Matvei Michkov, Simon Edvinsson, the Flyers and the Red Wings are at the centre of one blockbuster idea that's suddenly getting a lot of attention.
The pitch is simple: Philadelphia needs a young defenceman, Detroit needs a young scorer, and a swap built around those two could help two desperate teams at once.
One take put it this way: "Edvinsson wants a team that wants & needs him." Michkov, the same post argued, "will explode on a team that just needs him to be who he is."
Philadelphia's desperation is real. The Flyers are off to the worst start in franchise history at 0-5-2, scoring one goal or fewer in five of seven games.
They've been outscored 28-8. Rick Tocchet is under pressure, and Daniel Briere is hunting for a spark.
Detroit has a mess of its own. Edvinsson is unsigned in Sweden, reportedly prefers a trade, and the Red Wings are now in legitimate talks with multiple teams.
Daniel Briere and Shawn Horcoff have a swap worth discussing
Michkov is 21, carries a $950,000 cap hit and has two goals this season, including one on the power play. His -7 rating shows how rough things have been around him.
The Detroit defenceman is 23, a 6-foot-6 left shot who finished +12 in each of the last two seasons. He'd instantly upgrade a Flyers blue line that has struggled all season.
Detroit needs young offence badly at 1-3-1. A creative scorer with Michkov's upside fits a rebuild that needs rebuilding.
Briere shouldn't do it. Young scorers with that kind of ceiling are rare, and trading one during the worst start in franchise history would be a panic move dressed up as strategy.
It's like selling your best painting to fix a leaky roof. The roof gets fixed, but the wall looks empty for years.
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The Flyers host Seattle on Tuesday, while Detroit hosts New Jersey.
The idea makes sense on paper. Whether either GM is desperate enough to make it real is the question both fan bases will be asking all week.
Should the Flyers trade Matvei Michkov for Simon Edvinsson?
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