The disappointment of the Flyers not being successful in acquiring Leo Carlsson is far from wearing off, but they still have an offseason to complete.
They just reached an agreement with Jamie Drysdale, and Nikita Grebenkin should hopefully be next, leaving them with some coin left over. Trevor Zegras was recently signed as well, and the roster has mostly taken shape. They'll be running it back and relying on a few players to take their next steps, some to recover former glory, and wondering just how high the Porter Martone heights can reach.
But maybe the Flyers have space for one more free agent. Not a bank-breaking or game-changing one, but to add some depth, and increase some of the elements that they might need to make the team that much better.
Patrik Laine
He's far from the 40-goal scorer of his youth, but it would be very hard to believe that Laine's tank is completely empty.
He only played five games for Montreal last season, but the year before, in 52 games, he had 20 goals and 13 assists for 33 points and had an absurd 17% shooting percentage. The rub is, with him, it actually isn't all that crazy.
Laine has never shot below 12% in his career and has shot as high as 18%. For a team starving for power-play help, Laine is about as pure a sniper as you'll ever see on the open market, and his contract demands won't be bank-breaking.
He's defensively deficient, so his 5-on-5 abilities might need serious sheltering, but improving the power play might be the most important adjustment this team can make going into this season.
Vladamir Tarasenko
Everything listed as to why Laine might be effective also applies to Tarasenko, but he did have a lot more success last year.
Tarasenko had 47 points (23 goals, 24 assists) last season with Minnesota. Again, he isn't going to reach his 70-80 point seasons again, but he's still effective, both at even strength and on the power play.
He tends to be on the right end of play driving stats and makes the Flyers' winger depth truly outstanding. He'd fit on any of the top 3 lines, and having a savvy Russian vet around for Michkov to learn from sounds like an idea worth exploring for at least a year.
John Klingberg
A smooth skater and offensively talented, Klingberg played 20 minutes a night for the San Jose Sharks last season. That's something he wouldn't have to do with the Flyers.
He could easily be deployed in a sheltered offensive role and has 169 career power-play points. He knows what he's doing with the puck and has 82 games of playoff experience.
If he could accept a reduced workload, Klingberg is the type of veteran specialist the Flyers are missing and could take pressure off rushing the development of a prospect like Oliver Bonk.
If the Flyers really want to improve the power play numbers, these players might be key, if they think they could benefit from an extra move.
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