NHL Trade Rumors: Philadelphia Flyers Need to Acquire Ryan Suter

The Philadelphia Flyers have serious questions on the defensive side of the puck with a long-term injury to captain Chris Pronger and less-than-consistent goaltending.

The team needs to make a trade. And fast.

Pronger’s long-term concussion symptoms will be an issue that could cause the veteran to retire, leaving a 36-year-old Kimmo Timonen in charge. That’s not a very bright future on the blue line.

With all of the uncertainty on defense and all the money the team spent in net (nine-year, $51 million deal for Ilya Bryzgalov), not going after a young defender like Ryan Suter of the Nashville Predators would be a disaster.

That is, if he is available.

The Philadelphia Daily News is reporting that an unnamed NHL General Manager said the following:

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The consensus among us is that Nashville will be hanging onto him, even if they know the odds are not in their favor of re-signing him. If he does decide to trade him, [David] Poile has the market cornered. There are very few defensemen of Suter’s caliber in the league and Nashville has two of them. You have to wonder whether the Predators can continue to trade away their top players for prospects because they can’t afford to pay them.

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It doesn’t matter what the cost; the Philadelphia Flyers need to pull the trigger on a deal that will help them this year and for the next five years. Suter is that kind of player.

Playing next to Shea Weber can turn a great player into one of the best in the league, and that’s what Suter will bring to the Flyers blueline. With players like Matt Carle and Timonen, the Flyers would once again have a powerful defensive group.

Add in the fact that Pronger could possibly return next season, and the Flyers would have one of the top defensive units in the entire NHL.

While the Predators will want Brayden Schenn and other pieces to make this deal happen, Nashville doesn’t have much leverage when Suter is going to walk at season’s end anyway.

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