More Defensemen Trade Candidates

The chances of the Flyers trading for one of Nashville's star defensemen has dwindled, and Tim Gleason has re-signed with the Hurricanes, so the Flyers must turn to Plan B in acquiring a defensemen.   After all, this the Flyers, of course they will trade for SOMEONE at the deadline.

Ideally, the Flyers will be looking for a physical stay-at-home defensemen.  Failing that, a less physical but reliable veteran would work as well.  Here are some names the Flyers may look into who are pending free agents on teams that may be willing to deal.

Plan B Trade Candidates
-Luke Schenn, Toronto.  Still out there, but JVR is still hurt and he's the key to that deal.  Still wait and see mode for both teams.

-Bryan Allen, Carolina.  Big boy, stays at home, former first round pick.  Precisely fits the bill on what the Flyers are allegedly looking for.

-Hal Gill, Montreal.  Another stay-at-home guy, who has played pretty well in recent playoffs.  Poor speed, but huge reach and size (6'7").  Very much a role player.

-Pavel Kubina, Tampa Bay.  If the Lightning might be willing to trade Kubina, which is a big if, he could be a very interesting option for the Flyers.  Big and strong, he would bring the Flyers a better shot from the point than anyone they have now.  Inconsistency has kept him being a top tier defensemen over the years, but is capable of playing a lot of minutes.

-Jaroslav Spacek, Carolina.  A reliable but aging defensemen.  Not a physical player, however.


-Johnny Oduya, Winnipeg.  If Winnipeg fades out of the playoff race, they may be looking to trade him.  Not physical, but a reliable, smart defensemen.  Younger version of Spacek?

-Milan Jurcina, Islanders.  Another big body on defense.  May not be as highly regarded as other names on this list.

-Andy Sutton, Edmonton.  A big, physical defensemen, who often find himself in trouble with violent play.  I don't think he's a reliable enough player to fit the Flyers need this year.

-Shane O'Brien, Colorado.  A physical defensemen.  Would play a limited role for the Flyers.

-Sheldon Souray, Dallas.  Known for his big slapshot, he is big and physical, but not necessarily reliable on defense.  Having a good bounce-back season for Dallas after one year exile to the AHL on his previous huge NHL contract that no one wanted.  May not be available anyway.

Zherdev out

So it finally happened. The Flyers waived Nik Zherdev today.

He has 15 goals and obvious talent, but was unreliable and never was more than fringe player on the squad.

I previously wrote that I thought he had little trade value, but could be a wildcard off the bench in a playoff series or could be traded for a depth defensemen. Perhaps the Flyers had enough of his attitude issues and gave up on pursuing a trade.

Of course the reaction of many fans will be 'OMG, he has 15 goals, so much better than Nodl or Powe!"

I do think it's likely the he gets claimed off waivers. Surely some team out there is looking for a rental to boost their secondary scoring with a highly skilled player like Zherdev. If he isn't claimed, I guess that absolves the Flyers from most criticism they could receive for getting nothing in return for Zherdev.

The only question on my mind is, was his attitude that disruptive? For now I will presume the Flyers have other plans for his newly available cap space, rather than simply dumping a skilled depth player.

QUICK UPDATE:

Tim Panaccio on Twitter: "Flyers brass met all morning; Zherdev waived. Will Walker try to come back? Flyers needs 7th def"

I don't know Walker's status right now, but waiving Zherdev and calling up Walker is kind of like trading Zherdev for a depth defensemen, as was speculated. *shrugs*

Trade Deadline Looming

There has been far more trade activity in the weeks leading up the trade deadline than is traditional in the NHL. The Flyers have already made their big move by getting Versteeg, but look for them to try and add a depth defensemen at low cost. Perhaps for Zherdev?

After watching Jody Shelley dress over healthy scratch Nik Zherdev - and his 15 goals - twice in the last week, many were left wondering whether we have seen the last of Zherdev in a Flyers uniform.

Some rumors had the Flyers waiving Zherdev and his $2 million salary to create room under the salary cap. Another rumor, from Russian reporter Dmitry Chesnokov, said yesterday that six NHL teams have contacted the Flyers about obtaining Zherdev's services before next Monday's trading deadline.

"I must have missed those calls," Paul Holmgren deadpanned.

Despite missing 12 games this season as a healthy scratch, Zherdev would still lead the Ottawa Senators in scoring. That's an insurance policy Holmgren won't exactly give away, in case of injury.

"Yeah, I would be [reluctant]," Holmgren said. "A little bit. Because he's a highly skilled player. And, in case something happens, it'd be difficult from an insurance standpoint."

Zherdev has clearly fallen out of favor with coach Peter Laviolette - and the Flyers couldn't even find Zherdev in Raleigh, N.C., on Friday night when Mike Richards came down with a stomach illness after warmups.

"We were scrambling around, about 8 minutes before the game and the only guy they could find was Jody," Holmgren said. "I think Nikolay has struggled with being in and out of the lineup. Perhaps his work ethic has dropped in practice as a result. But he needs to tough it out here and work hard if he wants to get back in the lineup."

Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/flyers/20110222_Leino_sets_aside_salary_talks_so_Flyers_can_add_Versteeg.html#ixzz1Ei4Hwnob
Watch sports videos you won't find anywhere else

As I said before, Zherdev for a low-level defensemen makes sense to me.

Will also be interesting to see how Bartulis plays the next two weeks with O'Donnell injured. I've never been a big fan of Bartulis, and was surprised when the Flyers signed him to a multi-year contract after playing in just a few NHL games. I guess we'll see if he's trustworthy for spot duty in the playoffs.

And then there's Leino (my current obsession on this blog).

Not wanting to ruffle the feathers of Leino, his biggest playoff hero last year (seven goals, 14 assists), Holmgren asked Leino how he would feel about the team pulling the trigger on a deal. Now, Versteeg is here - and Leino is stuck until the offseason. Even so, it was a no-brainer for Leino, who makes more than only Darroll Powe, Oskars Bartulis and Blair Betts.

"He's got to sit tight now," Holmgren said. "We have about $2 million in tagging space, so that's probably not enough to get it done right now.

"I think there's an open dialogue. I think my conversations with Ville and his agent, he wants to be here. He knows we want him here. That's a topic for another day."

Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/flyers/20110222_Leino_sets_aside_salary_talks_so_Flyers_can_add_Versteeg.html#ixzz1Ei4Hwnob
Watch sports videos you won't find anywhere else

And;

Holmgren reiterated that there is not enough room to sign Leino until after the season. He does not expect any problems resigning the winger.

Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/flyers/20110222_Flyers_Notes___Flyers__O_Donnell_to_be_out_up_to_two_weeks.html#ixzz1Ei4NhQbC
Watch sports videos you won't find anywhere else

Interesting. Not to beat a dead horse, but there is no cap room to sign Leino without moving a significant piece off the current roster. It is also possible the Flyers are resorting to new tactics to convince Leino to resign;

After Versteeg, what now?

Versteeg has yet to actually play for the Flyers, but that won't prevent a "day after" post.

First, I am pretty confident that the Flyers won't be able to sign Leino now that they've committed $3 million more to another player next season.

Second, will the Flyers move anybody else? I think that's what a lot of people are waiting for. They have more forwards than they need, and Carcillo and Zherdev aren't going to have very prominent roles sans injuries. On the other hand, I think each player has little trade value and the Flyers don't need to dump salary if they don't want to.

Eklund at hockeybuzz says Zherdev might go on waivers soon. As an Eklund rumor, it is slightly more believable than a story my 4-year old niece might make up.

Personally, I think Zherdev is a mentally lazy player. When he gets room on the rush, his stickhandling and shooting is unmatched on the Flyers roster. The rest of the time, he's slow to react and has lapses in concentration at both ends of the ice. Because he can score, he'd be an attractive waiver wire option to teams, but I can't see many teams giving up an asset of any value to acquire him. I'd love to be wrong, however. For that reason, I'd hang on to Zherdev, because I think he has value as a wildcard that can keep opposing teams off balance over the course of a long series.

Maybe the Flyers are looking a few other options, but I doubt there will be much of consequence coming back to the Flyers. There's just no room among the skaters, and what goalie options are there? If they really wanted to do something big, they could trade JVR, who the Leafs reportedly wanted. I'm glad they didn't, and I expect they're not pursuing options down that road.

UPDATE: Maybe the Flyers will trade Zherdev for another defensemen? Zherdev for a team's bottom pair guy (who would be a #7 on the Flyers) is plausible. From the reliable Dreger Report:

Kris Versteeg gives the Philadelphia Flyers another top nine offensive weapon and sends a direct message to all of Philadelphia's rivals - the Flyers believe this is the year.

Paul Holmgren is still looking for a defenceman to round out his roster, but landing Versteeg was a priority for the Flyers GM.

Brian Burke was keenly interested in forward James Van Riemsdyk, but Holmgren made it clear that JVR was not going to be part of this deal.

Philadelphia is stronger today and because of that, Boston, Tampa Bay and all teams who consider themselves contenders may now be eagerly trying to measure up.

Another team source involved in trade discussions says as soon as the Versteeg trade to Philly was announced, his phone started ringing.

Flyers trade for Kris Versteeg

I am caught a little off-guard by this one. I have heard some rumors about the Flyers talking to the Leafs for a trade, maybe for Giguere, maybe for Versteeg, but there never seemed to be enough momentum to any deal to think anything was imminent, and thus worthy of being passed on to the loyal Mostly Flyers readership.

I just didn't see the Flyers and Leafs interests aligning, and I'm still not sure I do. The Leafs are clearly in rebuild mode, looking for youngsters and picks. The Flyers have few of both, but they decided to part some of the few picks they have.

Versteeg is a quality young player. He can play anywhere in the lineup, in all situations, and was a valuable member of the Hawks during their cup run. But did the Flyers need another forward? They seem to have enough trouble spreading around the ice time for the forwards they already have.

I presume Versteeg will be playing with Richards, and Nodl or JVR will be bumped off their spot there. Or I guess they could use him to stabilize the Carter-Giroux line that has seen Zherdev pass through. Either way, Nodl or JVR will be fighting for their ice time, and Zherdev and Carcillo are one step further out to the fringe of the squad.

The good news is that the Flyers didn't lose anything off their roster for this season. It appears they're going all-in for this season, and this may have been the best acquisition available to them to improve this year's squad (even if Versteeg is something of a luxury for a team that is already deep at forward). Goalie is their obvious achilles heel, but there may not have been any good options out there. I would've liked to see Erik Cole too, but I have to think acquiring Versteeg is the end of that.

Lastly, Versteeg is signed for next season at approximately $3 million. Hmm, exactly the same amount the Flyers have reportedly offered to Ville Leino... And then there's this report from over the weekend;

Meanwhile, contract talks with left wing Ville Leino appear to have stalled. The Flyers are believed to have offered Leino three- and four-year contract extensions worth $3 million a season. Leino, who is making $800,000 and is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, apparently believes he is worth more on the open market.

The writing is on the wall for Leino's future with the Flyers I think.

Flyers do some tweaking

The Flyers have waived Matt Walker, removing his $1.7 million salary from their cap hit.

Panaccio also tweets;

As I speculated weeks ago, sources say the Flyers would make a play for Erik Cole at deadline. Walker move may be start

CAR would not deal Cole if Rutherford feels he has a chance. Month away from deadline but #Flyers are interested in him

Erik Cole is 32 years old, pending UFA with a $2.9 million cap hit. He's not a high end scorer, but he complements high end players well, and can be a physical and productive player in that role. His best years came when playing with Eric Staal in Carolina, under then Carolina coach Peter Laviolette.

I have no reason to doubt what Panaccio reports. The trickier part is where the teams can meet on a deal. As with the Langenbrunner trade interest, the Flyers forward situation remains crowded, and they don't have much trade bait. What Carolina wants back in a trade could vary widely by how close they are to a playoff spot.

Aside from the Flyers probably throwing some picks to Carolina, the most easily identifiable trade candidates on the Flyers are Carcillo, Zherdev and Nodl. Personally, I wouldn't trade Nodl. He's young, cheap, is one of the best skaters on the team, strong on the puck, and is smart and very good defensively. Second, I really can't see the Canes having much interest in Carcillo, though I could be wrong there.

That leaves Zherdev. The chances of him resigning with the Flyers are very low I think. He's scored some pretty goals this year, but hasn't yet staked out a clear role on this team. Might Zherdev's high-end offensive ability tempt the Canes? Possible.

Zherdev and a mid-round pick for Cole seems the most plausible possibility to me. Either way, no trade will be imminent, and both the Flyers and Canes will see how things play out the next few weeks and reassess their needs and options.

Flyers dabble in Langenbrunner

Jamie Langenbrunner is surely on the move. The captain of the Devils was scratched last night versus the Flyers, and had been asked to waive his no-trade clause, which he did.

Tim Panaccio reported the Flyers' interest last night, and I'm sure the Flyers did have interest in a valuable, experienced two-way forward, but the trade always seemed very unlikely to me.

Langenbrunner's salary is $2.8, meaning the Flyers would have had to send some salary back or make other moves. Also, the Flyers forward situation is relatively cramped, so it's unclear who would be the odd man out. Third, I'm not sure what the Flyers have to offer NJ. The two players most likely on the outs in Flyerdom, Carcillo and Zherdev, are both due to be free agents and would be of little value to a NJ team that is going nowhere this season. Maybe picks could be traded, but the Flyers don't have a wealth of those to deal either with a stripped farm system.

Lots of reports the Langenbrunner to Dallas is basically done this morning. For me this brief flirtation by the Flyers mainly underlines that Holmgren will be looking for help, but the Flyers roster is more or less set for the rest of the year.