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Flyers Offseason: RFA Targets

By Nick Butler |
Apr 16, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Patrik Laine (29) skates the puck past Los Angeles Kings defenseman Olli Maatta (6) in the third period at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 16, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Patrik Laine (29) skates the puck past Los Angeles Kings defenseman Olli Maatta (6) in the third period at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Restricted free agents are obviously harder to take a stab at due to the nature in which teams have to go after them. We have seen in recents off-seasons where teams have breached the offer sheet market. That is how Jesperi Kotkaniemi became a Hurricane. If the Flyers decided to take a shot, they have a few good options to choose from.

Patrik Laine

A player the fans have been calling for when he was available from the Winnipeg Jets is now on the market and he might be coming a bit cheaper. If the Blue Jackets would be willing to move him, a first round pick, a few second and a couple thirds might get this done. That is if Laine doesn’t want to stay in Columbus and you put an offer sheet in.

Laine adds energy, skill and speed to any team, and he would be a great line mate for Sean Couturier and Joel Farabee. Especially with Laine finally getting back into the scoring column with 26 goals and 30 assists. Laine would help bring more depth to your roster and allow guys like Travis Konecny and Cam Atkinson to get better looks on their respective lines.

Laine will still want about 6.5-7.5M AAV and most likely years. I would guess between six-seven years would also be a big piece to getting Laine to sign if you trade for his rights.

Matthew Tkachuk

If you are working on bringing Gaudreau home to play for his favorite team, try to bring his teammate home with him. Calgary is going to have some major cap issues coming and moving on from Tkachuk makes sense.

With 42 goals and 62 assists, adding Tkachuk would be a great move not only for his goal scoring, but because of the way he plays. Tkachuk is a pest and gets under other team’s skin. This season it seems like he has matured and became more disciplined. His PIM dropped from .98 a game to .83 a game. Just like Kadri, Tkachuk realizes how important he is on the ice and not on the bench.

Again, just like Laine, Tkachuk is going to cost you a first round pick, a couple seconds and a couple thirds. He will also most likely get an 8-8.5M AAV for five-six years.

Kevin Fiala

Fiala is another guy who was available in 2018-2019 for a trade when the Flyers should have made the move for Mikeal Granlund straight up. At the time, they could have made a similar deal but didn’t. They can now make a move, but it will cost draft picks. It may be worth it for the Flyers to make a run, though.

With 33 goals and 52 assists, adding him to play on the left side of the ice would be a great move. Whether you go get a Gaudreau or you pair him on a with an in house sniper like Atkinson, Fiala would be a great addition to this core that Chuck Fletcher is building. With his speed, skill, and youth, he will join a core that can be here and potentially make a run with all the right moves and coaching hire in a year or two

Fiala is going to get paid and getting his rights is going to cost about the same as a Laine or Tkachuk, maybe even a little more, but getting him gives you a player who hasn’t even reached his prime yet.

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