season.
While the Flyers would love to get their hands on either player, Greig remains a viable third option, should the Senators want to hold onto Pinto and Cozens. The 23-year-old is under contract through the 2028-29 season at a cap hit of $3.25 million but has played more on the wing than down the middle, which could be a cause for concern.
Greig has taken anywhere between 400-500 face-offs per season over the last 3 years, but similarly to Trevor Zegras, he has played more on the wing. Part of the reason is because the Senators have a plethora of options down the middle from Cozens, Pinto, Tim Stützle, and at times Claude Giroux.
Cozens, Greig, and Pinto are key players to their everyday lineup that helped them secure a second consecutive playoff berth. Cozens stands in at 6’3 and 205 pounds, was drafted in the first round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, and has 110 goals and 272 points in 444 games across 6 seasons.
He burst onto the scene in his third year with Buffalo after scoring 31 goals and 68 points in 2022-23 but was ultimately moved to Ottawa in exchange for Norris. In just 103 games with his club, Cozens has showcased his two-way ability with 33 goals and 75 points in 103 games and even received some votes for the Selke Trophy this past season.
Pinto is another towering presence down the middle as he stands in at 6’3” and 2o5 pounds as well. Taken in the 2nd round of the same draft, Pinto has a little less experience than his teammate, but has still potted 74 goals and 153 points in 282 games across 6 seasons.
The New York native had a career-year in 2025-26, where he scored 23 goals and 46 points in 72 contests with a plus-6 rating, a 51.8% success rate in the face-off dot, and 18:43 ATOI en route to a 6th place finish in Selke Trophy voting.
Where Cozens saw a lot of his special teams minutes on the top power play unit next to Stützle, Brady Tkachuk, and Drake Batherson, Pinto played a key role on both sides with 131.4 minutes on the power play and a career-high 162.9 minutes shorthanded.
It’s no surprise that the Flyers have Pinto at the top of their list as he checks off nearly all of their boxes. Think Noah Cates with more size and a better penchant for goals.
Greig sounds more like a consolation prize if they strike out on either of the aforementioned duo of centres. They were interested in his services ahead of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft before they drafted Tyson Foerster instead – Greig was selected 5 picks later with the 28th overall pick.
Considering some of the people that remain in the front office from the previous regime, it’s no surprise that they still have interest in him, but their priority remains with Pinto and Cozens. Greig profiles as a solid top-9 player with great two-way abilities.
He has scored 41 goals and 104 points in 247 games across the last 4 seasons, which has included three straight 13-goal campaigns. He finished the 2025-26 campaign with 13 goals and 35 points in 77 games, a 51.2% success rate on the dots, 16:42 ATOI, and a career-high 159.8 minutes shorthanded.
It remains to be seen what the exact package that the Senators would be interested in, but they have been trying to acquire Rasmus Ristolainen for a little bit now. The Senators were one of a few teams gearing up ahead of the trade deadline before the Flyers held onto the Finnish defenseman.
Ristolainen’s stock has risen since the playoffs and the Flyers remain keen on attaching a high trade value to his name, despite just having one year left on his contract. It has been reported that the Flyers will more than likely not retain his services beyond this season, but are still in no rush to make a deal – unless they get exactly what they want.
More assets will need to be added from the Flyers side of the equation, primarily for Pinto or Cozens. However, the Senators are desperately looking to shore up the right-side of their defense and Ristolainen’s physicality is something they currently lack on the backend aside from Tyler Kleven.
The Flyers struck for goaltender Joseph Woll earlier today from the Toronto Maple Leafs, effectively crossing off a priority from their off-season wish-list. Finding a top-6 centre will remain atop of that list and looking to the trade market is the more viable route considering the lack of talent that will be available in free agency.
If they’re willing to part with one of their centres, the Senators make a lot of sense, and their communication over the last few years could help in getting things over the finish line. The Flyers want a centre, the Senators want a right-shot defenseman, the framework is there.
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