Saturday’s trade for Ryan Ellis is already widely considered, by both Flyers fans and NHL fans in general, a slam dunk for Chuck Fletcher. In a pivotal offseason, Philadelphia successfully went out and acquired a top pair, right-handed defender with leadership capabilities, an excellent analytical and eye test acumen, and the ability to elevate Ivan Provorov’s play immediately. The price paid to do so was surprisingly low, with two assets at valleys in their value heading back the other way in Nolan Patrick and Phil Myers.
However, that said, there were two key risks in this trade for the Flyers: Ellis’s age and injury history.