Flyers Need to Trade Nick Seeler

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman stated on 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, “I had some teams indicate to me they think Philly is trying to get at least Seeler done [for an extension]”.

The veteran is having a terrific season, but the Flyers have quite a few defenders in the system that should compete for an NHL roster spot next season. Whether they can negotiate their way up to a favorable return in exchange for him or not, Seeler should see himself traded if the Flyers want to advance their rebuild.

Looking At Seeler And His Potential Return

This season, Seeler has built upon his successful 2022-23 campaign and cemented himself as a valuable depth defenseman. A brilliant shot-blocker and physical menace, he provides the lovable energy that any “glue” guy does. He drops the gloves when he has to defend a teammate and plays valuable minutes on the penalty kill, too.

His pairing with partner Sean Walker, another UFA, has been one of the team’s best as their goal share of 52.9 on the season puts them both among the better pairings in the NHL. For Seeler in particular, the eye test and deeper dive into his stats suggest he should be highly coveted by contenders around the league. Instead of capitalizing on that, it seems as though the Flyers want to extend him. It’s not necessarily a bad idea if the return isn’t right, but a next-to-nothing offer for him seems doubtful.

Back in the 2021-22 season, the Montreal Canadiens got a haul from the Florida Panthers in exchange for defenseman Ben Chiarot (the Panthers were in the midst of a President’s Trophy run.) Montreal was able to get a first-round draft choice among other assets in return despite Chiarot struggling there throughout most of the season. That season, he had a dreadful on-ice goals percentage of just 38.4 percent — essentially, he was one of the biggest liabilities on the market in that sense. Seeler is the direct opposite, with a very respectable 55.6 percent rate in the same statistic this season.

Chiarot, a physical left-handed defender, got the Canadiens a fantastic return despite not being at his best. This means Seeler should get nothing less — in theory — despite being an ideal third-pairing defender instead of a second-pairing defender like Chiarot was. Perhaps teams have gotten smarter, but one of these athletes has done their job very well, while the other was looking for some new scenery after not playing his best.

The expectation for Seeler should be nowhere near a first-round pick, but trades in the past suggest that should be what he is technically worth for what he provides. A second-round pick might even be pushing it, but general manager (GM) Daniel Briere and company need to be able to negotiate themselves up to that. Even if teams are unwilling to budge on the likely price of a mid-round draft selection, that doesn’t mean the Flyers should just automatically extend him — something is always better than nothing.

If Walker ends up being dealt, that would leave Seeler without his main partner if he were to end up being given another contract. In that case, regression would likely ensue, and that same mid-round draft value might become late-round draft value if he were traded at a future date. It’s a bit trivial to be concerned with slipping a few dozen selections in the draft, but the Flyers have come across what seem to be steals in forward Denver Barkey and goaltender Alexei Kolosov in the third round. Slipping could be a genuine detriment.

Looking at the Flyers’ Future Defense

A Seeler extension makes even less sense when looking at some of the contracts the Flyers have on the back end. There are seven defensemen who are either under contract or will be restricted free agents (RFAs) — the Flyers have sole negotiating rights with the RFAs — who have legitimate cases for being on the 23-man roster for opening night in 2024-25. With so many capable defenders, it simply doesn’t make sense to extend the veteran unless big changes are made.

Starting with right-handed defensemen, 21-year-old Jamie Drysdale will certainly be on the team next season. He has three seasons left on his contract, so he’s not going anywhere. Another right-handed defender who has a multi-year contract is 29-year-old Rasmus Ristolainen — he won’t be a free agent until 2027-28. Finally, 27-year-old Louie Belpedio impressed in his 12-game stint with the Flyers. He had two goals, two assists, a plus-6 rating, and a team-best 75 percent on-ice goals percentage — he will have a very affordable $775,000 cap hit in 2024-25. All three of these defenders are capable, yet the Flyers’ left-handed defense is arguably stronger.

Travis Sanheim is the best defenseman the Flyers have, and he has eight seasons left on his $50-million contract. He shouldn’t be going anywhere for quite some time, and the same could be said about Cam York. He is freshly off his 23rd birthday and still has two seasons left under contract. Egor Zamula is the only RFA on the list, but is just 23 years of age and will almost definitely sign an extension. To end off, 21-year-old Emil Andrae played four games with the Flyers but didn’t quite hit it off. Since then, he has played in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and found his game there. It won’t be long before he gets another shot in the NHL, yet is the only one of the four not currently with the Flyers.

Looking at all of those players, it’s hard to see where Seeler fits in. There are a few players that he is better than, but it’s not by a significant margin and he is the only one who will have any sort of return in a trade. He is the odd man out, so the Flyers would be a bit irresponsible to not prolong trade talks at the very least.

Flyers Need to Set a Precedent

In a rebuild full of uncertainty, the Flyers need to be able to set a precedent. Seeler emerged as a solid trade candidate last season, but he was still under contract so it was excusable to not part ways with him at that time. That was under a completely different regime manned by former GM Chuck Fletcher, but Briere is under the helm now with a new supporting cast. Briere doing the same things as those who failed before him wouldn’t inspire confidence that he is any different.

Seeler is a good defenseman, but the need for draft picks, the Flyers’ success in recent draft classes, and the defensive depth all point to an extension being a poor idea. This point will be moot if Philadelphia can get a nice trade for him done once his potential extension is over and done with, but the likelihood of that isn’t great. The time to do that is now, and the Flyers are looking in the other direction.

All this is much less about losing a purely hypothetical non-first-round draft pick in a trade and more about how this could be a pattern from the front office moving forward. Will they extend other veterans’ expiring contracts?

A Seeler extension isn’t set in stone and he very well could be traded, but will probably be extended by the looks of it. He’s a good player, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best option. There is a very good case for him to be dealt at the Trade Deadline (Mar. 8) even with all the intangibles he brings. It wouldn’t be an easy trade to make, but it would probably be the right one.