The Flyers are in desperate need of a center. The only natural centers the Flyers have are Sean Couturier and Noah Cates. Ryan Poehling and Garnet Hathway have spent some time there, but are better on the wing.
Jett Luchanko might still be a year or so off from making a big impact in Philly and, most likely, there won't be any major game changing center available who can make an immediate presence in the NHL this year.
There are rumors a-plenty about players that they can sign as a free agent. Some of the available ones are much older than desired likeClaude Giroux. Others are young enough, but will be sought after and will cost a lot like John Tavares and Sam Bennett. There are others that could be acquired via an RFA deal or trade like Marco Rossi or Ryan McLeod.
There is another rock solid center that the Flyers could get that might not cost them nearly as much. His name is Martin Necas.
Why Necas would be a great fit
Necas spent eight years in Carolina. Every year, he has gotten a little bit better. This season, he scored a career high 83 points. His 27 goals were one off from tying a career high, while 56 assists bests his former high total of 43 set two years previous.
Necas scored 12 power play goals, which would have led the Flyers. He has been an active and solid contributor to both special teams units. He spent only 16 minutes in the sin bin as well.
This year, he was acquired by the Colorado Avalanche from the Hurricanes in the deal that sent Mikko Rantanen to Carolina. The Canes didn't want to give up Necas, but to acquire a player like Rantanen, you have to pay a price. Ironically, Carolina sent Rantanen to Dallas a few weeks later when he wouldn't commit to a new long-term deal with them.
Which brings us back to Necas. He has one year left on his deal. He is currently earning $6.5 million. That is a price the Flyers could easily afford to pay next season.
What would it cost?
The Avs still believe they have a solid Stanley Cup window to work with. Time is running out if they want to compete with Dallas, Winnipeg, and Edmonton. However, they have just $1.2 million to spend this season. They need money, badly, if they want to stay relevant.
They also need draft picks. In their recent quest to reach the Stanley Cup, they have raided their cupboards and doled out all their draft picks. This year, Colorado has only a fourth and seventh round pick. Next year, the Avalanche do not have any picks in the first three rounds.
But guess who has money and picks? The Flyers!
If the Flyers are willing to take on Necas’ entire salary, they could offer the Avalanche a package of picks. Maybe offer them their first round pick straight up or a second rounder this year and one next year. Colorado gets some financial breathing room and some sense of a future back, while the Flyers get a fundamentally sound playmaker who can play any of the top three lines.
The Flyers would also need to throw in a player to help the Avalanche replace some of the scoring they’d lose. And they would likely want someone cheap. Sounds a lot like Bobby Brink, who has been mentioned by fans in discussions for Nicolas Hague.
The beauty is that if Necas doesn't want to stick around, the Flyers can move him at the deadline for more draft capital. If he wants to stay, he'd be a lot cheaper to keep than Rossi or Bennett would be. He'd probably command around $9 million, but that salary wouldn't kick in until the following year when the salary cap would rise again. Likewise, most of the Flyers core players are already signed beyond next season.
Necas would be a great fit here. He could do just about anything you'd need and would bring a great playoff veteran experience to a team that hasn't been there in ages.