After what has been a pretty depressing season, about which I saw little to post, it's fun to have things to wildly speculate upon! No team does offseason crazy like the Flyers. Maybe it hurts them in the long run, but they always put a competitive team on the ice and the moments of madness always keep it exciting for the fans.
Anyway, there's been a bunch of rumors popping up this week, and here's just a few comments.
#1 - Bryzgalov's agent says Holmgren told him Bryz won't be bought out this offseason. Holmgren says that's BS.
I've already written a little about a Bryzgalov buyout. I think the question is when, not if. I previously laid out the case for doing it next summer. Since then, I've warmed to certain scenarios for a buyout this summer. Either way, Holmgren told Jeff Carter's agent he wouldn't be traded, and then traded him a week later. Assuming Holmgren even gave Bryz's agent any assurances, I wouldn't put much stock in them. I would ignore this item and say a Bryz buyout this summer is very much on the table.
#2 - The Flyers are a front runner to trade for Jonathan Bernier; possible packages include Matt Read, or Couturier+11th pick.
Bernier is a 24 year old goalie. He was the first goalie taken in the 2006 draft, at 11 overall. Thus far, he's been stuck behind Quick in LA. Relatively small for a modern NHL goalie, he's very quick. He's excelled at the AHL level, has a .912% in 62 NHL appearances, and many scouts think he's ready to try for a #1 NHL job.
He's also a RFA this year, and the Kings are tight against the cap As a result, they are very vulnerable to an offer sheet and settling for meek draft pick compensation for losing him. Now the Kings are aggressively trying to trade him in the next few weeks before that happens.
In a general sense, I kind of like the idea of the Flyers going into next season with Bernier and Mason, two goalies with unquestionable talent, and letting the best man win. Neither is a sure thing after all. The Flyers must, however, draw the line on how much they are willing to pay for him.
First, Bernier wants a chance to start. I don't think there's many NHL teams that will trade for him and simply give him the #1 job, so an open competition with Mason might be the best he gets. I don't think he'd be unhappy with a trade to Philly.
Second, let's throw out the package reported by Carchidi; Cooter and the 11th pick. That is a terrible deal.
Third, the Read deal (or something like it) is reasonable. Read is a quality player, and can play across a team's top 9. Most likely, he's a 2/3 line wing in the NHL. What makes him tradeable is, that while he still seems inexperienced and up-and-coming, he is 27 years old. He's also a UFA after this season, and will be seeking a substantial raise from his current $900k deal. I'm not sure the Flyers can accommodate that. The problem is, the Flyers are already weak at forward, and there is no clear substitute to take his place.
Either way, the Flyers should not get sucked into a bidding war for Bernier. If the deal is there, take it and buy out Bryz. If not, walking away is just fine.
#3 - The Flyer are talking trade for Bobby Ryan, at a cost of Coburn and 11 pick
After some thought, I don't think this is a very good deal as presented. It's tempting for Flyers fans to part with Coburn, as he is coming off a poor season that ended in an injury, and he carries a significant cap hit of $4.5. What we have to remember is that he plays big minutes for the Flyers, and can flourish in the right situation.
With his size and skating, it is tempting to ask Coburn to do a lot, and I think that's where it went wrong for him this season. He's not Matt Carle, and his slapshot looks good, but is horrendously inaccurate. I could see him playing well with Streit though, in a simplified role. Let Streit attack and Coburn be the anchor of the pair. We might get to see the Coburn that looked so promising playing with Timonen a few years ago.
Furthermore, this is supposed to be a very good draft. It seems a slam dunk for the Flyers to take a good young defensemen with the 11 pick, which is unusually high for the Flyers, but Flyers fans shouldn't count on that either given their track record of taking the best player available (which they usually deem to be a forward). Still, the reality is that with or without Ryan, the Flyers are not cup contenders next season. Yes, they need help at forward, but this is not the way to do it.
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