Philadelphia Flyers Offseason: Blueprint For Success

Philadelphia Flyers Offseason: Blueprint For Success

The best time of the offseason is within sight. With the 2015 NHL Draft starting this Friday and free agency opening July 1st, I will discuss the blueprint for a successful offseason in Philadelphia.

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The first step to a successful weekend for the Flyers will be moving some contracts at the Draft to free up cap space. Some candidates who could become trade bait to free up the cap include Luke Schenn, Nicklas Grossmann, Matt Read, Vincent Lecavalier, and Andrew MacDonald. As much as I would love to see Hextall move Vinny Lecavalier or Andrew MacDonald, it is unrealistic to think a team would take on one of these miserable contracts without sending an equally bad contract back.

So the next player in line is Nicklas Grossmann. He is a much easier contract to move as he is in the last year of his four year, $14 million deal and carries a $3.5 million cap hit. Hextall should look to move Grossmann for the best offer which should be a 3rd to 5th round pick. This move helps clear the logjam at the defensive position and opens up a spot for a prospect; as a few are on the verge of making the big club. Luke Schenn may also be traded in addition to, or instead of, Grossmann this offseason depending on other team’s interest in the them. He would also free up cap space and may even be more appealing to teams due to his age (25), and he is only under contract for next season with a $3.6 million cap hit. The moving of both defensemen would be a great relief on the current financial handcuffs that are restricting GM Ron Hextall from signing depth forwards, a backup goaltender, and possibly a skilled winger to play alongside Wayne Simmonds.

Feb 5, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New York Islanders left wing Nikolay Kulemin (86) and Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Nicklas Grossmann (8) fight for the loose puck during the second period at Wells Fargo Center. The Islanders defeated the Flyers, 3-2 in a shootout.Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Ron Hextall and company will have a great opportunity to add major talent to the pipeline with ten selections in the draft for the first time since 2006 when they struck gold with the 22nd pick on Captain Claude Giroux. The Flyers hold seven picks in the first 99 selections overall. Of course the best case scenario here would be to hit on all ten picks; but that is just impossible. To be successful in the draft the Flyers need to stick to their board and take the best player available regardless of need, and hope one of the prospects from the second tier drops to the 7th selection when they are on the clock.

This draft is viewed as a three-tier draft to start where the first tier is selections 1 and 2, tier 2 is selections 3 to 6 and the Flyers start the third tier at selection 7. With the 7th pick the Flyers should hope Mitch Marner, Noah Hanifin, Dylan Strome or Ivan Provorov fall to them as these players are viewed as the second tier of top prospects by most. Of the four, I believe Provorov has the best chance of ending up a Flyer as the other three should all be gone by the 6th selection; but with the depth of this draft anything is possible after McDavid and Eichel go 1st and 2nd overall.

After July 1st the best case scenario for the Flyers successful offseason is to reach an agreement with Vincent Lecavalier on a mutual contract termination. Lecavalier has 3 years left on his contract that carries a $4.5 mil cap hit annually. Lecavalier is due for a $2 million signing bonus on July 1st, which he will gladly collect; but will have little reason to stick around after he is paid the bonus. Both sides should be intrigued by this option as Hextall can free the Flyers of Holmgren’s disastrous signing, and Lecavalier can seek a better opportunity where there’s a better fit for him to succeed and avoid watching the games from the press box. Lecavalier did not fit Berube’s system and don’t anticipate anything different when Dave Hakstol implements his fast-paced, 200 foot style of play. Lecavalier should be interested in the open market where he can find a team willing to sign him to a reasonable contract, and won’t have to give up any assets to get him. And I’m sure the pay cut won’t hurt Vinny as he is still collecting paychecks from his buyout in Tampa Bay.

Apr 5, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Flyers right wing Jakub Voracek (93) celebrates with center Vincent Lecavalier (40) against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Wells Fargo Center. The Flyers won 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Next: 2015 NHL Mock Draft: 29th Overall Pick

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