Flyers Trade Former Top Defense Prospect to Oilers in Interesting Move

In a surprising move, the Philadelphia Flyers trade defenseman Ronnie Attard, a former third-round pick from the 2019 draft, to the Edmonton Oilers for defenseman Ben Gleason.

Attard, 25, had been playing with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL after failing to make the most of his opportunity trying to stick with the Flyers in training camp.

Attard got a solid look at the NHL with the Flyers at the end of last season following injuries to Jamie Drysdale, Rasmus Ristolainen, and Nick Seeler in conjunction with the Sean Walker trade. In 12 games with the Flyers last season, the 72nd overall pick from 2019 produced two assists.

The Flyers cut Attard from the training camp roster on Sept. 27 following a series of disastrous defensive performances in the preseason. Even top prospect Oliver Bonk and fringe NHLer Helge Grans managed to outlast the experienced Attard, who has 123 games of AHL experience and 29 games of NHL experience.

After Attard went without a point in his first seven games with the Phantoms, it appears that Flyers general manager Danny Briere and Co. decided it was time to move on from Attard and give him the chance to succeed with another NHL franchise elsewhere.

Attard, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound right-shot defenseman, had one year remaining on his contract with the Flyers at an $850k cap hit.

Why did the Flyers trade for Ben Gleason?

So, why did the Flyers trade Ronnie Attard for Ben Gleason?

The answer is simple: both players were due for a change in scenery.

Gleason, 26, is an undrafted left-shot defenseman who has not appeared in an NHL game since a four-game stint with the Dallas Stars back in the 2018-19 season, wherein he recorded one assist.

Gleason has been a fairly productive player at the AHL level, too, recording no fewer than nine goals and 32 points in each of the last three seasons between the Bakersfield Condors and the Texas Stars.

Many Oilers fans considered the 26-year-old to be a fringe NHL defenseman himself. It is worth noting that, although Gleason is one year older than Attard, he’s already amassed a whopping 177 points in 359 AHL games.

Given Gleason’s profile and handedness, take this as a sign that Emil Andrae is staying with the Flyers and not returning to Lehigh Valley.