The 2023 draft is over, the picks have been made, and the first day of free agency is upon us. It’s a time where contenders hit the open market, looking to tighten up their rosters, and where teams on the cusp go after big fish players to push them into Cup contention.
For rebuilding teams like the Flyers, free agency will look considerably less splashy and thrilling–but that doesn’t mean they should sit out entirely. This is an opportunity to pick up a few players, whether they’re veterans that could guide young talent, or players looking to rebuild their stock within the league on a one-year “prove it” contract. Obviously, these players should be on short term contracts or–at the very least–not kick up a fuss when they’re getting scratched so the youth movement has an opportunity to play. As head coach John Tortorella has put it, they’re looking to “backfill” the roster.
Veteran players
It may seem like the Flyers roster already consists of nothing but veteran players. However, with the Hayes trade done, the only 30-and-over players left are Sean Couturier, Cam Atkinson, Nick Seeler and Nic Deslauriers–two of those guys missed the entire 2022-23 season due to injury, and the other two aren’t bad, but they’re not exactly beacons of NHL-caliber talent. Twenty-nine year old Scott Laughton is next in line, but there’s still a chance he starts the season on another team.
There are a few directions the Flyers could go with this: do they bring in journeymen players who still have something to contribute (like they did with Derrick Brassard a couple years back) and boost their value for the trade deadline? Or do they go hard on the culture side? Candidates in either category would likely come cheap and be easy sell-offs at the trade deadline for a couple late-round draft picks.
Bounce back candidates
This is where a bit of gambling comes in and, as I wrote in another article relating to the draft, the Flyers shouldn’t be afraid to take chances on high-upside players–in this case, ones that could bring back serious value at the deadline. The risk? Re-injury or being surrounded by a bad team cratering their value.
Max Pacioretty headlines this category of UFA. Last summer, the Carolina Hurricanes acquired Pacioretty for free from the Vegas Golden Knights as part of a cap dump, but also because Pacioretty was recovering from a torn ACL and would miss most of the season. The Canes saw his mid-season return as a sort of “deadline add” to bolster their scoring, but after netting three goals in five games he re-tore his ACL and missed the rest of the regular season and playoffs. At 34, two ACL tears in a year does not bode well for Pacioretty’s productivity, and contenders are likely wary to take on that sort of risk. The Flyers, though? They should be first in line to sign a one-year, cheap(ish) contract for Pacioretty: if he excels in Philadelphia, he’ll bring back great value at the deadline; if he’s injured again or unable to play at an NHL pace, the Flyers don’t really lose anything.
Trades
Yes, I know: trades don’t exactly scream “free agency.” This summer’s market, however, is relatively weak: there aren’t a lot of high-end players available, and the ones that are will go quickly. The stagnant cap makes it even more difficult, as contending teams are going to be forced to use precious cap space on otherwise average NHLers because those are the players available to fill gaps in the roster.
This is a boon for the Flyers. Travis Konecny and Scott Laughton have been swirling in trade rumors for weeks, and both are signed to extremely team friendly contracts for what they provide. Travis Sanheim’s NTC makes trades difficult, but if there are any positives to take away from the failed St. Louis Blues trade, it’s that Sanheim still has value around the league–and his term can be attractive to teams that struggle to retain players. A weak free agency class drives up the value of players like TK, Laughton, and Sanheim, and Briere would do well to let free agency play out a bit–teams will come calling when they miss out on their desired UFAs, and may be prepared to part with premium assets. One team’s loss is the Flyers’ gain.
What are some under-the-radar free agency signings you’d like to see the Flyers pursue? Let us know in the comments!
