- Philadelphia’s trade for Eric Lindros is one of the most important deals in NHL history.
- The Flyers made the Stanley Cup Final after acquiring Chris Pronger.
- The Flyers made three different trades involving Mark Recchi.
The Philadelphia Flyers have been involved in some of the biggest trades in the history of the National Hockey League.
In fact, you could argue that Philadelphia’s blockbuster deal for Eric Lindros was the biggest NHL trade since the Los Angeles Kings acquired Wayne Gretzky from the Edmonton Oilers.
The infamous Lindros deal tops our list of the seven biggest trades in the history of the Flyers.
7 Biggest Philadelphia Flyers Trades in Team History
1. Peter Forsberg, Steve Duchesne, Ron Hextall, Mike Ricci, Kerry Huffman, Chris Simon, $15 Million, and Two First-Round Picks for Eric Lindros
No trade since “The Trade” impacted two franchises more than this deal.
Eric Lindros was considered the best NHL prospect since Mario Lemieux, but he made it clear that he would not report to the Quebec Nordiques if they took him with the first pick in the 1992 NHL Draft.
The saga unfolded in the public eye, and the hockey world waited for Quebec to pick which offer they liked best.
The Nordiques landed on Philadelphia’s, which was built around Peter Forsberg.
The package that Quebec got in return for Lindros ended up working out well – just not in Quebec. The Nordiques were forced to relocate due to financial concerns, and Forsberg, Mike Ricci, and Chris Simon all won a Stanley Cup in the franchise’s first season in Denver.
The Flyers made out well in the trade, too. Lindros burst onto the scene with 41 goals as a rookie, won the Hart Trophy in his third season, and led the Flyers to the Stanley Cup Final in 1997.
Lindros’ career was cut short by concussion issues, but he still managed to put up 659 points in 486 games with the Flyers.
2. Doug Favell and a First-Round Pick for Bernie Parent
The trade for Lindros had a bigger impact on the sport, but you could argue that reacquiring Bernie Parent from the Toronto Maple Leafs is the most important trade the Flyers ever made.
Parent backstopped the Flyers to back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1974 and 1975, winning the Vezina Trophy and Conn Smythe Trophy along the way.
Parent’s performance in 1973-1974, when he played 73 of 78 games and posted a .932 save percentage, is considered one of the best seasons ever by an NHL goaltender.
3. Mark Recchi and a Third-Round Pick for John LeClair, Eric Desjardins, and Gilbert Dionne
Mark Recchi had become a fan favourite in Philadelphia during his first stint with the Flyers, but the team made a bold – and shrewd – call to deal the right winger for a trio of players with the hopes that they would inject new life into the team.
That’s exactly what happened.
While Dionne barely played for Philadelphia, LeClair and Desjardins turned into franchise legends, with the former forming one-third of the famed “Legion of Doom” line with Lindros and Mikael Renberg.
Losing Recchi hurt, but LeClair and Desjardins were two of the most important players for the Flyers during an era in which they were regularly considered a favourite to win the Stanley Cup according to their NHL odds.
4. Rod Brind’Amour, Jean-Marc Pelletier, and a Second-Round Pick for Keith Primeau and a Fifth-Round Pick
There was plenty of drama surrounding this trade.
On the Hurricanes’ side, Keith Primeau was in a public contract negotiation with Carolina’s owner, Peter Karmanos, while the Flyers were allegedly dealing with a rift in the locker room.
All of the drama ended in a trade that saw Rod Brind’Amour, one of the leaders of Philadelphia’s terrific teams in the 1990s, get shipped out for Keith Primeau.
Primeau would have some big moments for the Flyers and would eventually be named captain, but Brind’Amour got the last laugh as he led the Hurricanes to a Stanley Cup in 2006 despite having very long hockey odds in the preseason.
5. Joffrey Lupul, Luca Sbisa, Two First-Round Picks, and a Third-Round Pick for Chris Pronger
Chris Pronger did not spend much time on Broad Street, but he made a massive impact.
After an early exit in the 2009 postseason, the Flyers took a massive swing in acquiring the 35-year-old Pronger from the Ducks.
Pronger put together a strong regular season on the blue line, but he took things to an all-world level in the playoffs.
Pronger posted 18 points in 23 games and played nearly 30 minutes a night for the Flyers during their run to the 2010 Stanley Cup Final.
6. Jeff Carter for Jakub Voracek, a First-Round Pick, and a Third-Round Pick
The Flyers made two massive trades in the 2011 offseason.
With the team unraveling, the front office decided to make a 360-degree turn and shipped their captain, Mike Richards, to Los Angeles, and young star Jeff Carter to Columbus.
Both deals had enormous impacts on the club, but this one is still paying off.
Jakub Voracek would become one of Philadelphia’s best players during the 2010s, but they also selected Sean Couturier with the first-round pick that they received from Columbus.
Couturier has had a terrific career with Philadelphia and was named captain in 2024.
7. Sergei Bobrovsky for A Second-Round Pick and Two Fourth-Round Picks
This one still stings.
Nobody could be sure what Sergei Bobrovsky would turn into at the time of this trade in 2012, but it was a rash decision to send the promising young netminder to Columbus for pennies on the dollar.
Bobrovsky would win two Vezina Trophies with Columbus (including one in his first season with his new team), while the Flyers are still looking for a long-term solution in goal 13 years later.
