Bailey’s Daily: Flyers Rookies Surging; Foolish Penguins Trade

In Thursday’s edition of Bailey’s Daily, we’ll be talking the latest Philadelphia Flyers news, NHL news, stories, highlights, and more from the last day.

Flyers News

It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these morning columns, which are really just news recaps. It’s been five days, I think.

Anyway, the Philadelphia Flyers keep you busy. When the season is in swing, there really is never not something to write about, be it prospects, trade stuff, or what have you.

Speaking of trade stuff, I, personally, would like to see the Flyers trade for David Jiricek. That all depends on the price, obviously, and maybe Columbus isn’t willing to sell him. I’m not the GM, I just throw ideas out there based on my informed opinion.

He already wasn’t happy with his situation with playing time and being up and down between the AHL and the NHL last year, and even Elliotte Friedman is watching Jiricek’s situation now that Dante Fabbro is in town. Could be something to keep tabs on in the next few weeks.

Representing the Flyers’ rookies, Emil Andrae has been as good as advertised and more. Those of you who follow me on Twitter know that I’ve been banging this drum for a while, so it’s gratifying to see a player I really believe in taking the bull by the horns in the NHL.

We all know about Matvei Michkov, of course. He marked his return from the lineup with a goal and an assist against San Jose on Monday and he’s still in good spirits. He was joking with Ryan Poehling in the locker room yesterday teaching Poehling some words and phrases in Russian. He communicated with Poehling in full English sentences at times, too.

I think Michkov is starting to grasp the language pretty well, but I think it’s one of those things where he’s more comfortable with it around friends and people he knows rather than worrying about his accuracy in front of strangers, like us reporters, congregating together in a large group in front of him.

When I was 19, I know I hated public speaking and being forced to talk to people I didn’t know. I’m still that way now. It makes my job a lot harder, but it is what it is. Not everybody gets to do this.

NHL News

So… the Pittsburgh Penguins traded Lars Eller, one of the best bottom-six centers in the game today, to the Washington Capitals. The Penguins traded one of their best players to a Metropolitan Division rival less than a quarter of the way through the season!

If that isn’t waving the white flag, I don’t know what is.

The return Kyle Dubas got from the Capitals in the Eller trade was dreadful as well. Dreadful as in, a third-round pick that is three drafts away (2027) and a 2025 fifth-round pick.

Assuming they keep the third-round pick in 2027, the player they select with it probably doesn’t even know what y=mx+b is yet.

The Flyers have made their fair share of bad trades over the last decade, so it’s only fair that the Penguins start making a few of their own.

P.S. – That Rutger McGroarty-Brayden Yager swap the Penguins did ain’t looking so hot right now either.

McGroarty has a goal and two assists in 10 AHL games, while Yager has 10 goals and 14 assists in 17 WHL games.