NHL Rumors: Flyers Expected To Make Forward Trade This Offseason
The goaltending and the wings are legitimate.
The center position needs work.
Flyers centers combined to score four goals across ten playoff games this spring. That needs to be fixed before this team becomes a true contender.
Sam Carchidi of The Hockey News said the Flyers need a high-end center and a defenseman who can quarterback the power play, and they are at the top of the Flyers' offseason wish list.
The free agent market is thin on centers, and Briere's most logical path is to deal from a surplus of wingers to get the man in the middle he needs.
Tyson Foerster, Owen Tippett, Travis Konecny, Matvei Michkov, Porter Martone, Alex Bump, and Nikita Grebenkin are all wingers fighting for a finite number of spots, and Garnet Hathaway is under contract for next year as well.
That is nine wingers competing for eight jobs before Briere has signed anyone.
The power play ranked last in the league for the fourth time in five years at 15.7 percent during the regular season and went 1-for-19 against Carolina in the second round.
The Names Being Discussed
Robert Thomas of the St. Louis Blues is the dream option.
The 26-year-old had 25 goals and 64 points in 64 games this season and is signed through 2030-31 at $8.125 million per year.
He has been one of the most discussed trade candidates around the league all season, and multiple Flyers analysts have argued he is the right move for a team that needs a legit first-line center to build around.
Pure FILTH from Jimmy Snuggerud to set-up Robert Thomas’ hat-trick goal 🤮 #stlblues pic.twitter.com/qzKQBK1m86
— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) April 6, 2026
The price would be steep, almost certainly requiring a top winger and additional assets, which is exactly the kind of deal Briere would need to justify by arguing Michkov or Foerster plus picks is a fair exchange for Thomas's age, talent, and term.
Vincent Trocheck of the New York Rangers is a more affordable option.
He has three years remaining at $5.625 million per year and is a proven top-six center who brings reliability and experience rather than upside, which suits a team looking for immediate help rather than a development project.
The Rangers are expected to move Trocheck this summer as part of their own retool, which makes him available in a way that Thomas may not be.
Shane Wright of the Seattle Kraken is the most interesting gamble.
"How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time."
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 9, 2026
Trevor Zegras chats with @ShawnMcKenzieSN about the challenge of overcoming a 3-0 series deficit ahead of Game 4. pic.twitter.com/ha4WHkoGmJ
The fourth overall pick in 2022 is 22 years old with 44 points in 79 games last season before regressing to 27 points this year under head coach Lane Lambert.
Multiple analysts have noted the parallel to Trevor Zegras, a former Ducks first-round pick who came to Philadelphia and found his form immediately in a new environment.
If that story repeats itself with Wright, the Flyers get a long-term first-line center at a fraction of the cost a Thomas trade would require.
Photo Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
