Larry Henry Jr
The Philadelphia Flyers traded a pair of veteran players away on Monday.
Justin Braun was traded to the New York Rangers on Monday, making the move to a second-consecutive Metropolitan Division team. In exchange, the Flyers received New York’s natural 2023 third-round draft pick. The Orange and Black now have nine selections in the 2023 NHL Draft, with three of those nine coming in the third-round.
“Justin gave us three great seasons and gave us everything he had every night,” Fletcher said in a press conference Monday. “A quality teammate, a quality veteran and a great pick up for the New York Rangers. None of us anticipated being where we are now. We thought we would be a competitive team. The vets were all excited going into this season. I don’t think any of us anticipated being here. Believe me, it hit home a lot earlier than today. When you trade a player like Justin Braun that has been such a great veteran, and again a really solid contribution for our team, it certainly puts it in perspective.”
Braun spent three seasons with the Flyers after joining from the San Jose Sharks. He posted 41 points (nine goals, 22 assists) in 176 regular-season games with the Flyers and averaged 18:36 of ice time. He joins Claude Giroux as the latest veteran player to leave the Flyers after what has been a disappointing overall season for the team.
This season, Braun has posted 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) and is a +3 while averaging over 20 minutes of ice time per-game at 20:02. Prior to being held out of Sunday’s game vs. the New York Islanders, Braun was one of four Flyers to have appeared in every game in 2021-22.
Brassard was traded to the Edmonton Oilers for a 2023 fourth-round draft pick. In addition, the Flyers will retain 50% of Brassard’s salary.
The 34-year-old departs the Flyers after playing part of one season with the team. He recorded 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) and a +6 rating in 31 games. Brassard also missed 31 games due to injury this season.
Braun and Brassard have both joined playoff-contending teams with both the Rangers and Oilers will in the hunt for postseason action.
The Flyers are 29 points out of a playoff spot.
You can follow Larry Henry on Twitter (@lhenry019) and e-mail him at [email protected].
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