It had to hurt Philadelphia Flyers GM Ron Hextall's heart a bit to see defenseman Nicklas Grossmann go down with an injury during a game against the New York Rangers on Saturday.
Grossmann, who had dropped to the ice to block a shot, took the puck off the nameplate area on his jersey and was down for several long moments.
He eventually got up but had to be helped off the ice, seemingly taking any chance Hextall had to trade the big blueliner ahead of the 3 p.m. trade deadline with him as he gingerly headed to the locker room.
Only that may not be the case, according to a report from Frank Seravalli of The Philadelphia Daily News.
Seravalli, pointing to the recently completed deal between the St. Louis Blues and Arizona Coyotes for injured defenseman Zbynek Michalek, believes that Grossmann could be the next rearguard dealt, despite his recent injury.
"Important to note: Michalek has a concussion and Blues still took a flier. Grossmann was suspected with one Sat. but looked good yesterday," Seravalli tweeted.
Hextall was already able to ship out expensive veteran defenseman Kimmo Timonen and Braydon Coburn, creating both roster space and cap room in the process. Moving Grossmann - 30-years-old, $3.5 million cap hit - would aid considerably in both of those areas as well.
With the market thinned thanks to Michalek, Jeff Petry, Keith Yandle and Timonen and Coburn being dealt, there aren't many attractive defensive options left for needy teams.
The Flyers are not a Cup contender this season and, as Hextall's moves to this point show, know they're in need of a rebuild/retool/restart.
With young defenseman Sam Morin, Shayne Gostisbehere and Travis Sanheim waiting in the wings for their crack at the NHL lineup, moving Grossmann, even for a lowered price, would be a huge boon for the Flyers in a weekend of already big moves by Hextall.
