The Flyers continue to have a rather impressive start to the season. After wins over the Panthers, Islanders, and Devils, Philadelphia finds itself holding the top wild-card spot in the East. They sit just one point out of a division spot as well and are only three points out of first place.
Now, there is still plenty of time to go in the season, and the Flyers have unfortunately been known in recent years to hit lengthy losing streaks. But Rick Tocchet, in his first year as head coach, has this team punching above its weight.
Involved in all of this has been many rumors regarding what the Flyers could do next. The search for another center has been brought up on various occasions. Owen Tippett's name has been in and out of the rumor mill as well. But there's a specific team that the Flyers have been linked to in recent rumors.
On the most recent episode of 32 Thoughts, when discussing the Canucks, Elliotte Friedman mentioned the connection Tocchet has to Vancouver and how that could play a role.
"I had a couple of people tell me that Vancouver has players that Rick Tocchet likes. I don't know if it's Sherwood; it would fit, but nobody knows the Vancouver players better than Tocchet does. And so a couple of people said to me, ‘You better keep an eye on Philly when it comes to Vancouver’s players."’
The Canucks are 10-13-3, sitting third from the bottom in the entire league. A recent report mentioned they are ready to start selling off some of their veteran players due to their lackluster play. They aren't looking to completely rebuild, but some upcoming free agents are on the table. That's where the Flyers have come up.
One thing that needs to be noted first is that the Canucks hardly have any available cap space. Right now, they have less than 2M available. So any deal they make needs to either be even on the cash moving or have a hefty amount of retention coming from the other team. The other option is simply sending players away for draft assets in return.
Looking at the Canucks roster, they have five pending unrestricted free agents. Those are Evander Kane, Teddy Blueger, Sherwood, David Kampf, and Derek Forbort. Blueger and Forbort are injured, so they are likely safe. Kampf recently signed, so it's unlikely the Canucks would give up on him so quickly.
Sherwood is likely to have plenty of suitors around the league. He's enjoying another strong season after posting career-highs a year ago. With 12 goals in 26 games, he should easily breeze by the 19 he scored last season. His 1.5M contract is a steal with his rate of recent production, and he doesn't own any trade protection.
Kane is a tougher story. He has a cap hit over 5M and owns a modified trade clause with a 16-team approval list. He had a slow start to the season, but has picked it up recently with points in his last three games. Overall, he has five goals and 14 points in 26 games.
Of course, the Canucks could try to sell off some of their veterans with term. Conor Garland is one name that has been mentioned, though he signed a six-year extension in the offseason. Would Vancouver move Brock Boeser after working hard to bring him back this past summer? Is Quinn Hughes a realistic option to move with another year left on his deal?
These questions may not be answered right away. And it's not to say that the players mentioned above would even be good fits in Philadelphia. But Tocchet's connection to Vancouver is worth keeping an eye on.