Flyers GM says almost nobody untouchable 'besides Giroux'

With the Feb. 25 trade deadline looming, Philadelphia Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher is making it clear that he will not be moving team captain Claude Giroux.

"We have a lot of good players here, but I would never say never to almost anybody besides Giroux," Fletcher said, according to Philly.com's Sam Carchidi. "He's probably one of the best players in the history of the franchise."

Although the GM discussed Philadelphia's potential to shake things up at deadline day, Fletcher doesn't appear interested in trading assets for a rental.

"I don't expect us to trade our first-round pick for a rental, but we could both buy and sell," he said, according to NHL.com's Adam Kimelman.

The Flyers sit 14 points out of a wild-card seed in the Eastern Conference heading into Monday night's action. Although Fletcher acknowledged Philadelphia was a long shot to make the playoffs, he remains hopeful the team can earn a postseason berth.

"We're at a stage where we need a big run here," he said, according to Carchidi. "We finished well before the break and we have an opportunity here - six of the next eight are at home - and clearly we need to get a lot of points."

Fletcher has said longtime Flyer Wayne Simmonds - who's a pending unrestricted free agent at the end of the year - could be moved before the deadline if the two sides can't come to terms on a new contract.