2014 Cap Flyers Hits

[Youarewrong]

With the cap going down to 64.3 million, and the Flyers resigning Timonen to 6 million. I looked at what next season look like from right now, without any roster changes... And it doesn't look like much can be done IMO.

Hartnell 4.75 Giroux 3.75 Voracek 4.25
Simmonds 3.975 Briere 6.5 Schenn .9 (with a total of 3.1 including bonuses)
Read .9 Couturier .925 McGinn .775
Talbot 1.75 Laughton 1.138 Rinaldo .750 (estimated resign RFA)

Extra Skater: Sestito .75 (estimated resign RFA)

Timonen 6 Schenn 3.6
Grossmann 3.5 Coburn 4.5
Meszaros 4 Gustefsson 1.25 (estimated resign RFA)

Extra Defenseman: Gervais .825

Bryzgalov 5.667

Bartulis Buyout .1

The TOTAL CAP HIT 60.555
Leaving 3.745 million AFTER you LTIR Pronger.

[Youarewrong]

So with that 3.745 million they will also have to get a back-up goalie. I just don't see how they will be able to make any kind of improvements to this team. The only thing you will be able to do if buy-out Briere... But with the offense as bad as it is, in order to replace him with anything close to what he brings you will have to pay just as much. The only thing I can see happening is buying out Briere to sign Iginla or Perry... which are upgrades, but only slightly. And if you do do that then you have to worry about thier contacts getting in the way of resigning Giroux, Schenn, Couturier, and Meszaros.

To be honest I think the Flyers are going to have to move Meszaros and either Simmonds or Voracek. I don't think we can afford to pay an often injured Meszaros 4 million to play on the 3rd pairing. We can't afford to pay anyone on the 3rd pairing more than 2 million. These guys need to be young guys on ELC. And while in the long run Simmonds and Voracek's deals might be good value deals... right now they are getting over-paid. We need the cap flexability. I wouldn't mind trading Simmonds to Phoenix for Runblad and a pick, and Meszaros for a prospect D-man and a couple picks. Then you can make a run at a UFA in this summer and buyout Briere the following year to resign the above guys....

Read-Giroux-Iginla/Perry/Semin
Hartnell-Briere-Voracek
Schenn-Couturier-McGinn
Talbot-Laughton-Rinaldo

Timonen-Schenn
Gustefsson-Coburn
Grossmann-Runblad

Bryzgalov
Nabakov

[Randall Stevens]

I believe the Flyers just cant move Simmonds or Voracek considering they just resigned. They just cant, they are really pushing they're luck with the JVR move

But Mez is definitely doable on defense, but at his cap, he might be more valuable to us as a member of the team instead of a cap relief. On offense, the most movable players are Read and B Schenn, neither provide relief though.

I think the amnesty on Briere is a no brainer this off season. It just has to be done. With the lower cap and therefore lower contract figures that come with it, 6.5 million will pay for a stud, which Briere is not anymore (besides playoffs of course)

I probably use Mez, B Schenn, draft picks and Briere amnesty to improve this team. Gives plenty of cash and ammo for improvements.

(side note, really think they screwed up letting Versteeg go, fyi. Know what the Flyers got for Versteeg? Draft pick used for the Kubina rental. Smooth move Homer )

[Ace23]

I hated the Versteeg trade. Just saying. Still not thrilled with it.

On a side note, the Kings stole Ellerby for a 5th round pick. Absolutely ridiculous that we weren't involved there. Ellerby is young and talented -- he's basically a younger, better, cheaper Grossman. Need some players like that. He has a $700k cap hit and first-round talent. I honestly have no idea why Homer wouldn't make that move in a heartbeat.

Getting Ellerby would make Grossman expendable. That saves about $3M off the cap -- and provides us with a better player in return.

[Randall Stevens]

I hated the Versteeg trade. Just saying. Still not thrilled with it.

On a side note, the Kings stole Ellerby for a 5th round pick. Absolutely ridiculous that we weren't involved there. Ellerby is young and talented -- he's basically a younger, better, cheaper Grossman. Need some players like that. He has a $700k cap hit and first-round talent. I honestly have no idea why Homer wouldn't make that move in a heartbeat.

Getting Ellerby would make Grossman expendable. That saves about $3M off the cap -- and provides us with a better player in return.

and you're supposed to be "the voice of reason"?

Ellerby was a healthy scratch on the Florida Panthers. He was a 1st round talent, whoopdy doo. That literally means nothing in a rational world. Grossmann is an incredibly sound and solid defensive defenseman, and is an incredible value at 3.5 million. Ellerby is strictly a raw project as a future defensive defenseman. LA is hoping that Ellerby can possibly become a Grossmann one day.

Homer didnt make a move on Ellerby because the Flyers have a much better project in Luke Schenn, and the Flyers have a surplus of physical defenseman with limited offensive game. If he was a skating defenseman project, then maybe he would have looked...

[Hatch]

With the cap in place for next year the only choice is to buyout Briere. When you look at what the lineup projects to be next year as of right now from the first post the one thing sorely lacking is a legitimate scorer. The only guy we have that fits in that category is Giroux and that's proving to not be enough. While the other guys are all Good Players......no one falls into the category of being able to have any sort of dynamic abilities that are just always involved in creating a scoring chance. I'm not in favor of moving Simmonds at all. Voracek is starting to concern me a bit. Seems to have all the physical tools, but just doesn't seem to be able to establish a consistent offensive game thus far. We need to find a way to create some cap space to find a more bona fide scoring threat..........seems the only way to do that is to buyout Briere and try to invest his number into someone in his prime to go with Giroux.

I'd also like to see us actually create an identity for the fourth line. May sound stupid, but between last year and this year our fourth line appears to be just the collection of guys that are playing good enough to warrant being in the top 12, but keep getting rotated around without a plan. I could see a Talbot, Laughton Rinaldo line as being a really aggressive, hard checking type fourth line.......I'd just like to see 3 guys have a more defined roles and become more of an established unit than it be just a rotation of guys to run in and out of the lineup. I know injuries have played a part in that this year....but pick and identity for them and go with it.........do we want 3 just straight up physical guys who will bang and take the body or a speedy line........seems we've been a hybrid of both that hasn't really ever established itself a true role for the team.

[3iverson3]

I agree with the Voracek statement. B. Schenn and Voracek need to pick it up. I want to see Voracek on the top line with Simmonds and G. Briere with B. Schenn, Mcginn or something. Schenn always played well with Briere.

I am a newbie to the NHL cap.... Is there any way that they can retain the services of Simmonds and Voracek while still getting a decent forward? Would it require moving just Mez/Briere buyout? Also would it be enough to sign G, Couts, and others.
And why the hell would Laughton get paid more than Couts on his rookie contract?????????????

[ryguy553]

I thought I read somewhere you can amnesty as many as 2 players. Is it possible we can do that with Pronger and Briere some how get both of those contracts off the books. If that's the case we wouldn't have to move and young talent as a cap casualty like Schenn. To me their biggest need by far is a goal scorer. The Timonen extension tells me they are satisfied with their defensive corps going forward. Timonen, Schenn, Coby, Grossmann, Mez, and Gervais, MAB, Foster, Gus, etc. fighting it out for that 6 spot really is not a bad defensive corps. We need to look offense I would love Perry or Getzlaf still relatively young guys that would fit right in with our young core not in love with Iginla older and losing production. Next years free agency crop seems stacked with goal scorers with Gaborik and Vanek at the top of the list. Would love Vanek.

[Randall Stevens]

I thought I read somewhere you can amnesty as many as 2 players. Is it possible we can do that with Pronger and Briere some how get both of those contracts off the books. If that's the case we wouldn't have to move and young talent as a cap casualty like Schenn. To me their biggest need by far is a goal scorer. The Timonen extension tells me they are satisfied with their defensive corps going forward. Timonen, Schenn, Coby, Grossmann, Mez, and Gervais, MAB, Foster, Gus, etc. fighting it out for that 6 spot really is not a bad defensive corps. We need to look offense I would love Perry or Getzlaf still relatively young guys that would fit right in with our young core not in love with Iginla older and losing production. Next years free agency crop seems stacked with goal scorers with Gaborik and Vanek at the top of the list. Would love Vanek.

You're right you can amnesty 2 players, but you cant amnesty an injured player. Pronger would have to get medical clearance to get the amnesty. I was arguing on here that clearing a physical wouldnt be the biggest deal since the thing with post concussion syndrome is you have good weeks and bad weeks, sometime good months, but they probably wouldnt even attempt any of that.

[Ace23]

and you're supposed to be "the voice of reason"?

Ellerby was a healthy scratch on the Florida Panthers. He was a 1st round talent, whoopdy doo. That literally means nothing in a rational world. Grossmann is an incredibly sound and solid defensive defenseman, and is an incredible value at 3.5 million. Ellerby is strictly a raw project as a future defensive defenseman. LA is hoping that Ellerby can possibly become a Grossmann one day.

Homer didnt make a move on Ellerby because the Flyers have a much better project in Luke Schenn, and the Flyers have a surplus of physical defenseman with limited offensive game. If he was a skating defenseman project, then maybe he would have looked...

Ellerby is a project. But he's a project with a hell of a lot more potential than MAB could ever dream of having. Everyone is trying to find new ways to save money, and if we can acquire another young defensive-minded d-man with an incredibly small cap hit, then yes, it is the reasonable thing to do. Please name the last 5th round pick the Flyers had that actually did something notable.

If it's not Grossman (who I like, but again, $64.2M cap -- we can't be overpaying for a 2nd/3rd pairing d-man), then oft-injured Meszaros? 7th d-man Lilja? How about Foster? All of those players have higher cap hits and lower ceilings than Ellerby. You don't find a whole lot of young players with that combination of size, skating ability, and defensive acumen. He's raw, but he's not unlike Coburn was before he was traded to PHL. I'd certainly rather have Ellerby than Lilja. If he works out, that's great. If not, it's a 5th round pick.

The other upside is that if he does work out, we now have another trading chip with a great resume. Again, there aren't many kids in the NHL with that skill set.

Also, in case you forgot, the Panthers aren't a bad team. They took the Devils (who kicked the hell out of us in the second round last year) to seven games. And they have some very good d-men back there (Jovo, Campbell, Kulikov, to name a few). Dale Talon has done some great things in FLA.

[elate]

I'd like to point out one thing. A lot of people make note of the Panthers taking the Devils to seven games last season. Yes I also know we got steamrolled by those very same Devils.

However.

Am I the only person that watched that series? It was probably the seven worst games of hockey I've ever seen. It was slow, unorganized, unmotivated hockey. I was convinced we were going to walk through the Devils in four games because of how bad they were playing.

[lbz88]

The team used up all the gas in the tank last year to destroy the Pens. They had nothing left to play anyone after that. Seemed like they were all hyped up to play the Pens and after winning they didn't know what to do or how to carry that momentum to the next round. If they can make the playoffs this year, look for a different team than last year.

[fanofphilly]

I don't think they used all their gas. I just think they simply overlooked the devils. Add in the fact that the devils trap was in full affect which destroyed any of Lavys plans,...out coached.

Could not solve Marty.....dump the puck in to the goalie in which pretty much invented the trapezoid lines...just to watch him and his hall of fame stick handling control own us

[#14]

I don't think they used all their gas. I just think they simply overlooked the devils. Add in the fact that the devils trap was in full affect which destroyed any of Lavys plans,...out coached.

Could not solve Marty.....dump the puck in to the goalie in which pretty much invented the trapezoid lines...just to watch him and his hall of fame stick handling control own us

The Devils do not use the trap anymore. They forecheck. Their forechecking killed the Flyers and it killed the Rangers.

[fanofphilly]

Go watch that series again, and please tell me they did not trap at all....