After the Philadelphia Flyers season fell apart in March, the conversation quickly shifted to fixing the defense. Erik Gustafsson was management malpractice, foolish to think he could replace the void left behind by Matt Niskanen. Inconsistent lineups deprived the Flyers of establishing an identity on defense.
In April, Philadelphia monitored any activity featuring Mattias Ekholm. The shared wish among the fanbase was an executed trade for Ekholm by the trade deadline. That didn’t happen, but the Flyers did regain a draft pick in the fifth round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft after sending Michael Raffl to the Washington Capitals.