It's always hard to see a favorite player in "the wrong jersey". It's even harder when it is a rival. It was one thing to see Claude Giroux in a Florida Panthers or Ottawa Senators jersey, but since we don't have a history with them, it wasn't as painful. Now, Wayne Simmonds in a Devils jersey or Rick Tocchet in a Penguins jersey...now that hurts.
When we can do it to another team, however, it becomes hilarious. Saquon Barkley as an Eagle? Priceless. Bryce Harper ditching DC for Philly? Amazing!
The Flyers are in an interesting position. With a series of moves, they could not only improve their team but also deal a blow to the hearts of one of their fiercest rivals. Daniel Briere, via one trade and one free agent signing, could break the hearts of Rangers fans. If this happens and he can pull this off, it would be nightmare fuel on Broadway, and it would be the most glorious thing ever.
Phase One: The Trade
I'm not going to get too much into the nitty gritty of a deal because I've done that before. However, there have been some updates. Chris Kreider has submitted a list of 15 teams he refuses to be traded to per his contract. The Flyers are apparently not on that list. That means he would accept a trade to Philadelphia.
The Rangers have just under $8.5 million in cap space and have a lot of decisions to make. Right now, one of the biggest decisions seems to be trading Kreider or K'Andre Miller. They are gauging their interest in several of their assets as they try to figure out how to change their team without doing a full-blown rebuild.
Kreider would be a great addition for the Flyers to have. Trades between the Flyers and Rangers are pretty rare. Outside of the Eric Lindros trade, few have been significant. However, the Flyers have the finances, draft capital, and other assets that could be used to acquire him. They could also be willing to eat up a lot of that precious salary that the Rangers need.
Phase Two: The Free Agent
It's not a big secret that the Flyers could use a defender. There are some good veteran ones available if the Flyers miss out on the free agent prize of Aaron Ekblad. Dmitri Orlov would be a solid consolation prize. Even better would be former Rangers blueliner Ryan Lindgren.
Lindgren was a longtime Ranger. They couldn't agree to a new contract with him, partly because of their salary cap crunch issues. They didn't want to see him walk, so they traded him to the Colorado Avalanche at the deadline.
Now, Lindgren is a free agent. He earned $4.5 million this past season. Projections suggest he could command anywhere between $3 and $5 million, depending on his contract demands and how many suitors he has. He may be willing to sacrifice more money up front for more years on the back end. So instead of a $5 million deal for one year, he may accept a $10 million deal for three years.
The Payoff
The Flyers are in a great spot here. If they could do it at the expense and humiliation of a hated, heated rival, so much the better. Adding two veterans like Kreider and Lindgren would improve this team. I'm sure Philadelphia would also get a little extra out of them, assuming they'd perform well enough to rub it in to the team that gave up on them.
Lindgren and Kreider played with each other for seven years. They know what each other will do and could play off each other well in Philadelphia. I know it is a long shot, but it is a lot of fun to think about. Hopefully, Briere can think about it too.