Could the Flyers and Wild be perfect trade partners?

The injury to Philadelphia Flyers forward Tyson Foerster hit the team hard. Foerster, 23, had 10 goals and 13 points through 21 games this season before the injury. Once thought to be out until February, Foerster ultimately elected to have surgery, which will sideline him for the remainder of the season. 

Foerster’s absence from the lineup caused some line juggling, as his stellar play on both sides of the puck had made him arguably the team’s most valuable forward. In the immediate aftermath of the injury, I heard the Flyers at least loosely explored the possibility of adding an outside player. 

According to sources from both the Flyers and Minnesota Wild, I’m told that the latter did reach out to discuss a potential trade once the news of Foerster came to light. According to sources, I’m told that the Wild offered up center Ryan Hartman to the Flyers. 

Hartman, 31, is under contract through the 2026-27 season. His contract carries an AAV of $4 million along with a 15-team no-trade list. Hartman has nine goals and 15 points through 33 games this season and is currently skating on the top line for the Wild.

Leading up to the Wild’s acquisition of all-star defenseman Quinn Hughes, I was told that Hartman was a name that the team was open to moving if they needed to clear out salary. With GM Bill Guerin already making a major move, I’m told the Wild don’t feel like they have to trade Hartman now. With a little more than $8.3 million in projected cap space at the trade deadline, per puckpedia.com, the Wild have left themselves financial flexibility if they want to make another trade. But Hartman still remains an option to be moved if Minnesota looks to make another impact move; reading the tea leaves, I believe Guerin is far from done wheeling and dealing.

While in discussions with the Flyers multiple times over the last several months, the Wild have shown continued interest in the 2019 second-round pick and Minnesota native forward Bobby Brink. Brink, 24, has nine goals and 17 points in 34 games this season; he is set to become an RFA at season’s end and currently has a $1.5 million AAV. 

While the Flyers are in no rush to trade Brink, I have heard that he is a player that could be on the outs long term. With the Flyers being loaded on the wing – both on the main roster and in the pipeline – there will eventually “have to be some movement,” a team source told me a few weeks back. 

2025 first-round pick Porter Martone is expected to be an NHL regular next season, along with the eventual return of Foerster – both of whom are right-shooting. But again, this is more of a long-term “problem” the Flyers will have to deal with and are in no rush to make such a move. 

Ironically, 2023 third-round pick Denver Barkey made his NHL debut on Saturday versus the New York Rangers; he impressed with two assists. What makes this ironic is that I’ve heard that Barkey (an undersized winger) is viewed as a potential long-term replacement for Brink. 

The plan was not for Barkey to get in NHL games this season and spend the year developing in Lehigh Valley. Both the injury to Foerster and the offensive struggles beyond Trevor Zegras put the Flyers in a position to call up Barkey, who was impressing in the AHL. The Flyers are not going to put too much stock into Barkey’s one game but are expecting to give him a five to 10 game run to see what he’s capable of. How Barkey fares with the Flyers will likely have a direct impact on whether or not they look to make a move for a forward – assuming they continue to stay in the thick of the playoff race. 

The Wild and Flyers have engaged in trade discussions since the start of the season, but nothing has been overly serious or even gotten close. The Flyers had even kicked tires on center Marco Rossi last season before he was ultimately dealt to the Vancouver Canucks, but the Wild’s price of Foerster was too rich for the Flyers’ liking. Neither club is in a position to make a move, but there has at least been foundational talks for potential deals in the future.

The question now is, will either team circle back between now and the trade deadline?