The Philadelphia Flyers are reportedly interested in New York Islanders defenseman Alex Romanov, but at what point is paying the cost of the NHL trade market worth it?

Romanov, 25, is a pending restricted free agent in a 2025 free agent class loaded with RFA left-shot defenders but lacking quality UFAs of the same position.

The Flyers have a left-shot RFA defender in their own in Cam York, who is looking increasingly unlikely to remain in Philly with each passing day. They've also been linked to Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Nicolas Hague, a 6-foot-6 bottom-four contributor and a fellow RFA.

Given these NHL trade rumors, it would appear that the Flyers are actively seeking upgrades on size and physicality on defense. Jamie Drysdale, Egor Zamula, and Emil Andrae are all heading into the last years of their contracts, and all could conceivably leave the Flyers by this time next year.

From that perspective, Romanov, if he agrees to a contract, makes sense for the Flyers. The 25-year-old Russian is a physical player and a strong penalty killer who has experience playing the left and right sides at the NHL level.

The former Montreal Canadiens prospect is not exactly the Hulk out there, though; Romanov is 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds, marginally bigger than the 6-foot-, 200-pound York.

Sergei Bobrovsky Affirms Worst Philadelphia Flyers Trade EverThe worst Philadelphia Flyers trade of all time hits a little closer to home after the Florida Panthers won their second consecutive Stanley Cup Tuesday night.

And it's the physicality the Flyers would be after in Romanov more than size or offense. In five NHL seasons, Romanov has yet to exceed seven goals or 22 points in a given season.

On a Stanley Cup contender, Romanov would likely feature as a middle-pairing defenseman and an insulator to a more highly-skilled right-shot counterpart, like Drysdale if he were to reach his full potential.

The former second-round pick would be a marginal upgrade over the much older Nick Seeler and a significant upgrade on Zamula and Andrae, but that would also indicate that the Flyers are done taking a look at the developing Andrae.

And what would a Romanov trade cost the Flyers?

We can safely assume that the No. 6 overall pick is out of the question. There have been rumors flying around that the Islanders would like to trade back up after picking at No. 1 to add James Hagens in addition to Matthew Schaefer, but the Flyers would be foolish to oblige given that they themselves need a center for the future like Hagens.

Beyond that, the Flyers do have the No. 22 and No. 31 picks in the 2025 NHL Draft that could entice Isles in a deal. If the Islanders are serious about their quest for Hagens, they can use one of these picks in a trade to move up in the draft order.

The Flyers would hope it doesn't come at their expense, but in this case, that would be out of their hands given they keep the sixth pick.

As I postulated previously with New York Rangers defenseman K'Andre Miller, the Flyers could entertain a defenseman swap involving York. If the Islanders, Rangers, or Golden Knights have different valuations of players like Romanov, Miller, and Hague, they can always try to acquire a player in York who has a different profile and may or may not cost less.

For instance, if the Golden Knights would rather spend Hague money on a defenseman with more offensive upside, that's where York and the Flyers would benefit them. The same goes for the Islanders and Romanov, as New York still needs to re-sign RFA defenseman Noah Dobson as well.

After re-signing 34-year-old winger Kyle Palmieri to a two-year contract extension, new Islanders GM Mathieu Darche does not appear to be throwing in the towel or tearing his club down to the studs to rebuild.

NHL Draft 2025: Flyers Reiterate Interest in Trading UpThe talent-hungry Philadelphia Flyers are open to just about every possibility heading into the 2025 NHL Draft, and trading up for an even higher draft pick remains on the table.

Based on that, it would make sense for Darche to pursue NHL talent like York rather than one of the Flyers' first-round draft picks, but Romanov's trade cost and the Flyers' willingness to play ball remain to be determined.

Now that a Stanley Cup winner has been determined, the event to look forward to is the NHL Draft, which commences on Jun. 27-28 in Los Angeles, where the Winnipeg Jets will make the 28th overall selection in the first round.

Although the Jets don't have the deepest prospect pool, they are in a better situation than several teams. Nikita Chibrikov and Elias Salomonsson highlight the prospects who are closest to being NHL-ready, as soon as next season. Brad Lambert, Brayden Yager, Colby Barlow, Zach Nehring and Alfons Freij headline the skilled prospects who could become key contributors sometime in the future. 

In the 2024 NHL draft, the Jets selected Freij in the second round before selecting three consecutive forwards, those being Kevin He in the fourth round, Markus Loponen in the fifth and Kieron Walton in the sixth. In fact, Freij is the lone defenseman to be drafted by the Jets in the previous two drafts. 

With a fairly strong balance in their prospect pool, the Jets can afford to select the best available, a strategy that tends to bode well for most teams selecting late in the first round. 

The Athletic's Corey Pronman released his latest mock draft and had the Jets selecting Henry Brzustewicz, a 6'1, 18-year-old defenseman who scored 10 goals and 42 points in 67 OHL games with the London Knights. Brzustewicz won back-to-back OHL championships and a Memorial Cup playing alongside Jets prospect Jacob Julien. 

Bleacher Report's Lyle Richardson has the Jets selecting Blake Fiddler, a 6'4, 17-year-old right-handed defenseman. Fiddler spent the 2024-25 season with the Edmonton Oil Kings, where he scored 10 goals and 33 points in 64 games. Despite his big frame, Fiddler is a great skater, using it both offensively and defensively. He's strong on the puck, making plays on retrievals and as a playmaker in the offensive zone. 

Blake Fiddler homecoming! 🇺🇸

The Frisco, TX native scores in his hometown at the #U18MensWorlds! @EdmOilKings | #NHLDraftpic.twitter.com/1BCn45kmFR

— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) April 24, 2025

The Athletic's Scott Wheeler predicts the Jets draft Bill Zonnon, a 6'2 winger who recorded 28 goals and 83 points in 64 QMJHL games. Zonnon is a hard worker who plays an attentive defenseman game even as a winger. Offensively, he's a playmaker, creating passing lanes with neat zone entries off the rush. While Wheeler believes the Jets could do with a defenseman, he believes Zonnon would be a good fit for the Jets.  

TSN's Bob McKenzie has the Jets selecting goaltender Joshua Ravensbergen. Ravensbergen is a 6'5, 18-year-old right-handed catching goaltender. He posted a 33-13-4 record with the Prince Town Cougars, routinely showcasing his calmness in the crease. The North Vancouver native uses his size to be positionally sound, but he moves very well in his crease. The Jets are very thin in net in terms of prospects, and Ravensbergen could be the successor to Connor Hellebuyck. 

After getting passed over in the #WHLDraft, Joshua Ravensbergen could potentially crack the first round of the 2025 #NHLDraft in less than a week.

Yet, the @PGCougars netminder knows the draft is simply a jumping off point for even more hard work!

📝 | https://t.co/xbPdu90kqipic.twitter.com/L6OyunghtR

— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) June 17, 2025

The only thing that is certain in this draft is that it'll be full of surprises. Following picks one and two, which are nearing a guarantee to be Matthew Schaefer and Michael Misa, no other pick is set in stone, which opens up the possibility for so many trades. The Jets selecting at 28 isn't a foregone conclusion as they could easily trade back, looking to regain draft capital, considering they are making just five selections in this draft.

Stay updated with the most interesting Jets stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favourites on Google News to never miss a story.

Jets Will Make The 28th Selection At The 2025 NHL Entry DraftThe Winnipeg Jets will make the 28th overall selection at the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, which is set to begin on Jun. 27. 

When the Vancouver Canucks acquired Linus Karlsson on February 25, 2019, fans had mixed feelings. The piece going back to the San Jose Sharks in exchange was Jonathan Dahlén, a player who had previously shown flashes of success alongside franchise cornerstone at the time Elias Pettersson. Some had even referred to the two as the second-coming of the Sedin twins. Still, the 19-year-old Karlsson had the belief of Canucks general manager at the time, Jim Benning, behind him. 

“Karlsson is a player our scouts like, he’s strong on the puck, he’s a good two-way player, he’s a good playmaker. He was a guy even last year at the draft that we looked at drafting, so he’s a player that we’ve followed, that we’ve liked,” Benning said after the 2019 Trade Deadline in which the Canucks flipped Dahlén for Karlsson. 

Vancouver fans didn’t see Karlsson in Canuck colours until the 2022–23 season, as he signed his two-year entry-level contract on May 26 of 2022. A few months later, he skated in his first game as a member of the Abbotsford Canucks, grabbing two assists in his AHL debut against the Ontario Reign. He finished second in scoring for the AHL Canucks in his rookie season with 24 goals and 25 assists in 72 games played. 

The following season was a big one for Karlsson, who was entering the final year of his first NHL deal as well as his sophomore season in the AHL. Not only did he average a point-per game pace throughout the 2023–24 season with 23 goals and 37 assists in 60 games, he also received his first NHL call-up and skated in his first NHL game on November 16, 2023. As well as joining Abbotsford for their 2023–24 playoff run, Karlsson also skated in two of Vancouver’s postseason games against the Edmonton Oilers. 

Karlsson made some big steps in his game in 2023–24, but 2024–25 saw him hit another level. He joined Abbotsford for 32 of their regular season games this year, scoring 23 goals and 16 assists in 39 games played. During his time with Abbotsford, he set a new franchise record in career goals scored as an AHL Canuck, beating Sheldon Dries’ 65. 

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On the NHL side, Karlsson skated in 23 games for Vancouver. He scored his first career NHL goal on January 29 against the Nashville Predators and added two more as well as three assists before the end of the Canucks’ regular season. 

“If you want to score in this league, you have to have some natural presence. And I love to be that guy,” Karlsson had said during the Canucks’ regular season in terms of sticking in Vancouver’s lineup. “I just try to find a role that helps the team. And if I can help, it’s getting me a better chance to play up here.” 

Canucks Linus Karlsson Is Finding His NHL Role As A Netfront PresenceThe Vancouver Canucks acquired 2018 third-round draft pick, Linus Karlsson, back in 2019. He made his NHL debut on November 16, 2023, and scored his first NHL goal on January 29, 2025 against the Nashville Predators. Now, the forward has 26 total NHL games under his belt as well as two postseason NHL games. Despite finding a goal-scoring home with the Abbotsford Canucks as the franchise’s leading scorer, Karlsson looks to find his role with Vancouver. 

Upon the conclusion of Vancouver’s season, Karlsson was sent back down to Abbotsford to help the AHL Canucks’ playoff push. With the team having put together a 13-game win streak towards the end of their regular season, fans were excited about what Abbotsford could do during the Calder Cup Playoffs. Now, nearly two months later, the team has a 2–1 series lead in the 2025 Calder Cup Finals. A big reason for this has been how much Karlsson has stepped up during the postseason. 

“The thing that stands out for me with Karly is consistency, and we’ve talked a lot about how all players have their ups and downs, and with him, there’s no real peaks or valleys. He has his good and his bad days, but his ability to stay really consistent and focus on his game is what’s led him to the success this year,” Abbotsford head coach Manny Malhotra said of how big Karlsson has been for the team throughout the season. 

“I play with good players, for sure. That’s helped me,” Karlsson said of his successes this season, particularly in the goal-scoring department. “I try to find the soft areas around the net, and that’s where the goals end up. So I probably score all my goals in the same spots. So yeah, I’m just trying to be there, try to get around the net.” 

Karlsson has consistently stayed near the top of the charts in points throughout the Calder Cup Playoffs this season. With 11 goals and 11 assists in 21 games played, he broke an AHL record in Game 3 on Tuesday night for goals scored by a Swedish player in a single postseason. While he notes that this is a “fun” record to break, at the end of the day, his focus is on the same thing as his teammates’ — winning. 

“It’s fun for sure, but that’s not why I’m happy now, I’m just happy for the win.” 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, be sure to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum.

The St. Louis Blues are officially the Stanley Cup Playoffs' worst team.

At one point, the Blues were just 1.6 seconds away from eliminating the Winnipeg Jets and moving on to face the Dallas Stars in the second round, but thanks to the latest game-tying goal in postseason history from Cole Perfetti, Winnipeg bounced back to force overtime.

In that extra period, it was Jets captain Adam Lowry who redirected a Neal Pionk point shot, propelling Winnipeg to the Game 7 victory and onward to the second round, eliminating Jordan Binnington and the Blues just like that.

Thanks to Winnipeg's loss to Dallas, which then lost to Edmonton, which lost to Florida in the Stanley Cup, it can be officially be determined that St. Louis is the ultimate loser of the postseason.

Usually the bite of playoff elimination stings a bit less when you lose to the team that won the championship or lost in the final. 

This time around for both the Blues and Jets, the storyline couldn't get any bleaker. They lost to the team that lost to the team that lost to the team... and so on, and so forth.

On the other side of the coin is Edmonton and Florida. One team has lost the Cup final in back-to-back years, while the other has now been to the Stanley Cup for three-straight seasons, winning the last two. 

Will Winnipeg and St. Louis find a way to retool their teams to fit the blueprints laid out by Paul Maurice and Kris Knoblauch in Florida and Edmonton?