Flying Forward: Flyers Offseason Wish List

(Photo by Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire)

Chuck Fletcher, the Philadelphia Flyers general manager, knows that change will be needed to the roster after a disappointing season last year. The Flyers continued their trend of not making the playoffs every other season. The team was frustrating to watch at times and looked like they had given up on a game. The roster needs some fresh faces and new blood because this core hasn’t done much since they’ve been together. Fletcher needs to be willing to part with his assets and make some moves. 

The Flyers, like most NHL teams, will need to figure out a way to shed money to get more cap space. They should do this by trades or free agency. If Fletcher can manage to fill the team’s needs with solid players then they have a good shot at making the postseason this year. Here are my top wishes to improve the team this offseason.

1) Top Pair Defenseman

Fletcher already took care of the number one wish on my list by acquiring Ryan Ellis from the Nashville Predators in a three-team trade. Nolan Patrick and Philippe Myers went to the Predators, who then traded Patrick to the Vegas Golden Knights for Cody Glass. Yes, Patrick is a former number two draft pick, but he never panned out with the Flyers. He missed the 2019-2020 season due to migraines, and he returned in 2020-2021, and never looked like the player he could be. Myers is only 24-years-old and has plenty of upside to his game. The biggest problem was that he didn’t respond to being benched for making bad decisions in a game. 

In Ellis, the Flyers get a defensive partner for Ivan Provorov, who missed Matt Niskanen last season. Sure, Ellis has a price tag of six years and $6.25 million per season, but Flyers took the risk. There were rumors in the offseason that Ellis had shoulder surgery, but he cleared that up today in his first press conference with his new team. Ellis broke a knuckle blocking a shot last season and said that’s why he missed time not because of shoulder surgery. Ellis could have a Kimmo Timonen type effect on this team, where he just goes on the ice and does whatever is needed to win a game. The deal still left the Flyers’ first-round draft pick in play, and higher-end prospects to possibly fill other needs on the roster. 

2) Trade Big Contract to Create Cap Space

The Flyers shed a big cap hit contract when they traded Jakub Voracek to the Columbus Blue Jackets and acquired Cam Atkinson. Voracek’s cap hit is $8.25 million annually for the next three years; whereas, Atkinson has a $5.875 million cap hit for the next four years. The deal was done to save $2.375 million towards the cap for the current season. 

Atkinson has more of a shoot-first mentality, while Voracek is a playmaker. Atkinson should help improve the penalty kill, which has been terrible the past two seasons. He is a threat to score while shorthanded and will likely play top-six minutes. Fletcher did shed one big contract, but there’s still another one on the books in James van Riemsdyk, but it looks like he will remain with the team for the future. I like the Atkinson pick-up since he thinks shot-first instead of pass-first, which was a problem with the Flyers last season. They were a team that overpassed last season instead of taking the shot.

3) An Elite Goal Scorer

There are a few names that fit the bill on the market like Jack Eichel and Vladimir Tarasenko. Well, Sam Reinhart was available at one point, but he was traded to the Florida Panthers so he can be scratched off the list. Yes, Eichel and Tarasenko have their injury issues, but both seem to be available via trade. Eichel had injury issues last season that cost him most of the year. Tarasenko has only played 34 games over the past two seasons, due to shoulder injuries. 

Eichel would likely come at a high cost: a first-round pick, a top-end prospect, and maybe even someone who can play on the Sabres’ roster now. Tarasenko may not cost as much, but the shoulder injuries the past few years are worrying. They both also have high cap hits for the next several years and are question marks due to their injuries. I’m not sure I’d be willing to bet the farm on two players who could be injury-prone down the line. 

4) Backup Goaltender

Even with his struggles last season, I believe that Carter Hart bounces back and plays like a number one goalie this season. I’d still like to have a solid backup on the bench for when he needs a game off or if he gets injured. The backup will see some time as the Flyers are back to regular travel this season, and have some back-to-back games. Plus, there will be times when Hart needs a game off after seeing a ton of rubber come his way. 

Fletcher found his backup goalie, and his name is Martin Jones. Jones became a free agent after being bought out by the San Jose Sharks and had a few suitors on his radar. I do not like the move at all for the Flyers. Jones struggled the past few seasons to stop a puck, and I get that it was on a Sharks team that was bad defensively, but how is he supposed to mentor a young goalie when he has his struggles to correct? There are just too many question marks when it comes to Jones for me even though he was only signed a one-year, $2 million contract. 

5) Top 4 Defenseman & Third Line Center

Well, Fletcher took care of this already by acquiring defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen from the Buffalo Sabres. Yes, he gave up a ton including, a 2021 first-round draft pick, a 2023 second-round pick, and defenseman Robert Hagg in the trade. There weren’t many options available, and Ristolainen gained interest from other teams, so Fletcher had to give to get. He is physical and gritty, two qualities that the blue line and the team in general needed to add. Ristolainen is in a contract year, so he will have to prove himself before the Flyers decide if they want to keep him in their plans.

Fletcher has not filled the third-line center role, but there are a few options. The most logical one would be to have Scott Laughton start the season there, and see how he does. The other option is prospect Morgan Frost, but he should start the season with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, the Flyers AHL affiliate. I can’t see Frost stepping into the Flyers’ third-line center role after missing a considerable chunk of time due to a shoulder injury. Maybe Frost is 100%, has a good camp, and wins the job over Laughton, who can also play the wing. There are options, in the organization, to fill this role if Fletcher doesn’t have any cap space to do so in the offseason.