The Need to Knows
- Time: 9:30 am PT / 12:30 pm ET (get your morning coffee ready now)
- Place: Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA
- Where to Watch: ABC, ESPN+
- Where to Listen: Kraken Audio Network on 93.3 KJR
Know Your Enemy
Going into this contest, there are very few teams in the league that look the same as they did just days ago. The NHL trade deadline has come and gone, and with it so have picks and players. While the rest of my team here has had you all covered on the various moves the Kraken have made, I’m about to quickly recap for you all what the Philadelphia Flyers have done prior to these two teams facing off.
The Flyers got to work early with what they wanted to do at this current stage of their rebuild when they traded Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost to Calgary in exchange for Andrei Kuzmenko and Jakob Pelletier. Kuzmenko, however, came to the Flyers with an expiring contract on hand, so it made sense to flip him to the LA Kings in exchange for a 2027 3rd round draft pick. Once it flipped over to the afternoon here on the East Coast, the Flyers then announced they were trading Scott Laughton to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Laughton was drafted a Flyer in 20 and had only ever played for this one franchise his entire career. His name has always appeared in trade talks year after year, and it’s because Laughton plays the kind of game that a lot of playoff teams think of as being as the missing piece. He’s versatile in that he can play both wing and center. He’s not the flashiest player, but he has the knack to wear down opponents. The interest in Laughton this year alone was so high, General Manager Danny Brière said in his post-deadline press conference that he talked to 14 or 15 different teams that were willing trade partners. Despite teams constantly knocking down the door, the Flyers had always been hesitant to trade Laughton away because of said versatility, but also because of his steady leadership presence in the locker room. Laughton has also immersed himself deeply within charitable causes in Philadelphia, most specifically with the local LGBTQ community. Despite all this, this year’s trade deadline wound up fetching a price that made them finally pull the trigger: a 2027 1st round pick and a prospect in Nikita Grebenkin. At least Laughton has had a sense of humor about the situation, as a week ago he staged a recreation of the Last Supper that went viral solely because he wanted to do “a little bit of trolling” about the trade rumors.
As the day continued, the Flyers also gave veteran defenseman Erik Johnson a homecoming as he was traded back to the Colorado Avalanche. In return, the Flyers received Givani Smith. The Flyers, like the Kraken, were sellers this deadline, and it’s not a surprising fate. After all, GM Brière stated in his introductory press conference in summer 2023 that the Flyers were actively in a rebuild. The rebuild might be progressing a tad ahead of schedule, with Matvei Michkov having made his debut with the team earlier than anyone could have predicted, but that only increased the urgency to shed players who were overstaying their welcomes, acquire more draft capital, and—maybe most importantly—free up cap space to go after targets in free agency this summer. The hope is that they don’t leave Michkov out high and dry the way the team had done to Claude Giroux during his prime playing years and actually build a formidable competitor in the Metropolitan Division.
Speaking of Michkov, while the Calder Trophy race this year is legitimately a tight competition with quite a few players worthy of the title, Michkov can hang his hat on being the first rookie this season to reach 20 goals. Truly, Michkov has been quite the player to watch during his first year. There’s still lots of room for him to grow, but there’s certainly a magic that he brings to any given shift and a confidence to try anything. A game that stands out to me to go back and watch the tape for was February 6 against the Washington Capitals. Michkov potted 2 goals (including beating Alex Ovechkin to be the first of the two Russians to score that night), and then he was this close to blowing the entire roof off of the Wells Fargo Center by attempting the Michigan for what would’ve been the hat trick. How many NHL players have the unabashed audacity to try that, let alone as a rookie? Keep an eye on him anytime he’s on the ice, Kraken fans.
Another trio of youngsters to keep an eye on is the line of Bobby Brink, Noah Cates, and Tyson Foerster. As the season has progressed, this line has developed as arguably the best the Flyers have iced all year long. On their own, the players are showing good signs of growth, but their chemistry when all slotted together is greater than the sum of their parts. Now, during their last contest against the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday, it should be noted that this line was broken up. However, the Flyers were being shut out up to that point, and that game was following up on a similarly abysmal performance against the Calgary Flames a couple nights before, so the change felt necessary to generate a spark. I’m not fully sure whether Coach John Tortorella will bring the line back together for this contest or if it’s time to do more roster shuffling (especially after the trade deadline has changed the composition of the team so much). Yet, if they’re starting together again, look out.
Game Preview
I wouldn’t be surprised if this game starts off to a slow, lethargic pace. After all, it will be a 12:30 pm start time here in Philadelphia. Usually matinee games at the Wells Fargo Center start at 1:00 pm, so that’s going to throw off a few routines. There’s also just the general reality of the way that trades can impact the locker room. Hockey players are professionals, but they’re still human. It might take a few shifts for the players to get out of their heads about losing teammates and to get fully into the game.
However, the last time these two teams played, it was must-watch hockey. Three total defensemen scored goals, the Kraken scored 2 goals in 8 seconds, there was a “short” kings fight between 5’10” Travis Konecny and 5’9″ Yanni Gourde (good luck in Tampa, bud), multiple players across both teams had multi-point nights, and the game ended in a 6-4 score. It was the kind of entertaining hockey game that reminded me why I love this sport so much. Maybe it’ll take a moment or two for the teams to get into gear, but I feel like games between the Kraken and Flyers have never exactly been boring.
I’d make sure you still set your alarms to be ready to go for what is a 9:30 am start time over on the West Coast. Brew up some coffee, prepare yourself a little breakfast, and watch an entire hockey game in your pajamas. It might not be the prettiest hockey game in the world since it’s between two teams that are more poised to compete for draft position than the playoffs, but sometimes it’s just about sitting back and enjoying the sport regardless. But I guess that’s also easy for me to say when it’s my home team vs the team I cover.