This NHL offseason has already brought about a lot of rumours, from Jason Robertson to JJ Peterka to Mason Marchment to offer sheets for players like Matthew Knies and so forth. The Philadelphia Flyers haven’t necessarily been outwardly linked but they tend to work in the shadows and don’t like to have their business on blast.
Daily Faceoff’s Anthony Di Marco and On Pattison’s Anthony SanFilippo have both talked about the Flyers and their interest in the Buffalo Sabres duo of Peterka and Bowen Byram. The Sabres are desperately looking for a change after missing the postseason again for a 13th straight year.
While the Flyers have a plethora of wingers, Peterka is the type of player you go out and acquire if he ever becomes available. The former first round selection from the 2020 draft has been as good as it gets for a downtrodden Sabres club and despite the high asking price, it’s a move that should be looked at.
As for Byram, the Flyers have had interest in his services dating back to his earlier playing days in Colorado. It was rumoured that they were asking for Byram when they were shopping Claude Giroux and then once again when they were shopping Cutter Gauthier. Colorado rebuffed them both times before shipping him to Buffalo, where now it seems like he could be on the move again.
When it comes to Peterka, Di Marco notes that while the Flyers like him quite a bit, they are hesitant in moving a big haul for wingers considering their current predicament. With Matvei Michkov, Travis Konecny, Owen Tippett, and Tyson Foerster, the Flyers truly believe in that quartet being their future top-6 wingers. However, Peterka could change things:
”As I reported earlier in the week, the Flyers are hesitant to give up a significant haul for wingers given their desperate need for help down the middle of the ice. That being said, Peterka is a natural left shot, left winger; he would be the only player of that ilk in the Flyers’ top nine unless they elect to start Matvei Michkov on the left side, which I have heard is a possibility to start next season.”
The same can be said about Byram because the Flyers have enough defensemen on the left side but if they truly believe in his quality – which it does seem like they do – then it definitely makes Cam York a little more expendable. The RFA-to-be is still in negotiations for a new deal but there doesn’t seem to be one on the horizon with the Flyers still mulling his current and future role with the club.
Theoretically, acquiring Byram would allow the Flyers to shop York for a centre. There are plenty of teams looking for a top-4 defenseman who has yet to hit his prime and who has shown flashes of solid play. With the amount of teams shopping young top-6 forwards, it seems like the perfect match.
The main hiccup with Byram will be what he is going to command on a new deal. The pending RFA changed representation to Darren Ferris, who is notoriously known for his aggressive and hardball tactics as an agent. Di Marco mentions that it’s a concern for the Flyers at the moment, which might be why there hasn’t been any traction as of right now.
Either player would cause a major shift in the Flyers’ philosophy and current roster structure but the new regime does seem to be willing to make changes. They’ve ripped apart a lot of the pillars of the previous regime and are looking for a fresh start whenever their contention window actually begins.
Peterka and/or Byram would provide the Flyers with that aforementioned shift. The cost of acquisition will be roster players because Buffalo isn’t necessarily looking for future assets, so if the Flyers do continue to conduct business, expect a top-6 forward or top-4 defenseman to be on the move.
