Best Flyers Trades Since 1990 #2: The Biggest Blockbuster in NHL History?

Fans of the Philadelphia Flyers will still bring up losing Patrick Sharp, Justin Williams, or Sergei Bobrovsky before their prime NHL seasons. However, the conversations don’t include the best trades in Flyers history often enough.

The Flyers haven’t won a Stanley Cup in half a century. However, their competitive history in the top tier of the NHL has required some savvy moves.

You know plenty about the worst, but what are the best trades the Flyers have made since 1990?

June 20, 1992
Flyers Get: Eric Lindros
Quebec Nordiques Get: Peter Forsberg, Mike Ricci, Ron Hextall, Chris Simon, Steve Duchesne, Kerry Huffman, 1st-Round Pick in 1993 (Jocelyn Thibault), 1st-Round Pick in 1994 (Nolan Baumgartner), $15 million

Philadelphia’s run as perennial Stanley Cup contenders faded by the late 1980s. They began a stretch of five seasons without a postseason berth in 1989-90.

They saw arguably the most anticipated prospect in the game’s history become available and pushed their chips to the middle of the table hoping for the next Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux. 

While Eric Lindros won’t go down in NHL history with the two respective all-time greats, he’s among the most talented hockey players who ever laced up the skates.

His peak during the mid and late 1990s was the highest performance of any skater in Flyers history. Lindros could score. He could pass, hit, fight, and make everyone around him better. The Flyers correctly identified the total package.

Concussions derailed his career more than any other factor. His time with the Flyers during a window of Stanley Cup contention ended stunningly way sooner than a future Hall of Famer deserved.

However, even with the benefit of hindsight, the Flyers shouldn’t ultimately live with regret for the biggest blockbuster in NHL history.

Peter Forsberg won two Stanley Cups with the Colorado Avalanche while the Flyers fell just short of the NHL’s elite in the same era. The New York Rangers lifted Lord Stanley two years after they were denied from sending key pieces of their team to acquire Eric Lindros.

Why is this deal on the list of best trades for the Flyers then?

The risk to send a lucrative package paid off and backfired at different points in ensuing history. However, Jay Snider, former franchise president and the son of founder Ed Snider, chose a bold strategy that landed the Flyers in contention for a long window of championship opportunity.

An organization that takes risks with a notorious bias for action returned to the playoffs in 1995 to begin a streak of 16 appearances in 17 chances through 2012. 

Eric Lindros never lifted the Stanley Cup with a “C” on his orange and black sweater like the Sniders hoped. Rash words and actions between player and organization during an ugly battle that ended Lindros’ tenure with the Flyers certainly didn’t help history unfold in Philadelphia’s favor.

The forgettable off-ice drama rightfully stays in the past when Eric Lindros comes to town in the present.

Jay Snider said it best to The Athletic in 2022.