Crushed by injuries and two double-digit losing streaks, the Flyers are in full-on sell mode, enduring one of their worst seasons in franchise history.
Chuck Fletcher is set to "aggressively retool" the club at the NHL trade deadline.
"Everything's on the table," the Flyers' general manager said Jan. 26.
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Leading up to the March 21 deadline, we're evaluating the Flyers' candidates to be moved.
We broke down Claude Giroux before he was traded to the Panthers and have looked at Derick Brassard and Martin Jones. Next in our series is Justin Braun.
Why Braun could be traded
The 35-year-old veteran could be one of the more underrated defensemen on the trade market. He has goal-prevention smarts, a team-friendly $1.8 million cap hit and 100 games of playoff experience.
NHL
Braun is on an expiring contract and the underachieving Flyers are headed for a remake, so he is extremely likely to be moved to a contender.
With the injury to Ryan Ellis, Braun has been showcased in a top-pair role for most of the season. In 61 games this season, the defensive-minded Braun has matched his career high in goals with five to go along with 11 assists. He has a plus-3 mark on a team that entered Sunday with a minus-59 goal differential, while ranking second among Flyers defensemen with 114 blocked shots and 79 hits.
"That's everyday life in the NHL," Braun said in February about the uncertainty around the deadline. "You never know when you're going to get moved if you don't have a no-move or no-trade or whatever. You've just got to keep working every day, trying to help your team win. That's the goal every time I go out there."
What they're saying
For asset management purposes, the Flyers held Braun out of the lineup Sunday in their final game ahead of Monday's 3 p.m. ET deadline.
"There's been a lot of teams calling on Justin and we'll see what that means over the next day, whether we move him or not," Fletcher said Sunday. "He plays really hard, he's a guy that blocks shots, takes hits, so I just thought it would be prudent to at least resolve this over the next 24 hours and just hold him out for today."
Western Conference teams like the Oilers, Golden Knights and Blues could be looking for defensive help.
The Maple Leafs are an Eastern Conference club to watch.
Projected return
Fletcher could aim to land what he gave up to acquire Braun. A second-round pick would be an ideal return. The GM traded a 2019 second-round selection and a 2020 third-round pick for Braun back in June 2019.
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