The Philadelphia Flyers’ 2021 NHL

Several NHL teams made adjustments to their rosters before the 2021 NHL trade deadline, which passed on April 12 at 3 p.m. ET. While some teams acquired players to prepare for a potential lengthy playoff run - the Boston Bruins acquired former MVP Taylor Hall from the Buffalo Sabres - other teams, like the New Jersey Devils and Anaheim Ducks, added draft picks. The Philadelphia Flyers, meanwhile, made two minor trades and signed pending free agent Scott Laughton to a five-year, $15 million contract.

Rumored to be on the move before the deadline given the Flyers’ standing in the East Division, Laughton is a 26-year-old center whose offensive output has improved over the past two years, but is primarily known for his physical and defensive capabilities. Selected 20th overall by the Flyers in the 2012 NHL Draft, he scored 44 goals and added 62 assists for 106 points through 321 regular season games before the 2020-21 season. He recorded a career-best 32 points in 2018-19 and scored a career-high 13 goals in only 49 games during the 2019-20 season.

The first of two trades made by the Flyers on deadline day saw the team ship veteran defenseman Erik Gustafsson to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for a seventh-round selection in the 2022 NHL Draft. Philadelphia retained half of Gustafsson’s salary cap hit as part of the deal. A fourth-round pick of the Edmonton Oilers in the 2012 NHL Draft, Gustafsson began his career with the Chicago Blackhawks and played four seasons with the team before joining the Calgary Flames in 2019-20. He had 10 points through 24 games with the Flyers this season.

Gustafsson possesses decent offensive instincts for a defenseman - he had 60 points in 79 games for the Blackhawks in 2018-19 - but struggled in his own end with the Flyers. In an analysis of the trade, Eamon Smith of SB Nation’s Broad Street Hockey called the 29-year-old Swede “one of the worst defensemen in the franchise’s history.”

Philadelphia also traded Michael Raffl to the Washington Capitals in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft. The Flyers retained 25 percent of Raffl’s contract, which is due to expire at the end of this season. A 32-year-old undrafted left winger from Villach, Austria, Raffl played six seasons in his native country and two in Sweden before signing with the Flyers in 2013. He has since played 504 regular season games for the team and accumulated 160 points, 31 of which he registered during a career-best year in 2015-16. Raffl also had eight points in 28 career playoff games. He had eight points through 34 games this season before the trade. Washington also dealt a pair of draft picks in addition to Richard Panik and Jakub Vrana to the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for Anthony Mantha.

The Flyers now have seven picks in the 2021 NHL Draft and eight in the 2022 NHL Draft. The Red Wings have the most picks in the 2021 NHL Draft with 12, while the Toronto Maple Leafs and Colorado Avalanche are tied for the fewest with three each.