When I'm in need of a break, YouTube is one of my many go-tos.
Some of my favorite videos? Funny NHL moments, especially those involving the mascots.
Those happen to include moments involving Gritty, the Philadelphia Flyers mascot, tormenting fans and regular people alike for no apparent reason. For fear of Gritty throwing my next takeout pizza on the ground, I had to choose those words very carefully.
For Edmonton Oilers fans hoping that the Flyers' apparent inability to win hockey games will lead to some trade action between the two teams, one might as well throw a cake on those hopes.
That will do.
The Flyers' ongoing poor start to the season in mind recently sparked both trade and coaching change rumors.
The latter saw the likes of Travis Konecny and Matvei Michkov proposed as potential trade options. Michkov in particular has been discussed as an option for the Oilers, with a trade proposal surfacing in recent days. That proposal would see Isaac Howard and two picks in the 2028 NHL Draft head Philly's way as compensation for acquiring Michkov.
The Flyers might be off to an abysmal start ...
Nine games in, and it's safe to say that the Flyers now have to treat every game like a Game 7.
As of Friday, the team sports an 0-6-3 record, and they've scored 11 goals (the joint-fewest alongside the Los Angeles Kings) while conceding 33 (the highest amount of any Eastern Conference team and the third-highest in the entire NHL). On top of that, four of their nine losses to open the 2026-27 campaign have seen the team lose by at least three goals.
Their next two games are against the Ottawa Senators, who lead the Atlantic Division heading into Saturday's NHL action, and the Presidents' Trophy holders, the Colorado Avalanche.
And beyond that, the Flyers have played four more games than the next-closest team in the Metropolitan Division. In fact, only the New York Rangers, who sit nine points clear in second in the division, have played either the same number of games or more than the Flyers to this point in the season.
So in reality, the Flyers could end up being further back in the standings than they are right now.
... but let's be honest: the Flyers are not an outlet for the Oilers' success
While Michkov has frequently been a trade option for several teams and could very well be a pivot option for the Oilers, especially with options like Alex DeBrincat starting to come off the market, does he fit the bill for the Oilers?
Not really.
Sure, Michkov would help the Oilers maintain some youth at a position of need and on a cheap trial contract. But we have to remember that the Flyers are not anywhere close to as far along on their journey of contention as the Oilers. While this is still a Flyers team that made the second round in last year's playoffs and pulled off an insane second-half run to get there, that is a foundation that is going to be quite hard for any team in the Flyers' position to replicate in one season, expectations or not.
What's more is that, including Michkov, the Flyers have 11 players under the age of 25, nine of whom are signed beyond the end of the season. That's a core that could very well end up being held together, making any trade involving those 11 players next to impossible.
On top of those players, it's fair to argue that goaltender Dan Vladar won't be part of any trade talks.
To build off the point about Michkov, the Oilers might not necessarily view a trade for a player that isn't going to immediately make the entire lineup click and pave their path to the Stanley Cup as one that is worth making unless they absolutely have to. That's nothing against the likes of Michkov, but the Oilers might not even want to trade for the aforementioned 12 players in considering that their primary goal right now is to win the Cup, not to undergo a roster revamp. In fact, they might find themselves more likely to pull off a trade with the Flyers if they asked for someone like Konecny or defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen.
And there is precedence to suggest that the Oilers could make such a move. Ristolainen was at the centre of trade talks around last year's trade deadline and during the summer, with teams like the Senators and Detroit Red Wings expressing a willingness of some kind to explore such a move.
Talk surrounding a potential Konecny trade has surfaced more recently, with the Oilers themselves being cited as a prospective destination. Having now seen a handful of postseason runs for the Flyers, he would easily represent a veteran addition for the Oilers. That said, his near-$9 million AAV and the fact that he is on injured reserve could very well deter any immediate interest on Edmonton's part.
But even with those factors in mind, it's still early in what is a newly-expanded regular season. Maybe the front office will consider a move if the team is still struggling in two weeks time, but nine games isn't necessarily the best of measuring sticks. In addition, making moves for the sake of making them doesn't make a team better right away, if at all. It also runs a very reasonable risk of leaving said team in a worse position. Elliotte Friedman reinforced this line of thinking by saying that the Flyers' front office shouldn't be or feel like they are in a position to make a move yet.
This is a team that Oilers fans should be keeping an eye on over the next few weeks, but it's not one that is going to force a move right now.
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