Saturday felt much like a miniature trade deadline in the NHL with the amount of activity going on. Though it was not the trade deadline, it was — in fact — the league-wide roster freeze heading into the upcoming expansion draft for the Seattle Kraken.
The Philadelphia Flyers, surprisingly enough, made the biggest splash ahead of the 3 p.m. ET roster freeze, trading away former No. 2 overall pick Nolan Patrick and young defenseman Philippe Myers for Nashville Predators blue liner Ryan Ellis. Myers will stay in Nashville while the Predators flipped Patrick to the Vegas Golden Knights for Cody Glass.
It was a shocker of a deal, coming out of absolutely nowhere as the roster freeze deadline hit. The Flyers finally acquired the top-pair defenseman they were looking for, giving up on two young players — with Patrick especially needing a change of scenery — for a chance to win now, while also keeping their first-round pick for the upcoming draft that could possibly be used for another deal down the road.
Here’s how the NHL world reacted to the stunning deal from general manager Chuck Fletcher out of Philadelphia.