[BrindA17]

The Flyers are playing extremely well right now, so I'm not about to say that we need to make a trade. But, isn't there always room for improvement?

The beasts of the NHL (Detroit, Colorado, New Jersey) are usually playing well down the stretch, yet they seem to make deals around the trade deadline to upgrade their roster. The players traded aren't necessarily struggling, so there isn't a need to trade them; rather they make the risky deal in hopes of pushing themselves a bit closer to the ultimate prize.

Colorado is definitely the dominant example. They've made such deals as Deadmarsh + for Rob Blake, Rolston + for Ray Bourque, and Drury + for Derek Morris. Drury is an excellent player, and the deal might be looked at as a bit of a risk, but they did it anyway. They weaken their forward crop to strengthen their defense, hoping the upgrade on D overshadows the downgrade on offense.

Detroit made big trades year after year to build their roster. Acquired talent includes Hasek and Chelios. They knew these players were aging, but they took the risk and it paid off.

And Finally, our rival, New Jersey. Last year's deal (which I honestly highly doubted would pay off) brought in Joe Nieuwendyk for Jason Arnott. They sent the younger, stanley-cup-winning-goal-scorer to Dallas for an aging veteran. Yet, come playoff time, New Jersey went the distance and claimed the Cup.

Considering how it has paid off for other clubs, I don't see why the Flyers shouldn't make a deal if they feel it will have a higher upside. An example, and just an example, would be Comrie for Handzus. Flyers fans may bulk at the idea of trading the defensively sound Handzus for Comrie, whose defense lacks to say the least. But, Comrie has a higher offensive upside. He might be small, but he's really fast and is pretty tough for his size. Also, Comrie could really click with speedy wingers such as Gagne, Williams, or Kapanen. And we wouldn't be totally lost without Michal; we still have Primeau patrolling the checking line. In fact, since Primeau and Handzus are both good checking line centers, this trade could work with either Handzus or Primeau (salary raises an issue though) being sent to Edmonton.

The Flyers did make a deal of a similar nature in 1999-2000 when they sent Brind'Amour to Carolina for Primeau. Brind'Amour had the edge defensively, but we wanted a bigger player with a better offensive upside. Primeau wasn't exactly a force, but he did score the memorable clutch goal in the marathon game. We also went further in the playoffs than we've been since 1997.

Anyway, it's an example, not necessarily a suggestion. I just think that the Flyers should not rule out making a trade that could shake up the lines or may seem a bit risky. It has paid off for other teams, and I don't see why we would be any different.

Just my two cents, blast away.