Frank Seravalli says the Flyers are among the teams that would like a crack at Dylan Larkin, as relayed this afternoon by NHL Rumour Report.
It's a new twist on a story we've been following all week. Philadelphia has been tied to the Larkin chatter as a middleman, and now a respected insider has put the Flyers on the list of interested teams, with a game against the Wild on tonight's schedule.
Seravalli, according to NHL Rumour Report, said other teams have wanted to be part of this, naming Buffalo, Boston, Philadelphia and Chicago, to say nothing of Montreal, which hasn't been on the preferred list.
This is a rumor, and it should be read that way. Nothing in the report says talks are underway, and nothing says the Red Wings have made a decision on their captain.
Still, the Flyers are a strange name to see on that list. On the Flyers playing broker in a Larkin deal, the idea was that Philadelphia would help facilitate, not land him.
The record explains why the direction of this team is a fair question. The Flyers sit at 4-8-4, 27th in the NHL, and the 35 goals for against 54 against tell you the problem is at both ends.
What a Larkin pursuit says about the Flyers
If Philadelphia is truly looking to buy a top center, that's a statement about where management sees this roster. Daniel Briere would be chasing a difference-maker while the team is 1-5-1 on the road.
The earlier report said the Flyers would absorb Yakov Trenin's deal in a Larkin trade. That's a different role from the one Seravalli's comment implies, and the two reports don't fit neatly together yet.
There's a reasonable case that this front office should be careful. A team 27th in the league with a minus-19 goal differential has holes beyond one center spot, and a splashy move wouldn't fix a defense that's giving up this many goals.
That said, the Flyers did win their last game 6-3 over Utah on Sunday, and Rick Tocchet's group is 4-4-2 over its last 10. The slide isn't a straight line.
Boston is 11-4-1 and first in the Atlantic, so a Bruins push would come from strength. Chicago is 31st and Buffalo is 15th, which makes the Flyers' standing closer to the Blackhawks' than to the contenders on that list.
The next chapter comes quickly. Whether Philadelphia is a landing spot, a broker or just a name in a rumor, the Flyers face Minnesota tonight, and every result will shape how serious that conversation gets.
