Which centers might the Flyers target for an offseason trade?
It is no secret that the Philadelphia Flyers’ most pressing need is a top-six center – and the team knows it too. While GM Danny Briere and president of hockey operations Keith Jones have done an admirable job overseeing the rebuild the last 36 months, bringing in a top pivot has been one area where they have fallen short.
As several executives have expressed off the record, the argument could be made that half the league is looking for centers capable of playing higher up the lineup. The amount of centers who are available are few and far between, which is why you saw the Flyers re-sign Christian Dvorak to a five year, $25.75-million contract, the Utah Mammoth re-up Nick Schmaltz to an eight year, $64-million deal and the San Jose Sharks retain Alex Wennberg on a three year, $18-million contract.
Simply put: there are very few available pivots on the market. Briere will need to get creative if he wants to land a top-six center; if he does seriously explore the market, here are a few options he could target.
One disclaimer: Nico Hischier, whose name popped up in the rumor mill this week, doesn’t crack this list because the odds of a trade between two bitter Metropolitan Division rivals remains low. The Flyers and New Jersey Devils haven’t made a deal since 2016, and that was their only one this century.
Dylan Cozens, Ottawa Senators
First thing is first: this is not to say that Ottawa is shopping Cozens. There has been no indication that GM Steve Staios is looking to move his No. 2 pivot, but the Senators do have a need on the back end and a surplus of centers on their roster.
According to Ottawa sources, the team will not be re-signing (right shot) defenseman Nick Jensen this summer; that leaves Artem Zub, Jordan Spence and rookie Carter Yakemchuk on the right side of the blueline. The Senators have the bodies on the back end to go into next season without an addition, but perhaps adding a stabilizing, veteran presence – perhaps a physical, bigger body – would be a good option to pair with Thomas Chabot.
There have been whispers in the past about the Senators having interest in Rasmus Ristolainen; according to Flyers sources, the team is still open to trading him this summer. Ristolainen, 31, is entering the final year of his contract and carries a $5.1-million AAV. A one-for-one trade is obviously unrealistic between Cozens and Ristolainen, especially when you consider the former’s age (25) and cost certainty (four years remaining at a $7.1 million AAV). There would surely have to be more on the Flyers’ end to land any potential deal.
Cozens has yet to get back to his 31 -goal, 68-point output he had in Buffalo three seasons ago, but did get close this season with 28 goals and 59 points. Though more of an authentic second-line center, Cozens certainly has the potential to produce close to a point per game if deployed on a top line and with a team’s best wingers.
Matty Beniers, Seattle Kraken
It is honestly quite perplexing to even attempt to understand what exactly is going on in Seattle. From Ron Francis leaving the organization after his first season as president of hockey ops, to ownership hiring an outside firm to audit the hockey operations department, it is a complete gong show for the team that joined the NHL just five years ago.
To know what Seattle is looking for is impossible, because quite frankly they don’t seem to know if they’re coming or going. But if they want to make a big change to their roster and shake things up, putting their first-ever draft pick in Beniers on the market would certainly generate interest.
Beniers, 23, registered his second 50 point-plus season in 2025-26, finishing with 20 goals and 30 assists. Beniers is signed until 2031 at a $7.14 million AAV; while it is objectively good cost certainty with the salary cap set to skyrocket, sources indicate that the Flyers aren’t in love with that dollar value for the player.
All this to ask, is Beniers available? What would they want in return? Questions GM Jason Botterill probably doesn’t even know at this point, but if Beniers were to become actively available, the Flyers should at least inquire.
Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
This one is the obvious, low-hanging-fruit answer, as well as one that will surely anger the Toronto faithful. But even though GM John Chayka is rumored to be doing everything in his power to appease his captain, it is something worth talking about right now.
Should the Leafs explore this avenue, there is no doubt that the Flyers will be at the front of the line. How serious will they be? Hard to quantify exactly, but enough to consider parting with a forward like Matvei Michkov as part of a package, sources have told DFO. Aside from that, the biggest factor between a potential Flyers and Leafs deal is the latter’s unprotected first-round pick in 2027 (or 2028) that currently belongs to Philadelphia.
From a Flyers’ perspective, landing a shoot-first center like Matthews would be the perfect fit between young, up-and-coming wingers like Porter Martone, Tyson Foerster and, if he isn’t part of a package, Michkov. Trevor Zegras may be playing center at times, but his skillset is one that would directly complement Matthews’ offensive game if they were to play together.
Early conversations between Matthews, Chayka and Sundin have reportedly gone well. But if the Leafs can’t convince Matthews to stick around for the new regime, a package starting with Michkov and the Toronto first-round pick may be a good conversation starter.
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