VOORHEES, N.J. — John Tortorella, somewhat playfully, acted coy when the topic of the NHL trade deadline was broached Wednesday at practice.
But, eventually, the veteran head coach was OK acknowledging the reality.
The Flyers are a rebuilding team that has vowed to not disregard its future. And they're a team with some intriguing pieces that could make sense for contending clubs come the March 7 cutoff.
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Two of the most notable names: Rasmus Ristolainen and Scott Laughton.
"We have to get better," Tortorella said. "And when you try to get better, there are going to be some casualties."
As the general manager of the Flyers' rebuild, Danny Briere has always been "open for business." At the end of January, he made his latest trade about the future by dealing Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost to the Flames.
Time will soon tell if the GM receives any other offers to his liking in an attempt to further supplement the club's future. The Flyers' hands aren't tied; for different reasons, they don't have to make more subtractions before the deadline. But Briere won't be declining any calls.
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"If someone was moved in the sake of us trying to get better and maybe opening up another avenue to try to get better, you feel bad about it, but this is a business, this is part of it," Tortorella said. "We can't have soft skin here, because you get stuck in the mud. And I think this organization has been stuck in the mud for a number of years."
Ristolainen is the type of defenseman playoff teams covet. He's big, he's in your face and he's a righty shot. For the Flyers, they have to consider if his value will ever be higher. The 30-year-old has stayed healthy and is playing arguably the best hockey of his career.
Briere noted last month that the Flyers were in "no rush to trade" Ristolainen because he's not on an expiring contract. Essentially, the Flyers' asking price will and should be high.
"If you trade him on Friday, then on Saturday, you say, 'S---, I need a big, right-handed defenseman,'" Tortorella said. "You're always looking for that big, right-handed defenseman. So these are the conversations, as coaches have with their managers, you talk about.
"But I do think you have to listen because you can't fall in love. If there's something that really is a good situation for the timeframe that we're in with our team right now, I'm sure Danny's going to look really hard at it."
Laughton is also a player that owns playoff qualities. He has positional versatility, he can provide secondary offense and he kills penalties. Over the last three seasons, the 30-year-old forward has led the NHL in shorthanded scoring with 17 points (six goals, 11 assists). Furthermore, he has a team-friendly $3 million cap hit and another year left on his contract.
Last season, Laughton dealt with trade speculation. In fact, he has dealt with it since 2021.
"It's the same thing, same thing every year," Laughton said Wednesday. "I understand the business side of it. But I signed a five-year contract here and that's pretty much it. If they have to make a move, they make a move. That's it. So I'll continue to go as business as usual."
Laughton is a heart-and-soul Flyer who was once Briere's teammate.
"You're always looking to improve your team, we have to improve our team," Tortorella said. "Danny is listening, he has to listen because we're in that stage, we have to improve our team. Scotty's loved here, but you can't fall in love."
The Flyers didn't fall in love at the deadline last season. Despite being in playoff position, they picked up a first-round pick for Sean Walker. They now have seven selections in the first two rounds of the 2025 draft (three first-rounders, four second-rounders).
Coming out of the 4 Nations Face-Off break, Tortorella's team has kept things interesting with a pair of convincing wins. The Flyers have won three straight, but they would still need to go on a considerable run to track down a wild-card spot. A shot at the playoffs probably won't cloud Briere's vision.
"If we win a few more in a row, does it say to the manager we want to be there?" Tortorella said. "Yeah, but I still think you can't miss any steps here as far as staying in neutral and hoping."
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