In this instance, familiarity breeds hope.
Last year, the Flyers did nothing at the trade deadline. They were three points out of the last playoff spot but were playing well, with 69 points and wins in their previous two games. They went 13-5-3 down the stretch and stole the No. 8 seed.
This year, the Flyers have 65 points with 20 games to play, but this time they did something significant. Desperate for offensive production, they sent 39-year-old defenseman Mark Streit to Tampa Bay for 32-year-old center Valtteri Filppula as well as a fourth-round pick and what became a a seventh-round pick when the Lightning quickly flipped Streit to Pittsburgh.