Flyers Proceed with Caution: Stay Away From These Two Enticing Rumored Players

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With the Flyers’ general manager Chuck Fletcher well aware that the pressure is on him this off season to make some major changes to this long overdue franchise, he has made it known that he is willing and ready to do whatever it takes to get this team back to where they belong- As evident by recently trading Nolan Patrick and Philippe Myers in order to secure Nashville’s right-hand-shot defenseman Ryan Ellis. Ellis will surely slot in at the start of next season alongside the Flyers’ Ivan Provorov and hopefully remain there for years to come. But the question now remains: Is Chuck done? He may not be: In order to fill the hole that Niskanen left behind, Chuck has created two others in the lineup. Now, with his expansion draft list turned in and veterans like Jakub Voracek, James van Riemsdyk, and Shayne Gostisbehere left exposed, Fletcher is hopeful that one of them will be selected in the coming days. If that dream comes true Philadelphia (for the first time in a number of seasons) MAY just have some real cap space to work with this off season.

The media and fans around the City of Brotherly Love have been clamoring about the idea of bringing in a number of other big-name players as well who are rumored to be on the market; but should that be the goal?

One of the bigger names rumored to be linked to Philadelphia (not named Ellis) started the rumbles himself when he reportedly named the Flyers as one of his preferred destinations for a trade. That player was Vladimir Tarasenko of the St. Louis Blues. This now 29-year-old former sniper was once thought of as one of the league’s most dangerous players when the puck was on his stick (with a multitude of 30+ goal seasons now under his belt), but times have since changed. Since helping the Blues raise the cup just a few short seasons ago, Tarasenko has played in just 34 total games since then where he has only been able to amass 7 goals and 17 assists for 24 points during that time. The reason for that fall from grace is that Vlad has had three shoulder surgeries since April 2018 with many setbacks occurring during his long road to recovery. Tarasenko may only have two years left on his contract, but they come at a steep price: Vlad is set to make a whopping $9.5 million next season in base salary and carries a cap hit of $7.5 million for the next two seasons. Sure, this once-great goal scorer’s stat sheet may seem too good to pass up, but if Chuck knows what’s best for his team he will shy away from “Vova” (Tarasenko’s nickname) and spend that newfound money on someone else who isn’t just one Tom Wilson dirty hit away from a career-ending injury.

Another enticing player rumored to be available this off season via trade that Fletcher should stay away from is 26-year-old Tyler Bertuzzi of the Detroit Red Wings. Why you might be asking? I get it, he is a young, up-and-coming guy who plays a gritty, hardnosed style of game. Seems like the perfect fit, right? Well, what if I told you, he only played in nine games this season? Would you question why? Or would you simply say: Man, Bertuzzi looked to be on his way to having his best season yet with 5 goals and 7 points in such a short time span, Chuck needs to go get him! If you answered with the latter, then I would advise you to do your homework. The reason the now-restricted free agent Bertuzzi (who made just $3.5 million last season) is available in his prime is not because the Red Wings lack the cap space to re-sign him; On the contrary, they have an astounding $44 million in projected cap space this off season. It’s because Bertuzzi is currently battling his way to recovery from a back injury. He tried to rest and come back from it, but he eventually had to go to New York City’s Hospital for Special Surgery to have a procedure done. Now, I don’t know about you, but modern medicine has been able to develop ways to full on replace knees and save MLB pitchers’ careers with the Tommy John surgery, but the back is something that they just haven’t been able to perfect as of yet. Sometimes a back surgery is only a way to alleviate pain and usually ends up being just a short-term fix to a lifelong degenerative problem. Bertuzzi’s age and professional athletic build is definitely going to help his chances of getting back on the ice sooner, but it is still a big risk to take for a player who could have a now-heightened risk of sustaining a recurring injury. That’s why it might be best to let this opportunity to pass by for now as well, and revisit it if the opportunity presents itself again at a later time once Tyler has proven he can stay healthy. 

While the Flyers’ Chuck Fletcher will be certainly looking to make some other moves in the coming weeks in order to try and make his team playoff contenders once again, he should make sure to do his due diligence on who else he might want to bring in. There are some enticing players out there who are rumored to be open but, like these two previously mentioned, the Flyers should proceed with caution: If you don’t take a look under the hood before making a purchase (or trade) you just might be buying a lemon!