UPDATE
The Flyers have acquired defenseman Andrew MacDonald from the New York Islanders. In return, the Flyers are sending a second-round pick in 2015, a third-round pick in 2014 and minor league forward Matt Mangene to the Islanders.
An impending unrestricted free agent, the 27-year-old MacDonald is a minutes-eating blueliner who leads the NHL in blocked shots, makes a decent first pass and has above-average mobility. He is not really a top-pairing caliber NHL defenseman but was forced to log very heavy ice time on the Islanders' blueline and was cast in a shutdown defenseman role against other teams' top lines.
Playing on a New York club that plays suspect team defense as a whole, his puck-possession numbers and plus-minus rating suffered tremendously as a result. On the flip side, the added ice time has enabled him to flirt with matching his NHL career highs in assists (23) and points (27) set with Islanders in 2010-11.
MacDonald may be paired with former Islanders blueline partner Mark Streit on the Flyers' second pairing. However, the Flyers may not wish to pair Nicklas Grossmann with Luke Schenn, so it possible that one could be dealt by tomorrow's 3 p.m. deadline. Additionally, the MacDonald acquisition leaves the Flyers with nine defensemen on the roster, also opening the possibility that impended unrestricted free agent Andrej Meszaros will be traded by the deadline.
I suspect that the Flyers acquired MacDonald with the intention of re-signing him before he hits the UFA market this summer. However, that remains to be seen.
********************************
STAYING FOCUSED AT TRADE DEADLINE
The Flyers will practice today in Voorhees in preparation for tomorrow night's return match with the Washington Capitals at the Wells Fargo Center. The importance of the game can help keep the team focused during the countdown to tomorrow's 3 p.m. trade deadline.
In the final day or two before the trade deadline, it's human nature for players to be a little distracted. The locker room laughter is still there, but it's a little more of the nervous than jovial variety. Most players have a good sense of whether or not they are a likely trade candidate. Even so, there is still that bit of uncertainty that keeps most on edge.
Historically, the Flyers tend to make their major moves (if any) ahead of the actual deadline day, although there are always a wave of rumors right up to the final minutes -- and then even for an hour or two beyond it because not all finalized deals are announced by the NHL by the 2 p.m. cutoff.
In 1999, for example, the Flyers did not announce their re-acquistion of Steve Duchesne from Los Angeles for several hours because the other party involved in the trade (veteran defenseman Dave Babych) had not yet been reached for notification.
This year, it is not expected that the Flyers will make any major moves today involving the acquisition or departure of current NHL roster players but that, of course, could change (which is part of the allure of the deadline for many people). The team is definitely in the market for another defenseman and perhaps a winger, but the trade market on D has many more buyers than sellers and the UFA rental market for defensemen is less than spectacular. The market for forwards has better talent available.
Do not be surprised if the Flyers only make a minor move -- or stand pat -- by 3 p.m. tomorrow. Most seasons, there is much rumor sound and fury around Philly but the team does not end doing anything major.
Last year, the Flyers acquired Steve Mason at the trade deadline from Columbus. The trade has had bigger impact on the team this season than it did in the lockout-shortened campaign, but Mason played well late in the season. Here's a complete list at the team's deadline day trade moves since 1992:
1992: None
1993: None
1994: Traded Pelle Eklund to Dallas for future considerations.
1995: Acquired Petr Svoboda from Buffalo for Garry Galley.
1996: None
1997: Acquired Frantisek Kucera from Chicago for future considerations.
1998: Acquired Dan McGillis from Edmonton for Janne Niinimaa. Acquired Dave Babych from Vancouver for 1998 3rd round pick.
1999: Acquired Steve Duchesne from Los Angeles for Dave Babych and 2000 5th round pick. Acquired Craig Berube from Washington for future considerations.
2000: Acquired Kent Manderville from Carolina for Sandy McCarthy.
2001: Acquired Dean MacAmmond from Chicago for 2001 3rd round pick. Acquired Matt Herr from Washington for Dean Melanson.
2002: Acquired Adam Oates from Washington for Maxime Ouellet and 2007 1st round, 2nd round and 3rd round picks.
2003: Acquired Peter White from Chicago for future considerations.
2004: None
2005: No season (NHL lockout)
2006: Acquired Denis Gauthier from Phoenix for Josh Gratton and two 2006 2nd round picks (originally belonging to Florida and Tampa Bay). Acquired Niko Dimitrakos from San Jose for 2006 3rd round pick (later transferred to Columbus, used to select Tom Sestito).
2007: Acquired Martin Biron from Buffalo for 2007 2nd round pick.
2008: None (Acquired Vaclav Prospal from Tampa Bay the previous night for Alexandre Picard and 2009 2nd round pick).
2009: Acquired Dan Carcillo from Phoenix for Scottie Upshall and 2011 2nd round pick. Acquired Kyle McLaren from San Jose for 2009 2nd round pick (trade nullified two days later when McLaren failed his physical).
2010: None
2011: Acquired Tom Sestito from Columbus for Michael Chaput and Greg Moore.
2012: None (acquired Nicklas Grossmann from Dallas and Pavel Kubina from Tampa Bay in mid-February trades for draft picks and non-NHL player Jon Kalinsky).
2013: Acquired Steve Mason from Columbus for Michael Leighton. (Flyers also made deadline vicinity moves sending Harry Zolnierczyk to Anaheim for Jay Rosehill and, previously, acquiring Kent Huskins from Detroit for a conditional seventh round pick).
*********
CASINO ROYALE FUNDRAISER WITH FLYERS ALUMNI
On Sun. March 9, starting at 5 p.m., Abrams Hebrew Academy will hold its annual Fund Raising Dinner and Casino Royale Night at Congregation Beth El in Yardley, PA. Special guests for the night will include Bernie Parent, Brian Propp, Bill Clement, Joe Watson and Bob "the Hound" Kelly.
Apart from the dinner and casino event, there will also be a host of items available via auction, including a signed stick by all three members of the Flyers' legendary LCB line (Reggie Leach and Hall of Famers Bob Clarke and Bill Barber), boxes of Bernie Parent's signature cigar line, a handsome Clarke lithograph and many more goodies.
All proceeds go to benefit the school. My nephew, Sammy Sherman, attends Abrams and my sister, Liza, helped to organize the event and line up the Flyers alumni guests. The slogan for the event is "Help Abrams Make Its Goal."
For more information,
click here.
Click below to follow me on Twitter:
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
Join the Discussion:
»