The Philadelphia Flyers should be a lot of fun to watch in 2024-25. The arrival of Russian phenom Matvei Michkov is enough to get the city buzzing, especially as he projects as a Calder Trophy favorite right from the get-go. The roster boasts a slew of other young talents as well, including Bobby Brink, Tyson Foerster and Jamie Drysdale, just to name a few.
Although an epic collapse cost the Flyers a playoff spot last year — which was brutal considering the squad occupied the No. 3 slot in the Metropolitan Division for most of the season — there aren’t huge expectations for this team to return to the dance for the first time since 2020. The rebuild is progressing well, but this is still a club that is at least a couple years away from Stanley Cup contention.
One player who has been part of the equation for his entire NHL career but who could become expendable is Joel Farabee. After being selected No. 14 overall in the 2018 draft, he put together a couple of mid-30 point showings in his first few years in the show. And although he had his best campaign in 2023-24, potting 22 goals and 50 points, there are rumors he could be on the trade block after a really difficult second half.
In response to a subscriber question earlier in September, The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz was asked if the 24-year-old still had room to grow on the roster, or whether he’s “too far in the doghouse” with head coach John Tortorella. And Kurz shared an interesting and insightful answer.
“I don’t like the phrase ‘in the doghouse’ before training camp even starts. No one is in the doghouse on Day 1 of camp. It’s a fresh start for everyone,” said Kurz. “The players who finished strong have to show that it wasn’t a fluke, and then there are the players who struggled down the stretch, such as Farabee — who has earned the right to show he can be a more consistent, aggressive player based on his experience and how he handles himself as a professional.”
Still, Kurz didn’t rule out that Farabee could be on the trade block if he has a tough start to the season.
Is it time for the Flyers to move on from Joel Farabee?
The problem is, Farabee has the mold of a top-six winger. And Kurz believes he won’t have a spot in the Flyers’ top-six when the season opens against the Vancouver Canucks in British Columbia on October 11, unless he performs exceptionally at training camp. Instead, the hockey insider has identified Michkov, Foerster, Owen Tippett and Travis Konecny as the squad’s top-four wingers, and that means that No. 86 could get pushed down the lineup.
“But maybe Tortorella sees it differently and wants to start Foerster, Tippett and/or Michkov lower in the lineup,” he asserted. “We’ll see how things shake out during training camp, but if the Flyers are trying to free up money for next offseason, Farabee and his $5 million through 2027-28 could end up on the trading block.”
With their top-six looking to be set, and Farabee making a steep $5 million for each of the next four seasons, it makes sense that general manager Danny Briere could look to move on from the player.
Despite setting career highs, Farabee faded after the All-Star break, losing minutes and falling down the lineup and off the top powerplay unit. He badly needs to find his early-season 2023-24 form, or he could be shipped out of town. And there’s definitely still a chance he could get moved before the season starts in a couple of weeks.
If that happens, the Buffalo Sabres look to be a great landing spot for the Cicero, New York native.
The Buffalo Sabres could be a potential suitor
It’s been 13 seasons since the Sabres have advanced to the Stanley Cup Playoffs — the longest such drought in North American sports — but the club has been hanging around the wildcard picture in the Eastern Conference for the last couple of seasons.
And with around $7 million in cap space after re-signing RFA Peyton Krebs, the squad could take on Farabee’s contract without having to make any additional moves. The Sabres also boast a deep prospect pool and a plethora of young, talented players they could dangle as potential trade bait. As it stands, Farabee would have a great chance of cracking Buffalo’s top-six, potentially moving a player like Jack Quinn or Zach Benson down the lineup.
The Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski also believes it could be a fit, mentioning in his latest mailbag that, if the price is right, Sabres GM Kevyn Adams could pull the trigger on a potential deal. Also important to note is Farabee lacks no-trade protection, meaning he couldn’t veto a trade to Western New York or elsewhere.
Another potential suitor would be the Columbus Blue Jackets, especially as it’s been reported that the Jackets are looking to add another forward to the roster before the season starts. And there are a few other squads with sufficient cap space that would benefit from a top-six forward, such as the Anaheim Ducks, Chicago Blackhawks, San Jose Sharks and Utah Hockey Club.
The most likely scenario is that the Flyers will hold onto Farabee at least for a little longer, and hope that he will be able to turn things around — he is a former first-round pick, after all. But with players like Michkov, Foerster and Brink looking to make their mark in 2024-25, it looks like the clock is ticking for this player to prove that he can be a meaningful contributor in Philly.
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