After missing out on the playoffs, the Philadelphia Flyers acquired the rights to 35-year-old offensive defenseman Mark Streit. That might have just been the opening move in what could be another big summer for the franchise.
The Flyers are now talking with the Anaheim Ducks about acquiring 26-year-old forward Bobby Ryan, according to CSN Philly writer Tim Panaccio’s sources. One possible return being discussed is 28-year-old defenseman Braydon Coburn and the 11th overall pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
Assuming the Flyers sign Streit as reported, the team will have nine blueliners inked to one-way deals, so it wouldn’t be terribly surprising to see one of them would go.
Coburn is a big, physical defenseman and led the team with an average of 22:36 minutes of ice time per contest in 2013. However, he also posted just five points and a minus-10 rating in 33 games.
Ryan is a top-tier scorer who recorded at least 30 goals in four consecutive seasons before the 2013 shortened campaign.
His annual cap hit is $600,000 greater than Coburn’s, which is noteworthy given the Flyers’ tough cap situation. At the same time, the Ducks have considerably more flexibility and the option to retain some of Ryan’s cap hit if they feel it’s in their interests to do so.
It’s worth emphasizing that this structure is just one of the scenarios being discussed, so if there is a trade between the two teams involving Ryan, it might end up looking very different to what’s being described here.