The Flyers Acquire Ryan Ellis from Predators

The Philadelphia Flyers and General Manager Chuck Fletcher knew the team was looking for a top pair, right-handed defenseman to fill the void left by Matt Niskanen. Alain Vigneault tried multiple partners for Ivan Provorov last season, but no matter his partner, it just didn't seem to work.

The team was linked to Seth Jones early in the offseason, but those talks fizzled out when the two sides couldn't agree on a new contract. Jones has one season left on his contract, and Fletcher wasn't trading the farm without a longer-term commitment from the defenseman. With the roster freeze going into effect at 3 p.m. on July 17, 2021, it was looking like Fletcher would stand pat, but that didn't happen.

The Flyers acquired defenseman Ryan Ellis from the Nashville Predators for center Nolan Patrick and defenseman Philippe Myers. Patrick was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights for Cody Glass. It may have taken a three-team trade, but Fletcher finally got his man, whom the Flyers were linked to last season. Ellis will play with Provorov on the team's top pair and be the perfect replacement for the loss of Niskanen.

In getting the 30-year-old defenseman, the Flyers get a legitimate top guy and a ton of leadership for the blue line, which lacked last season. Ellis is good at making the first pass out of the defensive zone, which should help the Flyers to spend less time defending. If they defend less in their zone, it could lead to less scoring chances again and less goals against. Ellis can play on the power play since he has a decent shot from the point.

Ellis is a solid all-around defenseman and should help the Flyers improve on the defensive side of the puck. He played on the penalty kill for the Predators and should help improve the team in an area that was a weakness last season. The 30-year-old had his struggles the past two seasons, but if Fletcher didn't believe he could bounce back, he wouldn't have made the trade. It isn't all sunshine with Ellis, as there are some unknowns with him.

The first is how he will react to the trade since he has been with the Predators since day one. He will have to get to know a whole new set of teammates, a new system, and a new fan base. The 30-year-old is in the third year of an eight-year contract that started before the 2019-2020 season. His contract has a cap hit of $6.25 million per season for the next six seasons. During the 2020-21 season, he only played 35 games because of shoulder surgery. Ellis isn't someone who will throw this weight around, and there are the injury concerns.

The Predators traded Patrick to the Golden Knights shortly after acquiring him for Cody Glass. Patrick was rumored to be on the trade block last season, but nothing came about. He missed the entire 2019-2020 season due to migraines and wasn't the same player when he came back. Patrick was a little hesitant to go into corners after the puck, but he wasn't afraid to go to the front of the net. The 22-year-old can become a restricted free agent on July 28, 2021. The change of scenery and a fresh start can only be a good thing for this kid, who has been through a lot in the last two years.

The other piece of the three-team trade was a 24-year-old defenseman, Philippe Myers. Myers was an undrafted find by former Flyers General Manager Ron Hextall. He is 6'5" and is a smooth skater who isn't afraid to throw his weight around. When he keeps his game simple, he is a good player, but if he tries to do too much, he'll get himself into trouble. In his time with the Flyers, he was inconsistent and benched for poor play, but the benchings didn't always seem to work. He would return to the lineup and make the same mistakes. Myers has a ton of upside, so maybe a change of scenery will be a good thing. He is in his second year of a three-year contract that has a $2.55 million cap hit per season.

Overall, I like the trade even though Ellis is under for the next six seasons and his injury concerns. The cap hit for the contract is a manageable one, and the Flyers still have its first-round draft pick and top prospects in play to make another trade to fill other needs on the team.

Flying Forward: Weekly Preview 2/11/18-2/17/18

The Philadelphia Flyers look to continue their winning ways of late this week as they face some Metropolitan Division foes. 

The Flyers will start the week off  by playing their first ever game in Las Vegas against the Golden Knights, who have been a surprise team to most this year. Philly will then make a quick pit stop home to face the struggling New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night. The Orange and Black will then head out to Columbus to take on the Blue Jackets, who have not had the easiest of times this season and are underachieving so far. The Flyers need to be very good this week or it could cost them some valuable points in the playoff race as the Metropolitan Division is very tight.

The Flyers take on the surprising expansion team, Vegas Golden Knights, who have the second best record in the NHL just behind the Tampa Bay Lightning. Philadelphia is going to need to play a solid, 60 minute road game and limit their mistakes and turnovers. They will have to do a good job at protecting the puck while getting off to a good start in this one. The Flyers need to get a good game from Michal Neuvirth, who got the win last night after he came in during a shootout after Brian Elliott was injured. The Orange and Black should try to stay out of the penalty box since the team has one of the worst penalty kills in the League and Vegas has a decent power play.

The Golden Knights should get plenty of shots on Neuvirth early and often to test him since he hasn't played a ton lately. Vegas needs to find a way to stop the now balanced lineup of the Flyers since they have three solid lines that can put the puck in the back of the new. The Golden Knight will want to force turnovers and get quality scoring chances. They should try to win the special teams battle since the Flyers power play has been red hot lately and is now in the top 10 in the League. 

Philly will come home to an important game against division foes, New Jersey Devils. The Flyers want to keep an eye on Taylor Hall and Nico Hischier since they are the two leading scorers for the Devils. The Orange and Black should be ready for this game and set the tone right from the drop of the puck since these two teams are very close in the standings. The Flyers need to play with discipline and when a penalty is taken then the penalty killers need to find a way to come up with some big stops. Philadelphia should try to get the forecheck and cycling game going early in this one to make the Devils defend.

The Devils want to know where Nolan Patrick and Travis Konecny are at all times when they are on the ice since they have really stepped up their games the past month or so. New Jersey needs to win the battle at even strength since that is an area where they've struggled the year. The Devils will want a good game from the goaltending since the Flyers now have three lines that are rolling and creating in the offensive zone. It would certainly help if the Devils could get the first goal of the game to take the home crowd out of the game a bit. New Jersey should keep an eye on the Flyers defense because they like to pinch and join the rush in the offensive zone.

The Flyers end their week on Friday night to take on anther division foe in the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Orange and Black need to get off to a good start in this one to take the home crowd out of the game early. Philly needs to get plenty of traffic in front of the net for deflections and to take away the goalie's eyes. The Flyers need to win the special teams battle since that has been a struggle for the Blue Jackets all season long. The Orange and Black should try to limit their mistakes and know where Artemi Panarin and Seth Jones are at all times when they are on the ice.

The Blue Jackets will want to play a 60 minute game, which hasn't come easy for them this year, but they did manage on of those games against the Devils last week. Columbus will want to win the even strength battle since it has been a struggle on special teams for them this year. The Blue Jackets need to be aware of Sean Couturier and Jake Voracek when they are on the ice since they are Philly's goal scoring leader and point leader. Columbus needs to play with discipline and take advantage of playing on home ice where they have been quite good this year.