In this edition of Philadelphia Flyers news and rumors, we discuss the potential signing of forward Rodrigo Abols, re-examine some old rumors surrounding prospect Matvey Mishukov and look at some ways the Flyers could acquire another first-round pick. With just under two weeks until the 2024 NHL Draft on June 28, big moves could soon be spurring activity across the league.
Flyers sign Rodrigo Abols
The Flyers announced on June 15 that they had signed Abols, a 6-foot-4, 205-pound center who previously played in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), for the 2023-24 season. Abols recorded 14 goals and 12 assists for 26 points in 50 games, tying him for 53rd in the league (80th percentile) in scoring out of 266 forwards. The one-year, two-way contract will pay Abols $775,000, and the 28-year-old is expected to play his entire stint in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
At center, the Avs have a few guys to beat. Rhett Gardner and Elliot Desnoyers are both under contract for one more season, Tanner Radzinski is an unrestricted free agent but could return, and 23-year-old Massimo Rizzo could become a regular for the Phantoms. Based on this season's final lineups, this could be the depth of center talent. The 2024-25 AHL could be crowded, but head coach Ian Laperriere will have to make a go of it.
If things get worse in the NHL, Abols could end up playing for the Flyers. He was drafted in the seventh round by the Vancouver Canucks in 2016 and has AHL experience. As a veteran replacement, this signing isn't all that noteworthy, but it's an interesting move nonetheless.
No update yet on Mishkov
The possibility of Mishukov joining the Flyers for the 2024-25 season was mocked by his Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) club on April 30, 2024. “I think the decision on Mishukov will be made no later than the end of June,” Alexander Medvedev, the 19-year-old's team president, said about whether the young phenom could be with the Flyers next season.
His KHL contract runs until April 30, 2026, so unless the team decides it's in the best interest of his career to move to the NHL before then, Mishukov will remain in Russia. Since then, there has been very little news on the youngster, but it's not even the end of June yet and the timeline for Mishukov's arrival is still in the works.
The Flyers would be in for a great deal right away if they could acquire Mishukov, but time is running out for that to happen. If he stays in the KHL, it wouldn't be bad for his development to stay there. He was loaned out of his SKA St. Petersburg club to a lesser team with less talent, so getting a chance with better linemates in practice should help his development.
Could the Flyers acquire two top draft picks?
The Flyers are sitting at 12th overall in the 2024 NHL Draft, but that may not be enough. It's easy to get excited about players the Flyers could potentially draft, such as Konsta Helenius, Barkley Catton and Cole Yzerman, but it would be hard to accept that they could only choose one of those players. The Flyers would love to have multiple top prospects in this class.
Given the strength of the defense in the draft, it's possible that more than one of those three forwards could fall outside the top 10. Could the Flyers really make a move on those two? In fact, there are several teams reportedly selling their picks.
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The Buffalo Sabres caught my eye a few weeks ago when they were selected 11th overall, as they are a team that hasn't been to the playoffs since 2011 and already have a lot of promising players. They believe they need to add players to their team that can contribute immediately, rather than draft picks, and this type of thinking was touched upon by Elliotte Friedman of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast.
“They just [trade the 11th pick] “The Flyers need a team with deep pockets to acquire a draft pick, but they've sold it and said, 'If we're really interested in that pick and it helps us, we'll do it,'” Friedman said. This is a clear sign the Sabres are listening to teams and what they can offer. If the Flyers are willing to part with a quality player, and maybe even better, the dream of getting a player like Helenius or Yzerman in the same draft becomes very real.
And the Ottawa Senators could be open to acquiring the No. 7 overall pick for the same reason. The team last reached the postseason in 2017 and has a lot of young players in their primes. Ottawa senior vice-president of hockey operations and former Flyers captain Dave Poulin said the team would at least be open to trading for the pick.
Just because the Senators are doing their due diligence on the pick and seeing if offers come in doesn't mean they're actively shopping around, but this opens the door for the Orange and Black to make an offer that Ottawa would have to seriously consider. Whether that would actually be beneficial for Philadelphia is a debate for another time, but they can at least consider the possibility.
The Flyers have their biggest stage of the offseason ahead of them, and big changes could happen for the Flyers over the next two weeks.
