The Philadelphia Flyers have acquired defenseman Ryan Ellis from the Nashville Predators in exchange for defenseman Philippe Myers and forward Nolan Patrick. The Predators then flipped Patrick to the Vegas Golden Knights for forward Cody Glass.
There is a ton to break down here. The Flyers far-and-away get the best player in this trade and it looks like they win it outright. Ellis is an elite two-way defenseman who can be a top-pairing guy for Philadelphia. Myers was not that. He was just a second-pairing defenseman. Ellis still has six years left on his contract that carries a $6.25 million cap hit. For now, that is very good value. There is a good chance that it could go sour by the end. But the Flyers really improve here. Patrick was drafted 2nd overall in 2017, but concussions derailed that. Patrick was not a good player when healthy this year. This a big win for the Flyers. Ellis did have a down season, but injuries likely played a part in that.
Ellis, 30, scored five goals with 13 assists for 18 points in 35 games for the Predators in 2020-21. In his NHL career, all in Nashville, Ellis has scored 75 goals with 195 assists for 270 points in 562 games.
The Predators may be starting out as sellers. They already traded away Viktor Arvidsson, and now Ellis goes. The return isn’t stellar, either. They are able to abandon an Ellis contract that could soon turn ugly. But, that would not be for a couple of seasons. Myers is decent and big, but is a significant step down from Ellis. He will be an RFA after 2022-23. For the next two seasons, Myers has a $2.55 million cap hit. The main reason to flip Patrick for Glass is that he is exempt for the expansion draft while Patrick is eligible. Glass, drafted 6th overall in 2017, has shown early signs of being a bust so far. Maybe Nashville can turn him around. Glass is a pending RFA.
Myers, 24, scored one goal with 10 assists for 11 points in 44 games for the Flyers in 2020-21. In his NHL career, all for the Flyers, Myers has scored six goals with 23 assists for 29 points in 115 games.
Glass, 22, scored four goals with six assists for 10 points in 27 games for the Knights in 2020-21. In his NHL career, all in Vegas, Glass has scored nine goals with 13 assists for 22 points in 66 games.
The Golden Knights get the player with more NHL experience who was drafted higher. Patrick has a much better chance of being a legitimate bottom-six center for the Golden Knights, or even better. He is also an RFA this year. It is just high-stakes gambling for Kelly McCrimmon, who also gets a former member of the Brandon Wheat Kings, the WHL team he used to be a part of.
Patrick, 22, scored four goals with five assists for nine points in 52 games for the Flyers in 2020-21. In his NHL career, all for the Flyers, Patrick has scored 30 goals with 40 assists for 70 points in 197 games.
CarterHud 