Flyers Weren’t Willing to Trade No. 5 Pick for DeBrincat

On the latest ‘32 Thoughts’ podcast, Elliotte Friedman noted that the Philadelphia Flyers showed interest in forward Alex DeBrincat of the Chicago Blackhawks, but did not want to give up the No. 5 pick in this year’s NHL Entry Draft to get the deal done. As such, the trade watch on DeBrincat continues, but the Flyers are likely out of the running.

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Friedman said that the Flyers were definitely in talks with Chicago. When it was brought up that the fifth-overall pick was asked about and the Flyers said they didn’t want to do that. Friedman said that “At this time, the Flyers think they are better off keeping the pick than trading it for DeBrincat.”

The fact that the Flyers were interested proves that the hiring of John Tortorella as head coach, and taking a real run at DeBrincat means the Flyers are doing everything they can to stay true to their word of an “aggressive retool” and trying to turn things around quickly.

Talk now is that the return for DeBrincat is not in the ballpark of what Chicago is looking for. While the team is rumored to be ready to move the player for the right price, speculation is that the recent Kevin Fiala trade is probably what the Blackhawks can hope to get. That is underwhelming considering the upside DeBrincat has.

Jeff Marek wondered if New Jersey might make a play but Friedman said that DeBrincat being under team control for only two more seasons might not be something the Devils are eager to do. Would the Devils trade the player for two years of DeBrincat? He is only 24 years old and has scored 132 goals in 286 games over the last four seasons. A legit 40-goal scorer, it’s interesting that the Flyers weren’t willing to part with No. 5 overall, especially knowing it’s a maybe pick.

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