The Philadelphia Flyers have recovered ever so slightly from their embarrassing nine-game losing streak to start the season by winning their last two games in regulation — and one of them was against the Colorado Avalanche. There is a feeling of a bounce back into being respectable again.

While the Flyers were drowning during their terrible start, trade rumors were get thrown all over Philadelphia and there was even a desire to just tear the entire team down and start over again by moving just about anyone over the age of 24. The two-game winning streak has calmed those waters ever so slightly, but there is still some heavy noise surrounding the Flyers and what trade they might pull off next — and if it will be very soon.

Flyers could deal from their ultimate surplus on the wing

With forwards Travis Konecny, Owen Tippett, and Tyson Foerster out for Monday night’s win over the Avalanche, the Flyers called up Alex Bump and Cole Knuble to provide a little bit of jump and energy to the team. That resulted in, of course, the massive 3-2 win over one of the best teams this decade and the possibility that they have some young wingers who could help right away if they were called upon.

The Flyers had a winger logjam heading into this season already, but thanks to Bump’s disappointing training camp and start to his season, he was sent down and it was an easy fix. But now that he’s back up and played a decent game and Cole Knuble looks like a high-energy player that is exactly what the Flyers need right now — could another trade be coming very shortly to clear this increasingly messy logjam?

Over on Daily Faceoff, Anthony Di Marco reported on Tuesday afternoon that the Flyers’ recent success could push things further along and have them explore the trade market of some of their wingers. More specifically, to move a winger to then address a position of need; to finally get a somewhat balanced roster.

“According to a team source, something is eventually going to ‘have to give’ with the Flyers’ crowd of wingers. It could very well lead to the team exploring trade avenues for more than one winger to try and find a top-six center,” Di Marco wrote.

They have found some fairly solid contributors lower in the depth chart and are clearly wondering if they could move off, as Di Marco reports further, someone like an Owen Tippett, a Tyson Foerster, or even if things start to turn for the better, a Travis Konecny.

While reports surfaced that the Flyers could ask Konecny to waive his no-movement clause if the season was to turn sideways and they find themselves well out of the playoff picture surrounding the trade deadline, this report now says that even if the Flyers rejuvenate their season and start to win many more hockey games going forward, the team could still explore a Konecny trade. The nine-game losing streak appears to have jostled some current idea of where the team is at and maybe general manager Danny Briere is more open to focus on the current young core rather than trying to strike a balance of veterans and the Flyers’ youth.

It would be a sizeable shift no matter what, but a rebalancing of the roster certainly makes sense if the Flyers view Bump and Knuble as full-time (or even part-time) NHL players right now with those other wingers out injured. Whether it is Owen Tippett or Tyson Foerster or Travis Konecny, all three would pose a big question and we would hope that someone that would be a long-term fit for this team would be coming the other way.

Di Marco mentioned one name that the Flyers have reportedly liked a whole lot and could very well be a target: Matty Beniers of the Seattle Kraken.

It’s an interesting fit since Beniers has settled into being more of a solid top-six center than someone who can be your best player on the team. He has plus offense and plus defense, has enough size to handle himself, and has the speed that the Flyers certainly lack. It makes sense that Briere could be interested. Will it happen? It’s hard to tell since the Kraken would be removing their first-line center while trying to stay relatively competitive, but if it’s for someone like Foerster, who they reportedly like as well, and who could be a perfect trigger man for speedy playmaking center Berkly Catton, then it might just be a solid swap.

That’s just the forwards though. The Flyers are also looking at trade possibilities on the back end.

Flyers could also look for a deal to be made on the blue line

According to Di Marco, there is also a potential move on the blue line and in a similar vein, it’s because some players are ahead of schedule.

Oliver Bonk has come in and in just a few games, is looking the part of a long-term top-four defenseman. He is moving the puck incredibly well, playing very good defense along the boards against some of the best players in the world, and just seems like someone that the Flyers are more than happy to keep around from now on.

Thanks to the 21-year-old’s play, it would certainly make sense that the team is now much more willing to move off from Rasmus Ristolainen since his position next to Travis Sanheim has been taken by Bonk and he wouldn’t play above Jamie Drysdale, either. And if the team wants to see what they have in David Jiricek further, then where does the hulking Finnish rearguard even play?

Ristolainen has been on the ice before Flyers practice for the past six days, but he has not yet participated in a full team practice yet after suffering his hand injury. There is no distinct timeline for his return, so the Flyers may have some time before they have to make that decision.

One interesting name, who is also currently out with an injury and is skating with Ristolainen before practice, is Cam York.

“Defenseman Cam York’s future could be in flux if players like Bonk and McDonald continue to stick in the NHL. While York has not been actively at the heart of trade talks, his name has started to circulate as being potentially available, DFO was told late Monday night,” Di Marco wrote.

It is unlikely that Hunter McDonald, after playing 10 minutes against the Avalanche and holding his head above water, can be seen as a full-time player immediately, but York’s position is certainly in question. He had a terrible start to his season before his injury and was seen as a major reason why the Flyers lacked intensity throughout the first nine games of the season.

Moving on from York would signal that they are more than willing to trade a player who isn’t playing up to their standards. They don’t have a surplus of defensemen who could fill the 25-year-old’s spot on the second pairing, but if he were to also be included in a deal for a top-six center, or maybe part of a deal that would bring in a major upgrade on the blue line, then that could be a possibility.

His five-year deal that carries a $5.15-million AAV and has zero trade protection feels fairly valuable for teams desperate for any sense of youth on their own blue line. Maybe Briere can dangle him in front of some teams wanting to improve the team now, but also get some security in the process.

How soon will the Flyers make a trade?

The clock is ticking for this move, though. If the Flyers keep on playing well with the likes of Bump, Knuble, and Bonk contributing to the team, it might force their hand to make an immediate move. Briere won’t do something really stupid like just hand over Owen Tippett to the highest bidder of the day because he doesn’t want to hurt Bump’s feelings by sending him down, but there is also a balance to be made and an opportunity to take.

Both York and Ristolainen are on the ice and could return to the lineup within the next week or so, if we are reading the tea leaves correctly. Foerster is listed as day-to-day, and both Tippett and Konecny are on the Injured Reserve list. Konecny’s seven-day minimum has already passed and Tippett will be eligible to come back this Thursday.

Everything is in limbo right now but once players start returning to (somewhat) full health, decisions will need to be made. McDonald is an easy demotion back down to the Phantoms, but if York and Ristolainen come back, then David Jiricek could very well be the odd man out with Bonk involved, and it feels like that is unwarranted. At forward, Jacob Gaucher will be easily sent back down, but then all other 11 forwards who suited up for Monday’s win has a claim to stay in the lineup — but two of them will need to make way for the possibly returning players.

This is of course assuming there won’t be any further injuries that would then clear up another spot for a player to rotate into, but there could be a very large logjam coming the Flyers way soon. A trade might just be the only way to fix it.