NHL trade deadline: Flyers add two players, trade away Wade Allison; updates and rumors

Having developed a reputation for going all-in that is so fitting for Vegas — and not getting attached or being loyal to even their best players — the Golden Knights have pulled off another blockbuster at the trade deadline.

With the clock ticking down toward 3 p.m., reports began to filter out that Vegas was working on a deal for San Jose Sharks All-Star center Tomáš Hertl.

The deal has reportedly been agreed to with Hertl joining the defending Stanley Cup champs, who now look primed to make a run at a repeat. San Jose will receive a 2025 first-round pick, 2023 first-round pick David Edstrom. The Sharks will retain 17% of Hertl’s contract making him a $6.75 million cap hit for Vegas. The Golden Knights also will recoup third-rounders in 2025 and 2027 in the deal.

Wednesday was a tale of two defensemen nearing free agency for the Flyers, as partners Sean Walker and Nick Seeler were handed their fates.

While the Flyers chose to trade Walker to Colorado for the reward of a first-round pick, they went the opposite direction with Seeler, signing the rugged veteran to a four-year contract extension at an average annual value of $2.7 million. The move was a clear statement from the organization of how much it values Seeler, who turns 31 in June, as both a player and figure within the locker room.

Here’s how our experts, Jackie Spiegel and Gustav Elvin, graded general manager Danny Brière and the Flyers’ decision to lock up Seeler for the next four years.

» READ MORE: Flyers trade grades: Was keeping Nick Seeler a wise move?

Before the clock hit zero on the 2024 NHL trade deadline, the Flyers flipped Wade Allison to the Nashville Predators for winger Denis Gurianov, the team announced.

The 26-year-old Allison’s career has been marred by injury, with him managing just 13 goals and nine assists in 75 career NHL games with the Flyers. The 2016 second-rounder scored nine goals in 60 games last season but was in and out of coach John Tortorella’s doghouse. He was placed on waivers during training camp and has spent the entire season with Lehigh Valley, notching 10 goals and 17 points in 46 games.

Gurianov, a first-round pick in 2015, has struggled to find his game as of late after posting back-to-back 30-plus point seasons. This season, he split time between Nashville and Milwaukee of the AHL. He has a goal and an assist this season in 14 games with the Predators. His best season came in 2019-20 with Dallas when the speedy winger scored 20 goals in 64 games. 

The New Jersey Devils aren’t completely giving up on their playoff push.

After trading top goal scorer Tyler Toffoli earlier on the day, the Devils are bringing in help in goal with Jake Allen.

New Jersey, whose goaltending has been its Achilles heel all season, is trading a conditional third-round pick to Montreal for Allen. Allen was 6-12-3 with a 3.65 goals-against average and .892 save percentage.

It took a while, but we have our first trade of the day.

After a deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins Thursday to acquire high-scoring winger Jake Guentzel, the No. 1 player on most trade boards, Carolina general manager Don Waddell landed center Evgeny Kuznetsov from the Washington Capitals on Friday.

The Capitals will receive a third-round pick and retain 50% of Kuznetsov’s $7.8 million cap hit – for this season and next – to complete the deal.

The Flyers this week told Nick Seeler, a 30-year-old defenseman who has been an afterthought most of his career, that they could trade him to a Stanley Cup contender if he wanted. Seeler declined. He signed an extension instead.

That’s what the Flyers have going on with general manager Danny Brière, coach John Tortorella, and president Keith Jones, as their rebuild continues to exceed expectations. That’s what Seeler wants to be a part of. He hasn’t seen a playoff game in six years, when he was a 24-year-old rookie in Minnesota, but Seeler wants to stay.

Incredibly, thanks to firm coaching, some injury luck, and the development of players young and old, the Flyers themselves could land Seeler back in the postseason for years to come.

The biggest remaining question for the Flyers if Scott Laughton will still be in the Orange and Black this weekend? Right now, that sounds like a 50/50 proposition as the Flyers are still weighing whether they should trade the popular player.

We know that Laughton is a coveted player around the league, especially in the context of a thin center market. With top center targets Elias Lindholm, Casey Mittelstadt, Sean Monahan, Adam Henrique, and Alexander Wennberg already off the board, you could make an argument that Laughton is the top remaining option. Lauded in the locker room, Laughton plays hard, is a good penalty killer, and can play up and down a lineup. The Flyers have made it known they want a first-round pick in return for the versatile veteran and it seems likely they could get one if they do choose to go that route.

But the Flyers don’t have to trade the 29-year-old, who has served as an alternate captain since last season. A beloved teammate and locker room leader, Laughton is under contract for two more seasons after this one at an affordable $3 million cap hit. He’s also a key cog in the Flyers “power kill,” leading the league with an 86.5% success rate and playing some of his best hockey of late (five goals, 12 points in the last 11 games). Trading Laughton would also take some wind out of the Flyers’ playoff push, as he is such a respected player within the room and has been with the organization since being drafted in the first-round in 2012.

Flyers general manager Danny Brière has made it clear the Flyers won’t be major buyers. They don’t want to jeopardize their future.

“We’re not going to do a rental for high-end assets for the future,” he told The Inquirer recently. “We’re protecting those. We realize where we’re at. It’s not just about this year.”

But he also said he is open to making minor deals for depth or to address team needs if it makes sense. One area the organization seems primed to do that is in goal. While Sam Ersson has had an outstanding rookie year, the Flyers are thin depth wise with Carter Hart out of the picture and facing a sexual assault charge. Cal Petersen struggled in his limited opportunities although it is hard to forget Felix Sandström’s struggles last season. For those reasons, the Flyers could look to add an inexpensive backup to Ersson as they push for the playoffs.

After months of will they, won’t they, the Flyers finally traded Sean Walker.

The coveted defenseman and a 2026 fifth-round pick were sent to the Colorado Avalanche for a 2025 first-round pick (top 10 protected) and center Ryan Johansen, who was placed on waivers after the trade was completed.

Originally acquired by the Flyers in June from the Los Angeles Kings in a three-team trade that shipped Ivan Provorov to the Columbus Blue Jackets, Walker had a standout season after he was a cap casualty for L.A. and, for many pundits, a throw-in in the deal. Johansen, acquired from the Avalanche in June from the Nashville Predators, notched just 23 points in 63 games with Colorado.

Flyers general manager Danny Brière has continued to stockpile draft picks ahead of this year's deadline.

Heading into Friday, the Flyers have two first round picks in this year's NHL draft, which will take place on June 28. They also have two first round picks in the 2025 NHL Draft, according to Puckpedia.

2024 draft picks

If the NHL season were to end today, the Flyers would be in the playoffs for the first time since 2020.

Eight teams in the Eastern Conference will move forward to the NHL playoffs – the top three teams in each division, plus two wild cards. After their win against the Florida Panthers Thursday night, the Flyers are in third place in the Metropolitan Division with 74 points.

Metropolitan Division