The free-agent pool looks pretty shallow when it comes to young, affordable talent the Flyers can use. So, there is always Plan B: The RFA Market.
As you know, there are strings attached to signing a restricted free agent. Depending on how much money you offer a player, you will have to surrender draft picks to the team that loses out. This can be anything from a third-round pick to four first-rounders. Most teams shy away from making offers for those reasons. You could also create bad blood around the league by trying to take a star player, such as when Montreal tried to steal Carolina's Sebastian Aho a few years ago.
I looked at this earlier this season when I suggested it might be fun for the Flyers to make a run at Connor Bedard. Either Philly would sign him and lose four first-round picks, trade someone or something to get some or all of those picks back. Or it would jack up the price and force Chicago to overpay. It might be worth it for him; however, not everyone is Bedard.
So are there any RFAs worth going after? Most of the good ones, like Bedard, are on teams that can afford to re-sign them. However, there are a few that are available that the Flyers could swipe. They are also on defense, which could help Philly out.
As a point of order, we must also make you aware that the Flyers have quite a few RFA defenders. It is possible the Flyers could re-sign or lose: Hunter McDonald, Jamie Drysdale, Christian Kyrou, Emil Andrae, and Artem Guryev. Most likely, Drysdale will return. Many of these came to Philly this year in trades, so they will probably be re-signed. As for McDonald and Andrae, we'll see.
Here are three young defenders the Flyers may want to take a swing at. The funny thing is, they are all from rival teams in the East.
Michael Kesselring --- Buffalo
Kesselring would fill a big hole in the Flyers' lineup. Philly doesn't have a legit big bruiser on defense. He'd do it. He was limited to just 34 games this year due to ankle and knee injuries. However, last year with Utah, he delivered 87 hits while taking 67 blocks. That's a solid defender.
The former sixth-round pick is 26 years old and stands at a hefty 6'5". He's not much of a scorer, but he could be a shutdown guy.
He's currently making $1.5 million. Buffalo is going to be in a tight spot. They are going to have to put much of their focus on retaining Alex Tuch as well as other players like Zachary Jones. Kesselring might be a casualty of that. In fact, I bet if the Flyers offered a fifth-rounder for him before the draft, they could secure his rights.
Braden Schneider --- NYR D
Schneider is 6'3", will turn 25 in September, and is a 2020 first-rounder for the Rangers. He also loves to hit. This past season, he made 163 hits and blocked the puck 141 times. That is a big boy who loves to get physical
That's the sort of size the Flyers could use to battle into the corners with a team like Carolina or Florida. They need a good hulking presence who can slam into players and make them think twice about entering the zone. It would be great to have a guy like that. We haven't truly had someone like that since Radko Gudas, but then again, we don't need a discipline problem either.
Schneider has been someone that the Rangers had been hoping to build their defense around. However, too many high salaries and poor trades have taken a big bite out of what finances they have. That could be enough to convince him to leave NYC for Philly.
Again, it'll come down to money. They will also be limited by the salary cap. Schneider is making $2.2 million now. Offering him something in the range of $5-$6 million could make it difficult for the Rangers to keep pace, or else they'd have to lose some of their other young players as well. For a team like the Rangers that is struggling, this could be a problem...and a boon for the Flyers. Plus, I'd rather him hit for us than to hit us.
Simon Nemec --- NJD
And if we are going to steal a player from a team we hate, and it can't be the Rangers, how about the Devils? Schneider would be nice, but Nemec might be a nicer haul. The 22-year-old made $4.4 million this past year, so he would cost more. The Devils also have a lot of players to think about keeping around, so a higher bid, maybe closer to $8 million, might be enough to scare off NJD.
However, Nemec would be a great defender for Philly. He's not super physical, but he did block 104 shots. He also scored 11 goals this season with 15 assists. He could complement a young corps of fast-scoring defenders like Drysdale and Cam York, putting each on a different defensive line. Then, when matched up with a more defensive defender, like Travis Sanheim or Nick Seeler, the duo can become a rather solid force. Think of when Eric Desjardins was paired up with Chris Therien.
This is especially critical to think about with Rasmus Ristolainen entering the final year of his contract. Is he someone that the Flyers want to keep around, or will he be moved? Ristolainen, as well, could be someone who could pair up nicely with Nemec
The likelihood of any of these guys coming to Philly is pretty slim. Still, it's fun to think about. And if you gotta steal an RFA, you might as well do it from a divisional or conference rival. Who knows...one of these guys could be our missing piece.
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