A trade involving the Philadelphia Flyers may soon be taking shape, as a new report links them to a sizable Vegas Golden Knights defenseman.
Per NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, cited by NHL Rumor Report and Sportsnet 590, the Flyers are reportedly in trade discussions for 6-foot-6 defenseman of the Golden Knights.
This type of move—a so-called “hockey trade”—has been on the Flyers’ radar for some time, and there’s logical reasoning behind it.
One key factor is the status of defenseman Cam York, a pending restricted free agent. Reports suggest that contract negotiations between York and the Flyers have stalled, raising the possibility that he could be moved before free agency opens on July 1.
While Hague is slightly older than York at 26, he would bring valuable size and experience to the Flyers’ blue line. At 6-foot-6, Hague offers a physical presence that Philadelphia’s front office has often emphasized as essential for playoff success.
In contrast, York, Jamie Drysdale, and Emil Andrae are all under 6 feet tall, so acquiring Hague would make the team tougher and more imposing defensively.
Hague has frequently surfaced in trade speculation as Vegas looks for ways to manage its tight salary cap. Like York, Hague is also a pending RFA, and it’s believed both teams may differ in what they’re willing to pay to retain their respective players.
The Golden Knights have just \$9.6 million in cap space and need to re-sign multiple forwards, including Reilly Smith, Brandon Saad, Tanner Pearson, Victor Olofsson, and Alex Holtz.
In this context, they could look to acquire affordable, younger forwards from the Flyers. Two possible trade chips are Jakob Pelletier, also a pending RFA, and Bobby Brink.
Brink, despite being undersized at 5-foot-8, quietly had a breakout season with a career-high 41 points. He has one year left on a very cap-friendly \$1.5 million deal.
If Philadelphia and York can’t come to terms, it appears that Hague is one of the Flyers’ top fallback options.
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