As the Flyers season sadly, slowly limps along, we have two things to look forward to. First, there is the draft as the Flyers have three first-round picks this year. That's a lot of capital that can grab three potentially good players to restock the system or use as ammunition to snag someone who is upper-tier talent. You know, the sort of talent that the team is desperately lacking.
Secondly, there is free agency. For the first time in years, the Flyers will have money to spend instead of just scraping the bottom of the NHL well for role players. According to Puckpedia, the Flyers are projected to have over $27.5 million. Let's be honest, that's enough money to sign two or three top-quality players.
However, before we get too excited, we have to pause and remember a few things. A few guys are eligible for extensions this off-season. That could cut the number down by at least $10 million. So, that brings us down to one, maybe two guys.
With that in mind, we can look at the list of upcoming free agents and start to drool. Could we snag a Mitch Marner or Brock Boeser? Could a reunion with Claude Giroux happen? What about a defensive monster like Aaron Ekblad or Jakob Chychrun? These names would all be great. But why would they want to come here to play in Philly? Let's look at the cons and pros of a top-level free agent coming to play here in Philadelphia.
Cons: Why Would Anyone Want to Play in Philly Right Now?
The Roster: This team is a mess. The goaltending situation is unstable. Sam Ersson is doing what he can, but it looks like the team is moving towards more of a platoon situation. The defense is young and struggling. The offense is young and inconsistent. The power play is abysmal. At times they flash these elements of what they could be and then it looks like they've never played hockey before. That is not attractive to another player coming in.
The Coach: There is a lot about John Tortorella to like. My favorite thing about him is, that while he holds his guys accountable for what they do on the ice, he also is quick to defend them from the press. I can appreciate that and his players can too.
However, he has a reputation where he can be overly critical and tough. He is uber-committed to his system and some have wondered if that is stifling the young talent. He didn't mesh well with Kevin Hayes, Ivan Provorov, and Tony DeAngelo. He's had similar issues with players in Columbus and New York. Yet, other players love him and swear by him, like Cam Atkinson and most recently, Erik Johnson. Is he able to attract top free agents to come here or would he scare some off?
We Aren't Winning: Let's look at the names we mentioned. Marner has been on playoff teams that have fallen short. Giroux went to Ottawa to be home and take the Senators to the playoffs and that hasn't happened yet. Boeser has been on teams that struggle in the regular and postseason. Ekblad has won a cup. Chychrun left a bad situation in Ottawa for Washington and is looking to make a deep playoff run there with the Caps.
With all that in mind, why would they want to come to a team that hasn't been to the playoffs since the COVID Bubble and hasn't hosted a playoff game since 2018? Many of these guys are still chasing their first Stanley Cup. Can you say coming here would make that dream come true? Sure, money talks ---- after all $40 million a year convinced Myles Garrett that the Browns are winners. But will any amount of money be able to convince someone to leave a contender, like Florida, Toronto, or Washington, to come to Philadelphia? Not sure. And if the fans aren't even interested, why should the players?
Endless Rebuild/Retool: We've been officially rebuilding for about two years when Daniel Briere became the GM. Previous GM Chuck Fletcher had deluded himself into thinking that the Flyers were just one player away. Unofficially, we've been rebuilding for like 12 years. That's not attractive to other players. Again, that's like joining a team like the Sabres, Canadiens, Canucks, or Islanders that seem to get good players and yet never go anywhere with them. Are the Flyers doomed to his kind of existence? Maybe a top free agent might prefer to go to Carolina or Vegas or another team that is close to winning instead.