Would Any Remaining Free Agents Make Sense For The Flyers?

Could the Philadelphia Flyers still fill their third line winger need with a free agent if the price is right?

With the month of July winding down, the Unrestricted Free Agent market has dwindled with it. Top UFAs like Artemi Panarin and Erik Karlsson are long gone, and not many notable names remain unsigned. The Philadelphia Flyers already made their big splash by inking Kevin Hayes to a seven-year deal before the Free Agency period began and signed eight other players to lesser contracts after the fact. The roster still has a spot to fill on the third line, so could General Manager and Team President Chuck Fletcher look to sign a bargain that’s currently sitting without a team?

Disregarding Justin Williams since he’s more likely to sign with the Carolina Hurricanes or retire, the best wingers that remain are Thomas Vanek, Patrick Maroon, and Jason Pominville. Personally, I want no parts of Vanek on the Flyers. While he can still score a bit, the 35-year-old forward isn’t a very good defender and has never been a great puck-possessor throughout his 14-year NHL career, which is something I’d want out of somebody playing on Nolan Patrick’s wing. Maroon wouldn’t be a horrible fit, but he’s reportedly looking for a multi-year deal, so that takes him out of consideration. Pominville would be the best choice of the three, in my opinion. He’s shown he can net 30+ points in a season and unlike Vanek, has above-average Corsi and Fenwick For percentages at even strength with solid defensive prowess to boot. It’s worth noting that he previously played for the Minnesota Wild, and we know how much Fletcher’s valued guys with ties to the state of hockey during his time with the Flyers.

Fletcher did state that it wouldn’t be smart to box out the young talent, though, and I agree with him. I wholeheartedly want a prospect to slot in on the third line as I think one of Morgan Frost, Joel Farabee, Isaac Ratcliffe, and even German Rubtsov could post similar offensive numbers to the three players I mentioned above. The Flyers GM could always change his mind and opt for a veteran, though, but I think he’d try to do so in the form of a trade if anything.

So, to answer the question: No, none of the remaining UFA’s make complete sense for the Flyers if they genuinely don’t want to box out one of the young talents. They may not even have the money to do so once all of the Restricted Free Agents are taken care of, either. If Fletcher does choose the free-agent route for whatever reason, though, Pominville should be the guy.