Trades happen all the time in the NHL but those made in the offseason usually seem to draw the most attention. That’s why this is as good a time as any to look back at some of the best — and worst — trades the Flyers ever made.

There are plenty of candidates, but from top to bottom…

No. 1 — Bernie Parent returns to Flyers on May 15, 1973 and changes the course of local hockey history.

The Hall of Fame netminder, who had been traded to Toronto in 1971, returned to the Flyers in a deal which involved draft rights to Bob Neely and goalie Doug Favell (the Flyers also picked up the draft rights to defenseman Larry Goodenough). Parent would go on to help the Flyers win the Stanley Cup in 1974 and 1975, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy (MVP) in both tournaments.

No. 2 — John LeClair, Eric Desjardins, and Gilbert Dionne acquired from Montreal for Mark Recchi on Feb. 9, 1995.

While losing a player who holds the Flyers’ team record for most points (123) in a season, the Flyers picked up a pair of players instrumental in getting them to the 1997 Stanley Cup Finals. LeClair, a key part of the Flyers’ Legion of Doom Line, put together three consecutive 50-goal seasons. Desjardins is considered one of the three top defensemen in franchise history, alongside Mark Howe and Kimmo Timonen.

No. 3 — Eric Lindros becomes a Flyer in multi-player deal with Quebec on June 20, 1992.

The price (Peter Forsberg, Mike Ricci, Steve Duchesne, Kerry Huffman, Ron Hextall, Chris Simon, two first-round draft picks and $15 million) was rather high but the payback was substantial. Lindros is now in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Although Lindros was often injured, he did lead the team to the 1997 Stanley Cup Finals, became one of the most proficient scorers (points to games) in league history and made the Flyers the talk of the NHL for nearly a decade.

How the whole situation was ultimately handled in the 1990s will be a point of debate for years to come.

No. 4 — Chris Pronger, picked up in a trade with Anaheim on June 26, 2009, solidifies defense on way to 2010 Stanley Cup Finals.The Flyers already had Matt Carle, Kimmo Timonen and Braydon Coburn. But they needed one intimidating force and that was the 6-foot-6, 210-pound Pronger.

He made life a lot easier for Flyer goalies by clearing out any wandering bodies in front of the crease. Plus, he was a forceful presence in the team’s locker room. Unfortunately he suffered an eye injury a year after the Cup run and his career was cut short.

No. 5 — Jake Voracek, the draft rights to Sean Couturier and the draft rights to Nick Cousins to Columbus on June 23, 2011 for Jeff Carter. It’s a trade which produced two pivotal players for years to come.

Both Voracek and Couturier were front line players as the Flyers stayed in contention for the better part of a decade. Couturier, still with the team, won the Selke Trophy for the NHL’s best defensive forward while Voracek turned in some excellent years playing with Claude Giroux.

The worst

No. 1 — The crystal ball was foggy on June 22, 2012 when goalie Sergei Bobrovsky was sent to Columbus for the draft rights to Anthony Stolarz and two other draft picks.

All Bobrovsky has done is win a pair of Stanley Cups with Florida and a pair of Vezina Trophies with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Where art thou, Ilya Bryzgalov? The big-money starter was the reason the Flyers made the deal.

No. 2 — What were the Flyers thinking when they sent Justin Williams to Carolina for Danny Markov on Jan. 30, 2004?

Maybe it was because he wasn’t one of head coach Ken Hitchcock’s favorites.

Anyway, “Game 7” Justin went on to have a brilliant career, including three Stanley Cups with Los Angeles and a total of 1,264 games. He was best known for scoring goals in Game 7s of playoff series, totaling seven. He holds the NHL record for most Game 7 points with 15.

No. 3 — Keith Primeau and a draft pick were secured from Carolina on Jan. 23, 2000 for Rod Brind’Amour and a draft pick and it took years to decide the winner in this deal.

But considering Primeau’s career was cut short by the residual effects from multiple concussions while Brind’Amour led the Hurricanes to the 2007 Stanley Cup, it’s really not a debate who came out on top.

No. 4 — It felt like Patrick Sharp was going to be a star someday but the Flyers didn’t see it that way when they sent the talented winger to Chicago on Dec. 5, 2005 for Matt Ellison.

Sharp, now an advisor with the Flyers, can have a chuckle or two over this one. He helped the Blackhawks win three Stanley Cups and produced four 30-goal seasons. File this under “one that got away.”

No. 5 — The late Brad McCrimmon formed half of the greatest Flyer defense tandem ever with Mark Howe but the team sent him to Calgary (possibly over a salary dispute) on Aug. 26, 1987 for two draft picks.

McCrimmon helped the Flyers to a pair of Stanley Cup Finals against Edmonton (1985, 1987) and later won it all with the Flames (1989). He was a defensive scholar and won the NHL plus/minus award in 1988 with a plus-48.

Wayne Fish is a freelance hockey writer. Read his contributions at flyingfishhockey.com