The New Unending Flyers thread

zambonir 2024-04-20 19:37:42 UTC #844

I think there are a ton of moving pieces. If they unload a contract in a trade it might also allow them to take back a contract in another for a net gain, whether that's a draft pick or a repeat of the Walker miracle... someone who can help and then be flipped.

I think Risto is more tradable than we might think too, though maybe not till the deadline so he can demonstrate his health and eat up more salary.

Austinfan 2024-04-20 20:37:53 UTC #845

The only way to "unload" a contract in a trade is to package an asset with it - Flyers don't want to pay to dump contracts right now.
Laughton and Hathaway are cheap enough that Flyers probably don't have to take a contract back.
Risto would require taking money back (don't want to retain for 3 years).
Deslauriers at 2x1.75 might have a taker from a team wanting "muscle."

zambonir 2024-04-20 21:06:44 UTC #846

Right but Laughton is also cheap and attractive enough that the Flyers could get another team to take one of these guys (with the Flyers picking something up) without necessarily compromising the core return. And then that opens space to take a contract back in a different deal if it gets the Flyers something else they want (or if they just want the player).

Austinfan 2024-04-20 21:17:24 UTC #847

Most teams that would be interesting in Laughton are contenders and too close to the cap to take on a bad contract with him. Flyers will have to eat their bad contracts, but buyouts are 1/3 for 2 years (on one year left), so doable.
Flyers can buyout Peterson, Atkinson, and maybe Johansen, plenty of room in 2025-26, you make cap room in 2024-24 and use cap room in 2025-26 - like baseball, you can't roll it over, but a hard cap.

Aquapong 2024-04-20 21:22:41 UTC #848

We can always retain money on Laughton or take a contract back if the return is worth it.

zambonir 2024-04-23 17:45:15 UTC #849

On Tuesday, the Flyers agreed to a two-year, $6.5 million contract extension with the Russian netminder, a source confirmed to The Inquirer. The Fourth Period was first to report the news.

Well, there's the leverage age and unrestricted free agency gets you. Errsson's extension (which also starts next season) was only two years $2.9 million. Even Hart's last three-year deal was only $4 million AAV.

zambonir 2024-04-23 19:30:42 UTC #850

I don't think he's asking the right question here. It's clearly not good enough for a playoff contender, but they still shouldn't really try to be one next year. The bigger question, as VFK first mentioned, is whether two young (or at least inexperienced) goaltenders can develop together, both in terms of playing time and without a veteran goalie to mentor them a little.

Austinfan 2024-04-24 11:49:06 UTC #851

I think this was the parameters to get him to come over, not sure when this was negotiated, might have initially been before he got exiled to the Arctic circle.
Fedotov wouldn't have gotten close to that as a free agent.

zambonir 2024-04-24 13:10:34 UTC #852

Fedotov wasn't refusing to come over, CSKA was refusing to let him come over. If there were parameters to that we still don't know about them but they have nothing to do with his salary.

Of course he could have gotten that as a free agent, a normal veteran journeyman RFA back-up gets $2 million pretty easily. The "U" instead of an "R" jacks up the price. This is why Cal Peterson, who was the same age as Fedotov at the time of his deal (and a starter, obviously) makes $5 million too.

xogfog 2024-04-24 13:32:36 UTC #853

I think Fedotov with an offseason here working with the goalie coaches will be well worth his contract and may even push Ersson for the top spot, he was great before he was hijacked to the army, he could be again.

Austinfan 2024-04-24 14:03:44 UTC #854

Peterson had a NHL track record, Fedotov only had a KHL track record.
KHL is ranked slightly above the AHL and similar to the SHL.
Now, coming off his great playoff performance, he might have had a market, but after the last two seasons, buyer beware.

zambonir 2024-04-24 14:24:32 UTC #855

Yeah but even college and junior players would sign bigger contracts if they weren't bound by the ELC limit. It's simply a matter of being unrestricted and a free market. There was no bidding war for Collin Graf because every team had to offer the same deal. Obviously Fedotov wasn't actively looking to start a bidding war but Flyers also gave him a preemptive offer.

I'm assuming they will be a pretty straight goalie tandem if Fedotov is able to adjust. Then it's a bake-off to see who gets the next contract. But one of them could also be traded before then if Kolosov rises. Even as soon as the next trade deadline (either because they want a vet for the stretch run if they are close to playoff position again or because they're not in playoff position and can sell).

zambonir 2024-05-01 12:29:55 UTC #856

Couturier fired the agent who made all that noise in the press about his benching.

TK will be extended, Johnson might want to come back.

Fedotov's camp originally asked for a four-year, 4M AAV deal.

Austinfan 2024-05-01 13:22:31 UTC #857

Briere will have to buy out some players to make cap room for 2024-25, but no big deal, plenty of room in 2025-26 even with a TK extension. If TK isn't extended he'll be traded, either in the summer or the TDL, Briere ain't letting him walk for nothing.

Fedotov is only 2 years, by the end of his deal, Kolosov will be pushing for a job, Bjarnason will be in LHV, Zavragin will have two seasons in the KHL, and I'll bet they take 2 goalies the next two drafts to keep the pipeline full. As the playoffs always show, while it's nice to have stars, it's almost impossible to go deep in the playoffs without good goal tending, and a hot goalie can carry an average team (see Montreal with Price a few years ago) a long way.

I can't see Johnson returning unless they move Risto,
York - Sanheim
Seeler - Drysdale
Zamula - Risto
Ginning - Andrae - Attard
Got to give the kids an opportunity to pay, and Belpedio is a veteran RHD who can come up in case of injury.

Austinfan 2024-05-01 13:26:16 UTC #858

A name to keep in mind if you don't follow the Flyers closely: Carter Sotheran
While Bonk got the media notice as a 1st rd pick, Sotheran is the 5th rd sleeper.
6'3 198 at the Combine, June birthday, so he's played his D+1 season at 18.
Tearing up the WHL playoffs, 11 points in 11 games, +21.
Smart two way player, only question is his skating, but that should improve as he fills out.
Expect he'll be 6'4 220 when he hits the NHL.
Probably spend another season in the CHL with Barkey and Bonk, then play for LHV with them in 2025-26.

Docs 2024-05-07 17:42:03 UTC #859

The NHL Draft Lottery reveal airs tonight at 6:30pm live on ESPN, Flyers with a 2.5% chance of moving up to the #2 pick, not possible to move up to #1 through the lottery. 4.5% chance that they get jumped by at least one of the teams below them.

The actual lottery takes place in a back room at 5:30pm, if you're considering wearing any lucky jerseys or doing any special dances keep that in mind.

zambonir 2024-05-07 23:34:04 UTC #860

No changes in the draft order this year

Aquapong 2024-05-18 00:51:03 UTC #861

A hopefully bad rumor that Kolosov may return to Russia is circulating.

zambonir 2024-05-18 02:28:32 UTC #862

It seems dubious, but I'm not sure it really matters whether he plays in the KHL or AHL. Obviously there are reasons for the team to prefer the latter.

Docs 2024-05-19 18:41:07 UTC #863

it has been reported that No. 1 prospect Matvei Michkov is expected to terminate his KHL contract with SKA St. Petersburg and leave to continue his career with the Flyers.

The Flyers do not seem to be aware of this development.