Let's face it: This has been another miserable season for the Philadelphia Flyers (except when they face the Pittsburgh Penguins). And because of that, questions are flying about their future.
One in particular caught our attention. The Flyers might part company, or so the rumors go, with centers Brayden Schenn and Sean Couturier, according to Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
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There's good reason to see both as underachievers. Schenn, 23, is struggling to become a solid top-six forward. Couturier, 22, is solid defensively but not producing points. Both are good and expected to be better.
If this all sounds familiar, it should. Remember 2011, when then-GM Paul Holmgren traded captain Mike Richards, then 26, to the Los Angeles Kings and Jeff Carter, also 26 at the time, to the Columbus Blue Jackets on the same day? Those June deals were intended to help the Flyers take the next step. Instead, Flyers went from Stanley Cup finalist to playoff dud and now will miss the playoffs for the second time in three years.
Ron Hextall is Flyers GM now. Then, he was the Kings' assistant GM. So he knows both sides of trading younger players. In these cases, nothing is black and white.
Carter carried a whopping 11-year, $58 million contract. Richards had been fighting with Philly media. Both players would eventually land in Los Angeles and be part of the Kings' two Stanley Cup teams.
Hextall remembered the Richards deal earlier this year. The Kings "needed his leadership; we needed another [two-way] player and someone who could play on the penalty kill and the power play," he told Carchidi.
The Flyers got valuable assets from the Kings — Wayne Simmonds and, guess who, Schenn.
"That almost killed us, to be honest," Hextall said. "You hate giving up young players. It was a hard deal to make."
The Flyers got what they wanted, but the Kings got the better of things overall.
The Hockey News looked at the Carter deal a couple years later. In it, the Flyers got forward Jakub Voracek and 2011 first- and third-round picks from the Jackets. The first-round pick was used on Couturier. By the way, CSNPhilly pointed out in 2013 the Flyers nearly sent Richard to the Blue Jackets as well.
Things didn't work out for the Flyers, even though both trades got them positive returns.
How different would things be if the Flyers hadn't started this season 1-8-3? They hit their stride too late to make a difference, but Hextall stayed patient and didn't do a knee-jerk firing of coach Crag Berube. Offseason changes are expected, although Berube might not be among them. And yet, talk of trading two young centers again must give observers and fans pause.
Development of young players, Hextall told Carchidi, is a process. Patience is key. Rumors are rumors.
Hextall, who lived the past and learned from it, knows he must make the Flyers better. If Schenn and Couturier go, Hextall knows he must make deals that improve his team.
It's on his players to prove they belong in orange and black.