The New Unending Flyers thread

[xogfog]

Flyers tie their longest win streak of the season with an impressive 5-1 win over the Stars. Tippett with another wild goal:

Owen Tippett scores sensational spinning goal for Flyers - ESPN Video

[Docs]

The real question is what will they do with their players with expiring contracts, especially Walker and Seeler. Both have played well enough to increase their deadline value to something worthwhile, but now it appears the flyers don’t want to trade them and are considering extending both. Either one could be worth a late first rounder. After acquiring drysdale the flyers appear to have a surplus of defenders. Love the way the team is playing, in the summer we were worried about not being competitive for 8 years!

[xogfog]

I read in the Athletic that teams around the league only view Walker and Seeler as worth late 2nd or early 3rd round pick returns. Walker is making more money, so it would make more sense to trade him and Seeler might fetch the better return because he's not making much money. I think Sanheim, York, Drysdale and Zamula are all keepers. Andrae, Attard and Bonk are waiting in the wings.

As for forwards, I thought Frost might get traded, but he seems to be getting his game together enough that he should be worth keeping and with the trade of that A-Hole Gauthier, I think Frost being a center is a commodity the Flyers need to hang on to as they are not deep there.

[zambonir]

I think they will probably trade one defenseman and extend the other. Or they could just not extend.

Obviously they can move Staal too if anyone wants him.

Doesn't mean they can't trade some other guys in the big picture, and that still includes Hart and TK if they can't get extended easily. I could still see them trading Frost too, would just not be for prospects. With Michkov still an unknown and far away and with Gauthier exercising his right to control his own career they are going to actually have to sign veterans to fill a few holes in 2025 or 2026 if this season is not a mirage.

[Aquapong]

Let’s not get carried away. If we would trade Walker or Seeler, we probably get a 3rd or maybe a second 2nd if a team is desperate.

Tippet and Hart are going to be a RFA and they are going to need to be paid. Teams will certainly submit offer sheets on them if they keep playing like this. I’m not sure we'll have money to retain Walker and Seeler. Brink and Poehling will also be Rfa’s, but will get more modest contracts.

With Errson playing well, Hart could be trade bait in the offseason since I’m not sure we can lock him up to the type of contract he’s likely looking for this time.

Either Attard or someone else is going to have to step up from the Phantoms or we’ll need to dump salary. Peterson, Atkinson, or Risto would be ideal.

[zambonir]

Offer sheets are super rare. More rare than first-round picks not signing with their team, even. But yes, they'll have to pay. And yes, Hart could still be traded (or heck, let him take an offer, especially if the Team Canada investigation is still unresolved).

For sure Risto and Atkinson are guys who could be traded, this year or in the summer. Petersen they are probably stuck with, but turns out he's been worth it (since that was supposed to just offset the Provorov deal but also got them Walker).

[Austinfan]

We have plenty of money. Ellis isn't even on LTIR right now (Briere stashing cap room for the TDL), they have $18M next year and probably $25M in two years even after extending everyone they want to keep.

So not only can they take on bad contracts, they'll probably buy out Peterson this summer (1 year left), and can do that with Atkinson if there are no offers.

[xogfog]

Right now, the Flyers are a top 10 team in the league. Of the top ten teams they have the most cap space (23.1 million). If they wanted to trade for a rental or a big piece going forward, they have the space and the ammunition to do so, without compromising the rebuild, I don't think they will, but they could. Are they cup contenders right now, no, but can they beat any team in the league? They sure can, they have beaten Vancouver twice, Winnipeg, Colorado, Las Vegas, Dallas and Carolina. They are well coached and they seem to have bought into Torts system. They don't have a top 50 player, but they look to be very tight knit, scrappy team. I don't think they are going to fall apart, so the rebuild is going to be tougher, because their picks are not going to be great going forward. They need to get more talent to compliment Michkov, when he gets here. Gauthier was that guy, but now they need to find another one.

[zambonir]

The ability to take on a bad contract in the short-term could also net them some talent.

And you can still draft well in the teens and 20s. They just didn't manage to do it enough for a long time (but, over the years: Carter/Richards 11/24, Steve Downie 29, Giroux 22, Laughton 20) while also blowing some of the easy ones.

And listen, if we now buy into the Flyers' narrative Cutter is a selfish left wing, and therefore not as big a loss as if he's a high-character center. We'll see. A big rental this year, no, but some pieces in 2025 and 2026 as the team takes shape pre-Michkov? Sure.

Trading one of the goalies would also get you a lot. Having two goalies is pretty important in today's NHL too but they have a lot of 'em in the pipeline too.

[Austinfan]

They can do a "Filppula" like deal, where they take on a veteran with 3C talent but a 2C salary as a salary dump, get stronger while obtaining assets for helping another team get under the cap for another deal that team wants to make.

[gmwannabe]

this year's draft should be decent as well. Depending on the Blue Jackets choice for their second pick (either this year or next), the Flyers could have a nice haul in the first 2 rounds.
gm

[Austinfan]

CBJ will almost certainly move it to next season, so Flyers have (2) 1st (Florida) and a 2nd (O'Brien at #51).

[gmwannabe]

that would make the most sense. Then possibly 3 second rounders in 2025 (barring a trade).

[zambonir]

Trade everyone!

[zambonir]

Per Philadelphia Flyers General Manager, Daniel Briere:

"Carter Hart has requested and been granted an indefinite leave of absence citing personal reasons. The club will have no further comment at this time." pic.twitter.com/jC1GyxcKWR

— Philadelphia Flyers ( @NHLFlyers ) January 23, 2024

[Aquapong]

Beat me to it. I guess it’s Errson’s team for a while. Hart may be dealing with an undiagnosed health issue. Hopefully he is able to get back soon.

[zambonir]

No way to know for sure. Could be medical and related to his other missed games, could be mental health (which is still medical, and which I believe he struggled with during the COVID lockdown year). It could also be related to the World Junior investigation.

Ideally he comes back and we never find out (or we find out definitively because all is fine).

[Aquapong]

In another move I missed yesterday, Brink down to the Phantoms and Lycksell up to the Flyers. That’s a little surprising, as I didn’t really see Brink playing badly.

[zambonir]

He wasn't getting in the line-up, so they either think he needs a little work or they want him to play more (or both). Tippet also moved to injured list, making room for Peterson for now.

[Squire]

Probably worth noting that Dillon Dube, another member of the 2018 WJC Canada team under investigation took a personal leave of absence yesterday as well.