The weekend before the NHL draft featured some back-and-forth trade rumors involving the rebuilding Flyers, who, as Danny Briere stated, are open for business.
On Saturday, there was trade talk between the Flyers and Blues about a deal including Kevin Hayes, but nothing was official, a source confirmed to NBC Sports Philadelphia.
The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford first reported that the Blues were working to finalize a trade for Hayes. Per a report by Rutherford and The Athletic’s Charlie O’Connor, part of the trade was Travis Sanheim going to St. Louis.
According to reports by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, the trade did not get to the finish line because it included Blues veteran defenseman Torey Krug, who has a no-move clause. Krug did not waive his clause, per the reports.
Time will tell if the Flyers and Blues continue discussions.
Update: Flyers trade Hayes days before NHL draft
In separate reports by Friedman and LeBrunthe Flyers and Hurricanes have been discussing a trade that would send Tony DeAngelo back to Carolina.
According to a report Sunday morning by LeBrun, the deal hit a snag late Saturday night. Per LeBrun, the deal could still go through once a league rule issue is resolved.
The Flyers acquired DeAngelo and a 2022 seventh-round draft pick in a trade with the Hurricanes last July. They sent a 2024 second-round pick, 2023 third-round pick and 2022 fourth-round pick to Carolina. DeAngelo, a restricted free agent when traded to the Flyers, then signed a two-year, $10 million deal.
As expected, trade chatter will be prevalent for the Flyers leading up to and at the draft, which is Wednesday and Thursday in Nashville, Tennessee.
“I’ve seen an uptick probably this week,” Briere, the Flyers’ general manager, said last Thursday about trade dialogue with other clubs. “I think it felt like the guys are getting down to business a little bit more, getting inside the 10-day window to the draft. I’d have to say this week was probably a time where I started getting more return calls.”
More on the Flyers’ trade and draft picture here.
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