The Philadelphia Flyers announced today that they have traded defenseman Ryan Parent for restricted free agent Dan Hamhuis and a conditional 2nd round 2011 draft pick from the Nashville Predators.
Parent, a former first-round draft pick, was acquired from Nashville in 2007 in a trade for Peter Forsberg.  During his stint in Philadelphia, there was hope that he would develop into a solid third or fourth defenseman.  Chronic back injuries hindered that development, and Parent never reached the plateau that was expected of him.  His play under former coach John Stevens was acceptable, but floundered under the system that current coach Peter Laviolette employed for the remainder of the season. General Manager Paul Holmgren stated in a press conference last week that they were comfortable with keeping Parent next year, but like the old saying goes, talk is cheap.
The Flyers still need to sign Hamhuis and his asking price may be high.  They attempted to acquire him at the trade deadline, but did not have the draft picks available to make a deal nor were they confident that they would be able to sign him for next year.  Hamhuis is one of the top defenseman in this year’s free agency aside from Anton Volchenkov (who will likely sign with arch rivals Pittsburgh) and would be a great addition to the lineup.  This will also affect how the Flyers approach defenseman Braydon Coburn, who is also a free agent due for a raise.
Though I know little about Hamhuis being that he’s out of the conference, this trade has to weigh heavily in the Flyers’ favor. Parent has never played with confidence or an “edge” and didn’t have the physical stamina to stay healthy.
Strong move. He can play a lot of minutes out there. I could see Coburn being on his way out.