The failed trade between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Columbus Blue Jackets for the fourth overall pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft had the hockey community buzzing last night.
Flyers general manager Daniel Briere did everything he could to convince Columbus to give up the fourth pick, offering two first-round picks and an established NHL player in exchange.
TSN reported that Briere presented an impressive package, including a first-round pick swap and a first-round pick for next year, plus an established young player.
Unfortunately for Briere, Columbus, led by new general manager Don Waddell, has rejected that offer thus far. Brière leaked the information to the Philadelphia media that Waddell had told him no.
The Flyers, who currently have the 12th overall pick, were clearly targeting Cayden Lindstrom, the Eric Lindros 2.0, to play with Matvei Michkov.
With Chicago and Anaheim set to pick defensemen (Levshunov to the Blackhawks and likely Anton Silayev or Zeev Buium to Anaheim), Columbus is torn between Demidov and Lindstrom.
But Brière would also have leaked the information that Columbus did not want to trade the 4th overall pick because GM Don Waddell wants to expand his attack by obtaining Cayden Lindstrom.
In this hypothetical scenario, if the Flyers had managed to obtain the 4th pick, they would have certainly selected Lindstrom, leaving Ivan Demidov available for the Montreal Canadiens.
But it appears the Blue Jackets have exactly the same plan and Briere revealed it to the Philadelphia media.
Daniel Brière showed a clear vision for the future of the Flyers, looking to build a team like Philadelphia, a mean and rough team. Lindstrom would have been the perfect fit for this goal.
Despite their efforts, the Flyers could not convince Columbus, which seems determined to use its fourth pick to accelerate its own rebuild with the big Lindstrom.
The Montreal Canadiens can now only imagine the future with Demidov. We can get excited, but in the unpredictable world of the NHL Draft, anything can still happen.
Final decisions won’t be made until the start of the first round of the draft on Friday night. However, Daniel Briere confirmed that Ivan Demidov will become a member of the Montreal Canadiens.
In releasing the information to the Philadelphia media, Briere revealed that he had done everything he could to obtain the 4th overall pick and select Cayden Lindstrom.
In talking with Don Waddell, Briere learned that Columbus intended to hold onto its pick to select Lindstrom.
Sportsnet reporter Jeff Marek also confirmed this information.
“Based on my conversations, I believe Chicago will take Levshunov in 2nd position, Anaheim will take Zeev Buium in 3rd, Cayden Lindstrom will go to the Columbus Blue Jackets in 4th, and Ivan Demidov will then fall to the Montreal Canadiens… “Marek said.
The news has fired up Canadiens fans, who see Demidov as a generational talent capable of transforming their team.
Brière broke Quebec’s heart by selecting Matvei Michkov last season. With this news, he has just repaired the heart of an entire province.
