The Fourth Period: David Pagnotta when asked about the Philadelphia Flyers and who could become available.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Kate Pettersen: “Well, we talk about making some moves, and a guy that likes to kind of stir the pot a little bit, John Tortorella, made a stir in Philly. Presumably, the fans were up in arms on that one, but electing to sit Matvei Michkov. They went on to win in a shootout. They’re also in a rebuild right now, and they’ve got some veteran pieces.
So, who are some of the names on that team that we might see other teams hungry for, especially a little bit later in the season, when they’re looking to add?
Pagnotta: “Yeah, similar to Fowler and in Anaheim Kate, these guys that I’m about to mention, they’ve got more term on their contract.
Scott Laughton has got another year on his deal. Nic Deslaurier has another year on his deal, and Rasmus Ristolainen has a few more years left on his contract. So these are three players that we’re going to look at as we get closer to the trade deadline in March. That teams are going to circle in on and see, ‘hey, how can we pounce on one of these guys, not just for this playoff run, but for next year as well’
Laughton and Ristolainen’s names have been in and around the trade market and the rumor mill for the last couple of seasons. None, they don’t have no-trade protection, so it’s going to be a little bit easier for Philadelphia to make those types of moves as they continue their rebuild process.
They kind of overachieved a little bit last season, which was nice to see for some guys, but this year a little bit more down to earth.
And yes, I know Mishkov is the prize. He’s the guy, but he’s the future guy. You can learn off the ice as well. I got no problems with the fact that they sat him. His five-on-five numbers haven’t been overly impressive, despite his good numbers offensively. So it’s all part of the process, as Torts says.
And Danny Briere and company, they’re going to go through their process. and try to make moves closer to the deadline later on the season but those are guy’s to watch.”
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s new and we’re just getting started. Rumor roundups and hot topics from around the league.