Revisiting the Philadelphia Flyers Brayden Schenn Trade

Trade evaluation can typically be one-sided. Usually, the workforce that reaps the instant profit from a commerce is seen as the winner, whereas the workforce that has to attend for the rewards are thought of the loser. That appeared to be the case early on in the aftermath of the 2017 NHL Draft Day commerce of Brayden Schenn to the St. Louis Blues. Schenn has made a everlasting house in St. Louis and has received a Stanley Cup.

Clearly, the Blues haven’t any regrets about this commerce. But a good evaluation of the younger prospects (by way of draft picks) the Philadelphia Flyers received in return means that this commerce is about as even because it will get, and will, in the future, be seen as one in every of the higher strikes in Flyers’ franchise historical past.

Why Schenn Had to Go

Every commerce has a narrative, and the Schenn story started with the Flyers unexpectedly rising to the second-overall decide in the 2017 NHL Draft Lottery. Then Flyers basic supervisor Ron Hextall had no concept he was going to acquire that decide. Once he had it, he knew he was going to pick out Nico Hischier or Nolan Patrick (each facilities). Therefore, he knew he would have too many gamers down the center. Schenn is a pure middle however performed on the wing most of the time attributable to the logjam of facilities in the Philadelphia system. Trading him gave head coach Dave Hakstol the possibility to maneuver one in every of Claude Giroux, Valtteri Filppula or Jori Lehtera to the wing, which labored out nicely for Giroux.

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Now that they didn’t have to fret about enjoying Schenn in his pure place, they may simply roll with Couturier, Filppula, and Patrick as their high three facilities, or so that they hoped, earlier than Patrick struggled with concussions throughout the first a number of seasons of his profession.

For the Blues, they have been wanting so as to add somebody who might tackle the function of a first-line middle. While he was by no means given that chance in Philadelphia, he did handle to supply on the wing with some gifted gamers. Knowing he may very well be slotted between Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Tarasenko, Blues basic supervisor Doug Armstrong knew Schenn might step in as the middle. He pulled the set off on the deal however gave up lots in the course of.

Evaluating the Blues’ Return

This deal had two main rewards for the Blues. Schenn was clearly the large piece, however they have been additionally capable of unload a difficult contract in Jori Lehtera. The Blues had signed Lehtera to a three-year, $14.1 million contract extension after only one season in the NHL, and it already appeared putrid by the time of the commerce. The Flyers have been in a greater place to bury the contract away from prying eyes, and since they may leverage it to extend their return in the deal, they fortunately accepted it.

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Of course, Schenn was the main prize for the Blues, and he has develop into a sensational addition to the workforce. He turned their finest participant in his first season, managing a career-high 70 factors in 82 video games. While he has not maintained fairly that degree of output, he has remained a fixture in the Blues’ top-six. He struggled some of their deep playoff run, however nonetheless had 12 factors and performed in all 26 video games as the workforce went on to win its first-ever Stanley Cup.

Schenn earned his teammates’ respect and the confidence of his new basic supervisor. Early in the 2019-20 season, he inked an eight-year, $52 million contract extension to stay with the workforce till presumably the finish of his profession. He additionally joined the workforce’s group of alternate captains and stays a fan favourite. The Blues gave up a haul to get Schenn, however they actually haven’t any regrets.

The Flyers’ Future Set with Frost and Farabee

In change for Schenn and the contract of Lehtera, the Flyers secured their future. They grabbed two first-round picks from the Blues, an enormous haul in the modern-day NHL. And with them, they chose Morgan Frost (twenty seventh total, 2017) of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and Joel Farabee (14th total, 2018) of the U.S. National Team Development Program.

It continues to be early in the two gamers’ careers, however it appears to be like like each may very well be long-term contributors in Philadelphia. Frost was a dominant participant in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with the Greyhounds, scoring 112 and 109 factors in his final two seasons, together with 29 and 18 playoff factors. He has struggled to totally set up himself in the NHL, however he’s nonetheless in his very early 20s. There’s no motive to doubt his potential but.

Farabee, on the different hand, appears to be like like an NHL star in the making. After his draft, he performed one standout season with Boston University. He additionally helped the U.S. safe a silver medal in the World Junior Championship. From there, he was destined for nearly instant NHL enjoying time. Debuting in the 2019-20 season, Farabee managed 21 factors in 52 video games. Already in his sophomore season, he has moved up the lineup, averaging over 16 minutes a sport, contributing 27 factors in 32 video games, and enjoying a serious function even on a struggling workforce.

Blues and Flyers Both Benefit

In the last evaluation, then, this deal can solely be described as a real win-win hockey commerce. The Flyers have been able the place they’d a energy to commerce from, and so they made the most of it. By accepting a nasty contract again, they have been capable of safe two first-round picks, and each Frost and Farabee look to have shiny NHL futures. Though they paid a hefty value, the Blues received’t be regretting this commerce anytime quickly, both. Schenn has been a fixture of their top-six, and it’s onerous to think about their 2019 Stanley Cup run occurring with out him. He now appears to be like to stay with the workforce for the remainder of his profession. It’s a great deal for each groups, and one which formed the way forward for each franchises.