Following a new report, it would appear the Philadelphia Flyers don't have much of a chance of landing Mason McTavish in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks at all.
The reason isn't why you might think, either. Surprisingly, the reality is the reported asking price from the Ducks for McTavish starts with a player the Flyers simply do not have and cannot offer.
According to an NHL executive via Jimmy Murphy of RG, the Ducks would at least like a long-term, right-shot future top-pairing defenseman.
"Unless you’re willing to get creative and knock [GM Pat Verbeek's] socks off with a monster offer, I don’t see him getting traded at this point. A right-shot, top-four and future top-pairing defenseman would be the starting point from what I know," the NHL executive told RG. "I don’t see the [Detroit Red Wings] moving Moritz Seider, so you’re likely talking Axel Sandin-Pellikka."
A cabal of Flyers fans have been holding out hope that Flyers GM Danny Briere has one more big move in him this offseason, particularly for McTavish, but based on the above information, there's no way that will happen.
Ironically, the closest thing the Flyers have to offer that would even remotely compare to a player like Moritz Seider or Axel Sandin-Pellikka is Jamie Drysdale, who was traded by the Ducks to the Flyers already last January.
Prospects like Spencer Gill and Oliver Bonk might make some sense, but neither has the draft pedigree or pro experience that Sandin-Pellikka has.
The 20-year-old Swede has already won the SHL and owns 52 points in 107 regular season games across three seasons in Sweden's top hockey league.
Bonk, on the other hand, will be playing pro for the first time this fall and saw his production drop exponentially with the OHL London Knights this past season.
Plus, Briere and the Flyers already pried forward Trevor Zegras out of Anaheim in an attempt to resolve their issues at center and inject some skill into the top-six.
How many times can these two sides realistically continue to exchange core players and key draft assets?
There is a fit for McTavish in Philadelphia with the Flyers, yes, but it's unlikely the Flyers want to continue to fork over prime assets for more players who may or may not reach their full potential.
Instead, a slow burn towards the finish line of this rebuild is the path of least resistance at this time.
