2 Trade Options For Flyers At Center After Losing Out On Carlsson
The Philadelphia Flyers took the L on the Leo Carlsson offer sheet attempt, but it was a valiant effort. Philly is looking for a legit No. 1 center, and they went all out to try and land one.
But even outside the top-line issue, the Flyers' depth down the middle is thin, at best, throughout the lineup. They'd love to land an established, productive pivot.
We've already learned that throwing out another offer sheet at an Adam Fantilli, for instance, just isn't in the cards for Philly.
If they decide to aim their sights lower than a Leo Carlsson, they might find two potential trade targets to look at, as listed recently by Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff.
Dylan Cozens, Ottawa Senators
The Sens have been more than happy with their acquisition of Cozens from the Buffalo Sabres in 2025. He produced 28 goals this season and overall has slotted in as the second-line center, with 75 points in 103 games in Ottawa since the move. But the case could be made that the Senators already have another second-line center on the roster, in Shane Pinto. Could they afford to move off of Cozens? Is an offer of defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen plus something enough to get it done?
We know that Ottawa has had interest in the big, physical Flyers' d-man, and he has been on and off the rumor mill for the past couple of years.
"There has been no indication that (Sens) GM Steve Staios is looking to move his No. 2 pivot, but the Senators do have a need on the back end and a surplus of centers on their roster," Di Marco wrote.
"There have been whispers in the past about the Senators having interest in Rasmus Ristolainen; according to Flyers sources, the team is still open to trading him this summer."
However, there's no question that the Finnish blueliner alone wouldn't be enough to pry Cozens out of Ottawa.
Matty Beniers, Seattle Kraken
The Kraken clearly are searching for offense. Big-time offense. They made runs at Artemi Panarin during the season, and again recently for Jason Robertson, but came up short each time. So why would they trade their "top-line" center? Beniers has been on the rumor mill for a couple of years, on and off, as he hasn't quite produced like a former second-overall pick (2021) should. But let's just say that he hasn't exactly been surrounded by offensive juggernauts, either.
Yes, Shane Wright is the centerman that the Kraken would prefer to deal right now, but his credentials thus far in the NHL don't quite fit the immediate top-six profile the Flyers are looking for. Beniers has the pedigree (if not always the eye-popping stats) to be that, if surrounded by better talent on the wings, which Philly has.
"Is Beniers available? What would they want in return? Questions (Kraken) GM Jason Botterill probably doesn’t even know at this point," Di Marco wrote, "but if Beniers were to become actively available, the Flyers should at least inquire."
