The Philadelphia Flyers have been chasing a difference making defenseman all summer, and Alexander Romanov is the newest name in that search.
This week, insider Marco D'Amico reported the Flyers have kicked tires on Romanov, adding another name to a list that's been building since July.
Before Romanov, the Flyers were reportedly very interested in Darnell Nurse, who ended up traded to the San Jose Sharks instead, taking him off the board entirely.
Zach Werenski's name has come up too, according to other reports floating around, even though nothing suggests Columbus has any real interest in moving him.
He's coming off a monster year regardless, 22 goals and 59 assists for 81 points, numbers that make any real interest from Philadelphia feel like pure fantasy.
Arber Xhekaj keeps getting mentioned as a target as well, a name that's already been floated in Montreal's own trade rumors from a different angle entirely.
None of this is new territory for Philadelphia. General manager Daniel Briere has been open all summer that adding to the back end is a priority.
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Why Alexander Romanov actually fits what Philadelphia needs
Romanov is only 26 and carries a $6,250,000 cap hit, though a shortened 15 game sample last season limited him to just one point and a minus-7 rating.
That's a small window to judge a player who's typically been a physical, minutes-eating rearguard for the Islanders when healthy.
Philadelphia finished last season 43-27-12 with 98 points, good for 11th overall, the profile of a team looking to add rather than rebuild.
Kicking tires this late in August usually means smoke, not fire. If Philadelphia was serious about Romanov, this deal likely gets done before camp, not during it.
Whether any of these names actually turn into a real trade before puck drop, or the Flyers just keep circling the market without pulling a trigger, is still completely open.
Should the Flyers actually go get Alexander Romanov to fix their blue line?
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