Philadelphia Flyers Snag Buffalo’s Bowen Byram in Bold Move to Power Up Their Defensive Core

The Flyers could use some size on the blue line, and it may be one of the reasons prospect Emil Andrae (5′ 9″) is stuck in the minors. Andrae could be used as a trade chip if the Flyers find what they are looking for.

Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff: The Philadelphia Flyers currently have around $6.6 million in salary cap space and will be accruing additional cap space between now and the trade deadline. Defensemen Rasmus Ristolainen and Cam York are out to start the season.

A source said that the Flyers aren’t interested in using their cap space to add a bottom-pairing defenseman or bottom-six forward, they’ll want to improve the top of their lineup. They could be looking for a left-handed defenseman to play with Jamie Drysdale, which would then slide Nick Seeler down to the third-pair.

They’ve had interest in Buffalo Sabres Bowen Byram in the past, but didn’t want to pay the asking price. Would a package involving Owen Tippett and Emil Andre be enough to get Byram out of Buffalo?

The Montreal Canadiens have their own internal structure when it comes to contract talks

The Fourth Period: The Montreal Canadiens and Lane Hutson‘s agent, Sean Coffey, continue to talk, but said “(there is) still work to do.

Canadiens GM Kent Hughes said that talks continue and that their focus is on their internal structure.

“Our salary structure is based on financial flexibility, but also on the culture we try to establish in the locker room,” Hughes explained. “That’s very important to us.

“So, in every decision we make – even in a context where the salary cap increases – the amounts will not necessarily be the same, but the principles will remain.”

Emily Kaplan reported that before Luke Hughes and Jackson LaCombe signed their deals, Hutson would do an eight-year deal at less than Noah Dobson‘s $9.5 million, but the market has changed.

If Hutson doesn’t sign an extension, on July 1st, he would be an RFA but would not be eligible for offer sheets.

This article first appeared on NHL Rumors and was syndicated with permission.