NHL Rumors: Philadelphia Flyers, Minnesota Wild, Anaheim Ducks

Welcome to another edition of Full Press Hockey’s NHL Rumors! As the 2023-24 regular season has ended, teams are already strategizing for the postseason and the next season. The teams who missed the playoffs are keenly evaluating what changes need to be made to elevate their game. Trades and free agency will be the key methods they employ to pave their path to success.

In this Sunday edition of NHL Rumors, we will examine the Philadelphia Flyers, Minnesota Wild, and the Anaheim Ducks.

NHL rumors in this edition include: 

What must the Flyers do in the offseason to make some progress? What’s the status of Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson? What roster changes will the Ducks pursue?

Philadelphia Flyers – Offseason moves

Rumor: Per – Anthony Di Marco – thefourthperiod.com. The Philadelphia Flyers will be eyeing the trade and free-agent market this offseason.

The Philadelphia Flyers’ rebuild continues, and they have some nice young pieces in place going forward. They include Bobby Brink, Jamie Drysdale, Samuel Ersson, Joel Farabee, Ivan Fedotov, Tyson Foerster, Morgan Frost, Travis Konecny, Owen Tippett, and Cameron York. They were in a playoff position for most of the season but struggled down the stretch. The Flyers lack top-end talent and are thinning down the middle throughout their organization. They have two first-round picks and two second-round picks this year and next. They will see what is available on the free agent and trade market.

So, who could they add to help them progress? How about Jakob Chychrun, or Mattias Samuelsson? If they can acquire Chychrun via a trade, they better be prepared to pay him. His $4.6 million contract expires after next season. He could be in for a nice raise in the vicinity of what Noah Hanifin received (eight years, $7.35M AAV). With only $503,572 in cap space available, some changes will need to be made to make that happen. Expiring unrestricted free agent contracts of Erik Johnson ($3.25M) and Marc Staal ($1.1M) is a good place to start. Linking Chychrun with Drysdale could help the Philadelphia club’s power play on the back end.

Buffalo Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson jumped out at Di Marco. The 24-year-old would fit from an age and contractual perspective; he’s under contract for six more seasons at a $4.29M AAV. There’s no indication that Samuelsson is available, but the Flyers could pursue him. That would be costly, and the team’s management is not high on giving up draft picks or prospects to achieve these goals. That means pure hockey trades are the solution.

There have certainly been many NHL rumors about 24-year-old Joel Farabee, who has four years left on his contract at $5 million per season. While the Flyers are not shopping Farabee by any stretch, they will explore options. One Western Conference team considers that Farabee would generate much interest on the trade market. Look for the Flyers to be active this summer, but not at the expense of the club’s future.

Minnesota Wild – Filip Gustavsson

Rumor: Per – Michael Russo – theathletic.com. The Wild have signed Marc-Andre Fleury, and Jesper Wallstedt may be ready to be promoted. 

Signing Fleury ($2.5M) certainly didn’t make Gustavsson’s future in Minnesota any more secure. And Wallstedt won’t need any more improvement in playing in the AHL. When salaries are compared, the obvious savings of $2.85 million is an option to save some cap space on a team that will only have $5.9 million. Losing Gustavsson, who is signed through the 2025-26 season at a $3.75M cap hit may be a mistake. During the 2022-23 season, he had an excellent run with a 22-9-7 record, collecting a 2.10 GAA and a .931 SV%. Of course, the Wild had 103 points that season. This past season was different. The Wild only added 87 points and missed the playoffs. Gustavsson’s numbers dropped to 20-18-4 with a 3.06 GAA and an .899 SV%.

If a trade can be consummated, the Wild would ideally want a middle-six forward to appease star scorer Kirill Kaprizov. Otherwise, receiving a second-rounder may also work. The team will not give away Gustavsson but will listen to offers if they appear. If a trade doesn’t happen, they could start the season with three goalies until they decide what to do. Wallstedt could also get some good mentoring from Fleury and goalie coach Freddy Chabot if he moves to the NHL.

Anaheim Ducks – Roster needs

Rumor: Per – Josh Wegman – thescore.com. Anaheim Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said the team will pursue a top-six right-shot forward and a top-four right-shot defenseman this offseason.