Flyers trade deadline tracker: Defensemen

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UPDATED: 11:05 p.m.

With the NHL trade deadline is just a few days away (Monday, 3 p.m.) and Flyers general manager Ron Hextall on the record as saying the team won’t be buyers, we decided to take a look at who could be on the move. It should be noted given the Flyers’ cap situation, it’ll be difficult to make any significant deals.

We already analyzed the Flyers' forwards, so let’s breakdown the blue line:

Mark Streit

Age: 36

2014-2015 cap hit: $5.25mm

Contract after 2015: $5.75mm; $4mm; UFA

If Braydon Coburn is the Flyers’ most tradable piece (more below), Streit might come in second. He’s 36, but he’s a late bloomer in the NHL. His body hasn’t taken the toll as a typical 36-year-old.

Streit moves the puck extremely well, and he brings offense from the point. He’s a decent leader who can quarterback the power play. His $5.25 million cap hit isn’t too pricy for a team to pick up, and he has two years remaining on his contract.

A team needing an offensive push from the point would love to get Streit, if he’s available. He’s an extremely attractive piece to a contender. But the Flyers haven’t been rumored to be shopping him, so he might not actually be available.

But if he is, you can bet contenders will be calling on him.

Possible landing spots: Montreal, Anaheim, Tampa Bay, Colorado, Detroit

Tradability scale: 7

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Carlo Colaiacovo

Age: 32

2014-2015 cap hit: $625m

Contract after 2015: UFA

It's been a strange season for Colaiacovo. The veteran defenseman failed to latch on with a team this past summer via free agency and sat out the beginning of the season waiting for a team to pick him up.

The Flyers gave him another chance, albeit brief, to play in the NHL after they signed him to a one-year deal in late October. Colaiacovo was used as a safety net after Coburn and Andrew MacDonald went down with injuries but hasn't cracked the lineup much since they returned.

Let's face it, teams won't exactly be knocking down the door to acquire the injury-prone 32-year-old at the deadline. Guys like Colaiacovo, currently the Flyers’ eighth defenseman, are a dime a dozen. They can always be found in free agency (see Nick Schultz, who we intentionally left off this list because of the two-year extension he signed with the Flyers earlier this month).

Best case scenario? A club needs a veteran for depth and throws a late-round pick at the Flyers for Colaiacovo.

If not, no biggie. Colaiacovo will hit the open market again this summer and he's off the Flyers' books.

Possible landing spots: Whoever would take him.

Tradability scale: 3

***

Luke Schenn

Age: 24

2014-2015 cap hit: $3.6mm

Contract after 2015: $3.35mm; UFA

Schenn isn’t very good, but he isn’t as bad as a lot of people peg him to be. It’s all about expectations and what role you put him in. He’s a decent No. 6 defenseman, but he’s not the kind of player you would hope to get when you trade a James van Riemsdyk.

He’s big — doesn’t skate well — and is a solid defender with an underrated pass. One of his warts is that he’s too aggressive in the physical game, where he’ll go for a hit and get out of position. He can help a contender, but he does have one more year left. He’d be more attractive if he was a rental.

Moving Schenn wouldn’t net you much. Most would consider him a bust in relation to where he was selected in the draft — No. 5 by the Leafs in 2008. He’s more tradable than Andrew MacDonald, less tradable than Michael Del Zotto. He’s a five.

Possible landing spots: Vancouver, Tampa Bay, Anaheim

Tradability scale: 5

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Michael Del Zotto

Age: 24

2014-2015 cap hit: $1.3 million

Contract after 2015: RFA

This is where things get interesting. Del Zotto has revived his career with the Flyers and his trade stock has risen significantly over the past few weeks.

An impending restricted free agent, Del Zotto, just 24 years old, will garner a lot of attention at the deadline. He's a puck-moving, offensive-minded blue liner that many playoff teams would love to have.

The Flyers have all the leverage in this case. If Del Zotto plays out the rest of the season, the Flyers have the option to tender him a qualifying offer this summer, which they most certainly will do. Then if another team tries to sign him — getting flashbacks of Shea Weber yet? — the Flyers can match that offer.

It's not unrealistic for the Flyers to ask for high draft picks and/or prospects in exchange for Del Zotto, who was brought in on a one-year deal after the Flyers learned Kimmo Timonen's diagnosis last summer.

Del Zotto was a low-risk, high-reward signing by Hextall. He could be a key piece for the Flyers moving forward, or even help bring in future key pieces.

Possible landing spots: Dallas, Detroit, Montreal, Anaheim, Edmonton, Winnipeg

Tradability scale: 7

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Kimmo Timonen

Age: 39

2014-2015 cap hit: $3.5mm

Contract after 2015: UFA

We've updated this section because Timonen was traded Friday night to the Chicago Blackhawks. As it turns out, a 39-year-old defenseman who hasn't played all year because of blood clots in his lungs and leg was tradable. And the Flyers netted a solid return. Win-win for both Timonen, the Flyers and Chicago.

Possible landing spots: Chicago

Tradability scale: 10

***

Andrew MacDonald

Age: 28

2014-2015 cap hit: $5 million

Contract after 2015: $5mm; $5mm; $5mm; $5mm; $5mm; UFA

MacDonald's six-year, $30 million extension looks worse and worse with every passing game.

That's not to say MacDonald is a terrible defender. He's just a severely overpaid defender.

The 28-year-old has been plagued by injuries and inconsistent play in his first full season with the Flyers. He's even found his way to the press box as a healthy scratch on multiple occasions.

Not exactly someone you'd expect to be coveted at the deadline, right? The fact of the matter is that MacDonald is what he is: A solid second- or third-pair option. He's not going to pile up points or log big minutes, but he will block shots and move the puck efficiently.

Moving MacDonald would be another situation where the Flyers would have to retain a substantial amount of one of their players' salaries. If Hextall can find a trade partner, however, he'd be a miracle worker.

Possible landing spots: Philadelphia

Tradability scale: 4

***

Braydon Coburn

Age: 29

2014-2015 cap hit: $4.5mm

Contract after 2015: $4mm; UFA

Coburn is having a down year hampered by injuries, but he serves as the Flyers’ most tradable piece. He has a good contract and he’s a top-four defenseman. The Flyers have put too much on him in his time here, at least of late. They’ve expected too much from him.

But Coburn is a quality defenseman. Sure, he’s not the same player this year as he was last season, or the year before, but he has a lot of tools contending teams look for. He’s big, fast, makes a decent pass, has a good shot (when he takes it) and can be a physical monster.

One big mark on his game is that he doesn’t use his size as well as he should. When he’s mad, he’s dominant. A couple years ago, Sean Avery pissed him off so much the 6-foot-5 defender had double-digit hits on Avery alone. He finished with about 15 that game.

Coburn is much like Matt Carle. He’s underappreciated by fans but once he’s gone, they’ll see how valuable he is and why so many teams would love to get him. The Flyers have to shed some cap, and it might be time for Coburn’s tenure in Philly to end, so he might be moved.

It’s well known the orange and black have to get their cap in order and moving Coburn’s contract would help. Teams will call about him, but Hextall isn’t just going to give him away.

Possible landing spots: Edmonton, Anaheim, Detroit, Los Angeles, Tampa Bay

Tradability scale: 8

***

Nicklas Grossmann

Age: 30

2014-2015 cap hit: $3.5 million

Contract after 2015: $3.5mm; UFA

Grossmann is somewhat of an unheralded defenseman. He's not paid to provide offense, though he does have four goals this season. His game is simple: He blocks shots, plays the body and clears the porch.

The 30-year-old is a tailor-made No. 6 blue liner. Goalies love having a guy like Grossmann protecting the crease, especially on penalty kills. He’s prone to turnovers, however, and doesn’t handle the puck well at all. But he’s still a serviceable player.

But with a logjam of bottom-pair caliber players on defense and the Flyers are looking to free up cap space, Grossmann could be a casualty. The Flyers acquired him from Dallas for second- and third-round draft picks in 2012. Could they get something similar in return?

It's not totally out of the question. Grossmann has a manageable $3.5 million cap hit and would be a solid depth acquisition for a playoff contender with injury troubles.

If Hextall can get a draft pick or two, it's very likely Grossmann's time with the Flyers will come to an end.

Possible landing spots: Tampa Bay, Anaheim, Detroit

Tradability scale: 6

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