The Philadelphia Flyers are in a position roster-wise and financially to try and go shopping for a big name player in the near future. General manager Danny Briere used this offseason to extend key players like forward Trevor Zegras, defenseman Jamie Drysdale, and goalie Dan Vladar. With that, and their young prospects making it to the pros, the Flyers have plenty of cap space to work with in the near future. So, it's a matter of when, not if, they can bring in some well-known players to help their odds of contending for a Stanley Cup.
There is one notable name that has broken free onto the open market. This could quite possibly lead to the funniest move possible for the Flyers.
On Thursday, the Anaheim Ducks officially announced that forward Chris Kreider cleared waivers and has thus had his contract terminated from the team. Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said the move was made because they needed cap space due to the contract of Leo Carlsson and the eventual, lucrative deal with Cutter Gauthier.
Let's not forget that it's the Flyers who caused the Ducks to enter the epitome of cap hell.
Flyers caused the Ducks to enter messy cap situation with Leo Carlsson offer sheet
This offseason, the Ducks had to negotiate a new deal with Carlsson, who was a restricted free agent. It was a move that Verbeek kicked down the road instead of getting something done earlier (i.e. the San Jose Sharks with Macklin Celebrini). But, that allowed a team to explore an offer sheet with Carlsson, which the center could approve of.
The Flyers were that very team. The Flyers announced this summer that they were signing Carlsson to a five-year, $90 million offer sheet. That put the ball in Verbeek's court. Would he match the offer and agree to give Carlsson what was then the richest contract in the NHL? Or would he instead allow Carlsson to go to Philadelphia while taking their four first-round picks. Verbeek chose the former, and matched the offer with their franchise center.
Yet, this tough decision officially made the Ducks' cap situation incredibly messy. Not only did they need to pay Carlsson, but they also needed to agree to terms with fellow restricted free agent Cutter Gauthier, who is not held in high regard with Flyers fans. Coming off of a 41-goal season, Gauthier reportedly rejected a four-year extension with the Ducks that would have paid him $13 million per year. So now, the Ducks have to commit even more money per year to ensure Gauthier will sign with them for the foreseeable future. With that, the Ducks needed to make a roster cut to free up space.
That ultimately led to Kreider's placement on waivers for contract termination. One year after acquiring him from the New York Rangers, the Ducks have moved on. This was all due to Briere's savvy move to try and bring in a new top center in Carlsson. Now, he could, hypothetically, try to sign Kreider.
Flyers could be a landing spot for Chris Kreider
On Wednesday, Sportsnet NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reported the Ducks' plan with Kreider. Friedman also reported that Kreider is looking to head back to the east coast in an effort to be closer to his family. When taking that into consideration, it's hard not to think of the Flyers as a potential destination.
Yes, the Flyers have an abundance of wingers on the roster as is. However, it should be noted that Kreider does have experience at the center position. So, if head coach Rick Tocchet wanted to get creative with his forward lines, perhaps deploying Kreider at center could be an option.
But what Kreider could bring that benefits the Flyers the most is help on the power play. Kreider has made a career thriving with the extra skater advantage. He's a power forward that can crowd the crease and make it impossible for the penalty kill to move. Due to that, he can put the puck in the back of the net. Let's not forget that the Flyers' power play was so ineffective in their playoff run, it played a major role in their second round elimination, as they had just three power play goals on 36 opportunities.
The addition of Kreider would be more of a luxury than a must-have addition. Looking at other landing spots, the Boston Bruins perhaps make the most sense in terms of a homecoming and their need for forward depth. But if the Flyers wanted to bring in a pure scorer to help with their Stanley Cup push, they should at least consider it.
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